Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results. Typically, the earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. SEO may target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
#35362
Describes the activities of a university “directed research group,” highlighting interesting tensions that emerged therein. Asserts that actively exploring such tensions with students creates a rich learning environment.
Larson, Jerrod, Colin Birge, Yi-Min Huang, Brook Sattler, Jennifer Turns and Jessica M. Yellin. Technical Communication Online (2009). Articles>Education>Research>Case Studies
#35383
Using the EServer TC Library for Course "Outside Readings"
Almost two years ago, I posted a rough note here about teaching my intro to technical communication course using the TC Library as a supplement to the textbook. Here's a more detailed essay on the method, which is working quite well so far.
Sauer, Geoffrey. EServer (2009). Articles>Education>Research>Online
#35384
The Seven Sins of Blogging, Sin #6, Being Unfindable
How can you enable readers to naturally find the content in your archives? How can you make the hundreds of posts you write more visible and prominent, especially if readers are looking for it? This is partly what the field of findability is all about. You can implement several easy aggregation techniques to increase the findability of your content. You can add tags and categories to your posts, and readers can navigate your content this way.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2009). Articles>Web Design>Blogging>Search Engine Optimization
#35426
Social Media Accounts for 18% of Information Search Market
Google is no longer the only hub for content discovery. The statusphere is introducing new channels that now serve as our attention dashboards and it's the collection of streams of consciousness from those we choose to follow. Collecta, Twitter Search, Facebook News Feeds, FriendFeed, etc., serve as the gateways to insight and enlightenment.
Solis, Brian. Social Media Today (2009). Articles>Web Design>Search>Social Networking
#35489
Can You Say That in English? Explaining UX Research to Clients
It's hard for clients to understand the true value of user experience research. As much as you'd like to tell your clients to go read The Elements of User Experience and call you back when they’re done, that won’t cut it in a professional services environment. David Sherwin creates a cheat sheet to help you pitch UX research using plain, client-friendly language that focuses on the business value of each exercise.
Sherwin, David. List Apart, A (2009). Articles>Consulting>User Experience>Research
#35497
This article addresses previous arguments that call for increased emphasis on research in technical communication programs. Focusing on the value of scholarly-based research at the undergraduate level, we present New Mexico Tech's thesis model as an example of helping students develop familiarity with research skills and methods. This two-semester sequence serves as a capstone experience for students' writing, designing, editing, and presentation skills. It also involves members of our corporate advisory board and provides an opportunity to teach students to understand and apply research methods to unique projects, skills we argue will benefit students no matter what environments they enter upon graduation.
Ford, Julie Dyke, Jennifer L. Bracken and Gregory D. Wilson. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (2009). Articles>Education>Research
#35512
I have never fabricated or fictionalized research data. Besides being completely unethical, that would have missed the point. It would have taken all the fun out of it! How easy and how boring that would have been.
Spinuzzi, Clay. Blogspot (2009). Articles>Writing>Research>Ethnographies
#35514
Calculating The True SEO Costs Of Major Site Changes
Over the past year we have worked with a number of organizations that have chosen to relocate their sites from an existing domain to a new domain. One of the questions that always comes up early in the process is “how much traffic are we going to lose?” It is an excellent question and not an easy one to answer, but in today’s column I am going to explore that exact question.
Enge, Eric. Search Engine Land (2009). Articles>Web Design>Redesign>Search Engine Optimization
#35648
Make More Money: Best Practices for Ads in Search Results: Part 2 
In this installment of Search Matters, we’ll continue our discussion of ads in search results. Understand what makes a good ad. Limit cannibalization. Provide ads for internal merchandise instead of third-party advertising. Pay special attention to ads on pages that appear if there are no search results.
Nudelman, Greg and Frank Guo. UXmatters (2009). Articles>Web Design>Search Engine Optimization>E Commerce
#35657
Make More Money: Best Practices for Ads in Search Results: Part 1
Conflicting demands make many UX professionals think of ads as a necessary evil. Customers frequently go out of their way to say they hate ads, while marketers always seem to try their hardest to stuff as many of them as they can on each search results page on your site. This leaves many UX design professionals caught in the middle, trying to balance the ad equation—and frequently failing to fully satisfy either customers or marketers. For this 2-part column, I’ve teamed up with advertisement and eyetracking research guru Frank Guo to present real-world strategies for successfully integrating ads into your search results. The goal is making money without unduly turning off your customers.
Nudelman, Greg and Frank Guo. UXmatters (2009). Articles>Web Design>Search Engine Optimization>E Commerce
#35756
What Design Researchers Can Learn from Hostage Negotiators
We’ve come to realize that the techniques used by hostage negotiators to resolve crises are also extremely valuable to user experience researchers. In essence, both parties are attempting to establish a relationship, both are trying to keep the communication flowing, and most importantly, both are trying to extract valuable data.
McClain, Brian and Demetrius Madrigal. Boxes and Arrows (2009). Articles>User Experience>Research
#35769
Diagnosing Technical Issues With Search Engine Optimization
Which pages have the search engines crawled? What kind of pages are they? Has the search engine Indexing indexed all of the crawled pages? How’s the search engine ranking traffic?
Robot, Jane. SlideShare (2009). Presentations>Web Design>Search Engine Optimization
