Tài liệu Module 5: Promoting Your Web Site doc

Submit an e-commerce Web site to multiple search engines and directories.. Making Your Web Site Accessible Explain the methods that enable a Web site to receive a high ranking by search

Contents

Overview 1

Making Your Web Site Accessible 2

Signing Up for Traffic Builder 7

Using SubmitIt! to Submit Your E-Commerce

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Development Lead: P.M Murali (NIIT)

Instructional Designers: Sangeeta Nair (NIIT), Vijayalakshmi Narayanaswamy, (NIIT)

Technical Contributors: Scott Swigart (3 Leaf Solutions, LLC); Gary Gumbiner (Great Barrier Technologies)

Program Manager: Steve Merrill

Graphic Artist: Scott Serna

Editing Manager: Lynette Skinner

Editor: Dennis Rea

Copy Editor: Ed Casper (S&T Consulting)

Publications Manager: Miracle Davis

Test Manager: Eric Myers

CD Build Specialist: Jenny Boe; Eric Wagoner

Production Coordinator: Marlene Lambert (Online Training Solutions, Inc.); Susie Bayers (Online Training Solutions, Inc.)

Manufacturing Manager: Bo Galford

Manufacturing Support: Laura King

General Manager: Robert Stewart

Instructor Notes

This module teaches students the importance of promoting a Web site in order

to attract user traffic The module also shows students how to design their Web sites in such a way that they receive a high listing on search engines and in directories The module describes how the SubmitIt! service from Microsoft®

bCentral™ can help the students to fine-tune their Web sites and submit the sites

to search engines and directories on the Web

After completing this module, students will be able to:

! Identify methods for ensuring a high listing for a Web site on search engines

! Sign up for bCentral Traffic Builder

! Submit an e-commerce Web site to multiple search engines and directories

! Obtain reports on submitted sites

! Verify submission of a Web site to search engines

Materials and Preparation

This section provides the materials and preparation tasks that you need to teach this module

Required Materials

To teach this module, you need the following materials:

! Microsoft PowerPoint® file 1933A_05.ppt

! Module 5, “Promoting Your Web Site”

! Lab 5, “Using SubmitIt! to Submit Web Sites”

Preparation Tasks

To prepare for this module, you should:

! Read all of the materials for this module

! Complete the lab

Presentation:

60 Minutes

Lab:

30 Minutes

Module Strategy

Use the following strategies to present this module:

! Making Your Web Site Accessible Explain the methods that enable a Web site to receive a high ranking by search engines and directories Use the examples on the Mightyflight Toys Web site to highlight these points

! Signing Up for Traffic Builder Explain to the students that Traffic Builder includes site-promotion services such as SubmitIt!, Banner Network, and ListBot Demonstrate the sign-up process before proceeding to the following section on using SubmitIt!

! Using SubmitIt! to Submit Your E-Commerce Web Site Discuss and demonstrate the procedures for using SubmitIt! To analyze the content of a Web page, submit the Web page, and verify the submission

Overview

! Making Your Web Site Accessible

! Signing Up for Traffic Builder

! Using SubmitIt! to Submit Your E-Commerce Web Site

One of the main concerns for an online business is to get its Web site listed on the various search engines and directories on the Internet Securing a listing on multiple search engines increases user traffic to the Web site, resulting in revenue

The SubmitIt! service from Microsoft® bCentral™ is an excellent tool for helping your e-commerce Web site to gain the benefit of visibility on search engines and directories By using SubmitIt!, you can fine-tune your Web site to ensure a high ranking on search engines

After completing this module, you will be able to:

! Identify methods for ensuring a high ranking for your Web site on search engines

! Sign up for bCentral Traffic Builder

! Submit an e-commerce Web site to multiple search engines and directories

! Obtain status reports on submitted sites

! Verify submission of a Web site to search engines

In this module, you will learn

how to promote your

e-commerce Web site by

submitting it to search

engines and directories on

the Web, by using the

SubmitIt! service from

# Making Your Web Site Accessible

! Getting Listed on Search Engines

! Selecting Web Pages for Submission

Creating an e-commerce Web site does not automatically mean that the site will attract traffic In an environment where e-commerce Web sites are being created by the thousands, it is necessary to plan a strategy for ensuring higher visibility for your own Web site You need to follow an appropriate

methodology to ensure that your site attracts the largest portion of your target audience

One strategy for promoting an e-commerce Web site is to advertise the site through media such as newspapers and television A more direct approach is to announce your site by submitting it to various search engines and directories This is especially important, because most users will find your site through these search engines and directories The more your e-commerce Web site shows up in the search results of search engines, the better your chances are of attracting more traffic

Without promotion, even the

best e-commerce Web site

will not attract traffic A Web

site must be made highly

visible in order to attract

customers

Getting Listed on Search Engines

! Use descriptive <TITLE> tags

! Use descriptive <META> tags

! Place important text at the top

! Use <ALT> tags with graphics

! Include links to and from other sites

! Avoid spamming

Submitting your e-commerce Web site to search engines increases its visibility

to the target audience, and consequently attracts more traffic However, it is not enough to merely secure listings for your Web site on search engines A high ranking on the search engines is also important to ensure visibility

Before submitting your Web site to search engines, you need to consider several issues regarding the Web site title and text You should use the following methods when designing and scripting your Web pages:

! Use descriptive <TITLE> tags

The <TITLE> tag contains the text that the browser displays on the title bar

Search engines refer to this <TITLE> tag first when they search a Web site

If the text in the <TITLE> tag describes the content of your Web page, it is easier for the user to understand what your Web site is about Do not have

<TITLE> tags on your Web pages that contain only the words “Home

Page”, as this gives no indication of the nature of your site

! Use descriptive <META> tags

Some search engines search the <META> tags on Web pages and list the text that they contain after the title of the Web site For this reason, it is a good idea to include additional information about your Web site in

<META> tags The <META> tag should describe your main business activities and should relate to the content on that Web page This helps your Web site to secure a higher rank in the search results of these search engines

Some search engines, such as Excite, do not check the <META> tags at all For these search engines, you should try to make the first few paragraphs of your Web page as descriptive as possible Also, descriptive and keyword

<META> tags should not include the names of any of your competitor companies Finally, you should be careful not to mention any other company’s name if it is possible that you will make money from it Apart from violating trademark and copyright laws, doing this could be a legal liability for you

Topic Objective

To discuss factors that will

increase the chances of an

e-commerce Web site being

listed on search engines

Lead-in

Search engines are the best

way to attract customers to

an e-commerce Web site

However, a few points need

to be incorporated into a

Web page to make it more

accessible to users through

search engines

! Place important text at the top of the page

Search engines that search descriptive text look for keywords in the text at the top of the page Therefore, the top portion of a Web page should contain descriptive text with keywords that indicate the nature and subject of the content In the case of a site created in Site Manager, this is the highlight

text of the page

! Use <ALT> tags with graphics

Some search engines search for text contained in <ALT> tags while searching a site for keywords The text within <ALT> tags can be associated with graphics files on a Web site to increase the chance of more keywords being listed by the search engine This method also increases the ranking of your listings in the search results In addition, if text browsers are used, search engines will look for the text within the <ALT> tag that is

associated with the graphics files, and then display that text to the user

! Include links to and from other sites

Some search engines rank sites based on the number of links the sites have

to other sites If you have links to many high-ranking sites on your Web site, your site may be considered a hub and may itself rank higher in search results In addition, if many other sites link to your site, you may be considered an authority and receive a higher rank in search listings You should not submit Web pages that have no links—or only links—on them This can lead search engines such as AltaVista to reject your Web page

! Avoid spamming

All search engines now discourage “spamming” by users while submitting

Web pages for listing In this context, spamming involves using too many keywords and repeating them excessively in the <META> tag in order to obtain a high ranking from a search engine Although the first instance of spamming in a submission may simply disqualify that page from being accepted, repeated instances may also lead to legal proceedings against the offender

Let’s consider the Mightyflight Toys e-commerce Web site as an example of the preceding practices Mightyflight Toys has a business-to-consumer site that retails toys such as toy cars, dolls, teddy bears, and so on Before submitting its Web site to search engines, the company can implement many of the above points

The <TITLE> tag can include the following information:

<TITLE> Mightyflight Toys:You Name It, We Got It </TITLE> The title is descriptive of the nature of the company and its products, and appears on the title bar of the browser as it loads the page

Delivery Tip

You can use these

examples along with the tips

given above

The <META> tags can contain the following text to enhance the visibility of the Web site in search results:

<META Name="Keywords" Content="Toys, toy cars, cars, soft toys, teddy bears, dolls, children">

<META Name="Description" Contents="We specialize in selling the highest quality toys at bargain prices.">

In the text portion of the page, the information that is most relevant to the Web site’s target audience should be positioned at the top of the page In the case of Mightyflight Toys, a brief summary of information about the company’s primary business, products, and achievements should be placed at the top of the page to give the site listing greater priority in a descriptive page text search Similarly, the graphics files depicting the products sold by the company can be associated with the text contained in the <ALT> tags, as shown in the following code:

<IMG SRC="/images/ToyUnivInc.gif" ALT="Mightyflight Toys: You Name It, We Got It.">

The SubmitIt! site provides hints and tips on submitting a Web site to search engines

Tip

Selecting Web Pages for Submission

! Depending on the search engine, you need to submit all

of the pages, some of the pages, or no page from your Web site

! If you need to submit pages to a search engine:

$ Submit all pages that contain product-related information

$ Make sure that all submitted pages contain a link to the home page

$ Include <TITLE> and <META> tags in all pages to be submitted

Depending on the search engine to which you are submitting your site, you can submit all of the Web pages, selected Web pages, or none at all For example, Lycos allows you to submit as many pages as you want, while WebCrawler lets you submit no more than 25 pages for listing AltaVista requires you to submit only your home page—the search engine will then search all of the pages linked

to your home page

Although directories retain only one listing per company, a search engine can accommodate multiple pages from a single Web site in its index Multiple page listings allow you to submit all of the pages on your e-commerce site that may

be relevant to your customers

For example, all of the Web pages on the Mightyflight Toys Web site offer information that a customer can use to purchase a product from the site

Therefore, it makes good business sense for Mightyflight Toys to submit to search engines its home page plus all of the Web pages that contain product information This increases the site’s visibility to users who use search engines You should keep the following points in mind when submitting Web pages from your e-commerce Web site to search engines:

! Submit your home page plus all of the pages that contain the main topics of your Web site If your site contains different Web pages for different products or product categories, submit the Web pages for each product or product category However, some search engines only require the home page of your Web site, and then search your entire site from there

! All of the pages that you submit should contain links to the site’s home page and to each other You should include a navigation bar on each of your Web pages that lists all of the main pages of your site

! Include <TITLE> and <META> tags containing descriptive information on your Web pages to make them more accessible to search engines

Topic Objective

To discuss the

considerations for selecting

Web pages for submission

Lead-in

In addition to submitting

your home page to search

engines, you need to submit

the Web pages that contain

relevant information for site

visitors

Signing Up for Traffic Builder

! Information to be entered on the sign-up form includes:

$ First and last name

$ User e-mail address

$ Password

$ Address, including city and ZIP code

$ Country

$ Phone number

$ Credit card details for payment

Before using the SubmitIt! service, you must sign up for bCentral Traffic Builder Traffic Builder contains a set of services that includes SubmitIt! as well as Banner Network, ListBot, and PositionAgent

To sign up for Traffic Builder, you first need to access the site

http://premium.bcentral.com On selecting the link that lets you sign up for

Traffic Builder, you will be taken to the sign-up form Signing up for Traffic Builder is easy and is similar to signing up for Site Manager You need to provide the following information in this form:

! Name

! E-mail address

! Password, which must be between 6 and 20 alphanumeric characters

! Address, including the city and ZIP code

! Country

! Phone number

! Credit card details for payment

If you have already signed up for the Site Manager service, the above information will be already filled in You can choose to pay for Traffic Builder either by using the same credit card or by using a different one After you verify these details, you will be taken to the invoice page

Topic Objective

To demonstrate the process

of signing up for bCentral

Traffic Builder in order to

use the service to create a

Web site

Lead-in

Traffic Builder comes with a

set of services, including

SubmitIt!, that help you to

promote your e-commerce

Web site To use Traffic

Builder, you must first sign

up for it

Delivery Tip

Access the site

http://premium.bcentral.com

and tell the students that

they should access this site

to sign up for bCentral

Traffic Builder Then,

demonstrate the procedure

for signing up for Traffic

Builder as a new member

Remind the students that

when they do their lab

exercises, they should save

the invoice page on their

machine, or e-mail it to one

of their e-mail addresses

As in the case of the Site Manager invoice, you should either print a copy of the invoice, save it on your local disk, or e-mail it to your account for future reference The invoice number in the invoice is important because you need to refer to it if you correspond with Customer Support

After you verify your credit card details, you will be taken to the Traffic Builder start page You can use SubmitIt! and other site promotional services from this page

Important

# Using SubmitIt! to Submit Your E-Commerce Web Site

! The SubmitIt! Master Form

! Analyzing a Web Page

! Submitting a Web Site to Search Engines and Automatic Directories

! Submitting a Web Site to Specialized Directories

! Verifying a Submitted Web Site

When your e-commerce Web site is ready to be posted online—including descriptive <TITLE> and <META> tags and other search-enhancing features

on your Web pages—you can submit the site to search engines and directories The SubmitIt! service from Microsoft bCentral is a Web announcement service that enables you to submit your Web site and its pages to more than 400 search engines and directories With SubmitIt!, you can also submit your Web site in different categories in the directories, making your site accessible to users who are searching specifically for a particular item

You can submit your Web site to search engines and directories by using

SubmitIt! in three steps:

1 Enter the Web site information and contact details in the SubmitIt! Master

To explain the steps

involved in using SubmitIt!

to submit Web sites to

search engines and

directories

Lead-in

SubmitIt! from Microsoft

bCentral offers a simple

approach to submitting your

e-commerce Web site to

search engines and

directories

The SubmitIt! Master Form

Details to be entered in the SubmitIt! Master Form:

! Web site URL

! Web site name

! Short description of the Web site

! Detailed description of the Web site

! Keywords

! Primary language of the Web site content

Completing the SubmitIt! Master Form is the first step in submitting your commerce Web site to search engines and directories The Master Form requires you to provide information such as the Web site URL, descriptive keywords for searching, a description of your Web site, and your contact information The Master Form is easy to use and contains instructions for filling

e-in the fields

Directories use the information that you enter in the Master Form about your Web site Search engines, however, use the information found in Web page text and HTML code

The SubmitIt! Master Form contains fields in which information is entered for use by directories The following is a list of the fields and the information that needs to be entered in them:

! Web Site URL This is the site address of the Web page to be registered

The URL should begin with http://

! Web Site Name This is the name that is used to refer to the Web site The

name is included in the <TITLE> tag in the HTML code of the Web page

! Short Web Site description This is a brief, one-line description of the

Web site The description can include a maximum of 70 characters,

including punctuation marks and blank spaces

! Regular Web Site description This is a more detailed description of your

e-commerce Web site This field provides the detailed information about your site to directories Therefore, it should contain all of the important keywords that are descriptive of the Web site The field can accommodate a

maximum of 255 characters, including punctuation marks and blank spaces

Topic Objective

To describe some of the

fields of the SubmitIt! Master

Form

Lead-in

Before you submit your

e-commerce Web site to

search engines and

directories, you need to

provide information about

your site in the SubmitIt!

Master Form

Important

Delivery Tip

Show the SubmitIt! Master

Form to the students and

indicate the fields

Demonstrate the procedure

for completing the SubmitIt!

Master Form