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.
#13670
Designing for Search Engines and Stars
Great search engine placement doesn't require you to sacrifice appealing design. While 'content is king' for high search engine rankings as well as overall site popularity, your imagination and creativity with designs can still reach for the stars. This tutorial provides a broad overview of ideal approaches, what can still work, and what you ought to avoid if search engine rankings are important. There are times when we forego the ideal for various reasons, so I'll try to steer you around the roadblocks on the way regarding graphics, Flash, frames, splash pages, and other potential perils. At the end of the tutorial are some resources for further exploration, too.
Kaiser, Shirley E. Digital Web Magazine (2002). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#29766
Many web sites and applications include a search feature. Often they provide an extremely simple search interface consisting of a single text box and a "Go" button. Sometimes, however, the users' tasks call for more sophistication, and guidelines for complex search interfaces are difficult to find. This paper details four levels of search interface, and it provides heuristics (guidelines) to use when designing complex search interfaces. Different solutions are appropriate, depending on the users' motivation and knowledge of their subject, experience using search interfaces, and search goals. Finally, PubMed serves as a useful example to illustrate how these guidelines can be used to analyze existing search interfaces.
McDaniel, Scott M. STC Proceedings (2004). Design>Web Design>User Interface>Search
#30427
Developing a Continuum to Describe Technical Communication 
The more integrated a discipline is, the greater the likelihood that the researchers are sharing ideas and the greater the chances are for developing theories and models to support the knowledge base. A fragmented discipline offers few connections between discussions and research. This study of technical communication literature reports and reflects upon the dialogue established among practitioners, researchers, and scholars as theories are built. A continuum--fragmented to integrated--places areas of study in technical communication and offers an interpretation of the field.
Smith, Elizabeth Overman 'Betsy'. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>TC>Research>Professionalism
#25532
There is just too much stuff out there. Web surfing has turned to web surfeit, as web users and independent content site authors are buried alive in a sea of ever-more-useless crap. Bob Jacobson sifts through the wreckage.
Jacobson, Bob. List Apart, A (2000). Articles>Web Design>Search
#27512
Directory Submissions: Understanding DMOZ and Yahoo!
Directory submissions, unlike search engine submissions, are reviewed by human beings and undergo a great deal of scrutiny by the editors reviewing them. It is important that your website is submitted correctly in order to obtain the listings you need.
Pass, Leann. Website Tips (2003). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#30371
Style checkers are software programs designed as writing tools. Despite their popularity in both academic and industrial settings, the effectiveness and advisability of using the technology is still unproven. A main issue is the ability of users to determine whether the program's suggestions are useful and to ignore inappropriate advice. Freshmen composition students, beginning technical writing students, and advanced technical writing students were asked to mark all suggestions made by RightWriter 4.0 as 'useful,' 'wrong,' or 'ignored.' Results show that all students ignored approximately 50% of the suggestions; however, freshman writers perceived a larger percentage of the suggestions that they ignored to be wrong rather than just not useful.
Moosally, Michelle J. and Roland D. Nerd. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Research>Education>Software
#19759
Diversity is Power for Specialized Sites
Small websites get less traffic than big ones, but they can still dominate their niches. For each question users ask, the Web delivers a different set of sites to provide the answers.
Nielsen, Jakob. Alertbox (2003). Articles>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#30274
Do A Presentation At The STC 42nd Annual Conference!
Both old hands and newcomers can create a plan to do a presentation at the next STC Annual Conference. Simply follow this 5-step process: (1) Understand the call for proposals. (2) Discover possible topics to develop. (3) Identify gifts--something of value--to give your audience in your presentation and in your paper (if you do one). (4) Think of appealing gift wraps to attract your hearers and readers. (5) Prepare a thorough proposal for the Program Committee. This process works best in a workshop where the participants can form a critical mass for creative excitement, help one another generate ideas--and have fun!
Dean, Morris. STC Proceedings (1994). Presentations>TC>Research>STC
#10768
Documenting Electronic Sources
The Internet is a widely used tool for research, but unfortunately, style manuals contain little information on how to document electronic sources. This page contains links to sources which will help students, teachers, and anybody doing research on the Internet to cite such sources using different styles. Some links come from 'Cyber Citations,' an article by Michael A. Arnzen, which appeared in Internet World in September 1996. Some of the addresses were no longer current and are updated here, and many more have been added.
#24404
Does a Question Mark in the URL Affect Ranking?
For a long time search engine professionals have claimed that a question mark in a web page's URL is bad for its search ranking. Is this still true today? This article investigates.
Ricerca, Jon. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#24040
Does Keyword Location on Page Affect Ranking?
Find out the best position to place your keywords on web pages to optimise them for the search engines.
Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#23246
Does the Number of Links on a Page Affect its Ranking?
The more outbound links there are, the higher in the search rankings your web pages will be, according to this article.
Ricerca, Jon. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#21997
Does Website Hosting Affect Rankings at Google?
After planning and developing a website the next part is to host it on the internet. Web Hosting is indeed an issue to be spent time on but the question arises if you need to look at it with your SEO eye or not? The answer in plain words is Yes and No.
Goyal, Nakul. ISEDB (2004). Design>Web Design>Hosting>Search Engine Optimization
#22071
Don't Submit Your Website to Any Search Engines
Submitting your website to every search engine is an incredibly time-consuming process. There are hundreds and hundreds of them out there - no doubt, you've come across the companies who'll submit your website to 1000 search engines for you. Search engine professionals know that the vast majority of these search engines have a very low usage rate and will drive hardly any traffic your way. In fact, it's only a handful of search engines that drive the majority of traffic from search engines to websites.
Moss, Trenton. Webcredible (2004). Design>Web Design>Marketing>Search
#22736
E-Learning in the Library: Developing an Online Library Research Tutorial
The instruction librarian at GustavuAn examination of this draft tutorial serves to illustrate some of the issues concerning 'e-learning' in the context of online library research tutorials.s Adolphus College (GAC) in St. Peter, Minnesota has created a draft online library tutorial: 'Doing Research at the Folke Bernadotte Memorial Library – and Beyond,' available at http://www.gustavus.edu/oncampus/academics/library/tutorial.An examination of this draft tutorial serves to illustrate some of the issues concerning 'e-learning' in the context of online library research tutorials.
Hulseberg, Anna. Techniques (2003). Articles>Research>Online
#24475
The 1995 E and R PIC Focus Group on Technical Communication Research will continue the dialogue begun at STC annual conferences in 1993 and 1994. The 1993 Focus Group discussed partnerships between the Society, industry, and the academy, while the 1994 one discussed planning initiatives for technical communication education.
Batorsky, Barry J., Saul A. Carliner, John James Conklin, Jeffrey L. Hibbard, Kenneth T. Rainey, Stuart A. Selber, Sherry G. Southard and Katherine E. Staples. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Research
#30251
Education, Training, and Research Stem Overview
Whether we are new or experienced technical communicators, formal and continuing education and training are vital for our careers. And the basis for much of our education and training is developed from research.
Armbruster, David L. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Education>Research
#29570
Effect of E-Printing on Citation Rates in Astronomy and Physics
In this report we examine the change in citation behavior since the introduction of the arXiv e-print repository. It has been observed that papers that initially appear as arXiv e-prints get cited more than papers that do not. Using the citation statistics from the NASA-Smithsonian Astrophysics Data System, we confirm the findings from other studies, we examine the average citation rate to e-printed papers in the Astrophysical Journal, and we show that for a number of major astronomy and physics journals the most important papers are submitted to the arXiv e-print repository first.
Henneken, Edwin A., Michael J. Kurtz, Guenther Eichhorn, Alberto Accomazzi, Carolyn Grant, Donna Thompson and Stephen S. Murray. Journal of Electronic Publishing (2006). Articles>Publishing>Research>Online
#31342
Effective Risk Communication Starts with Solid Research
The terms risk communication, crisis communication and risk management are often used interchangeably. Crisis communication we understand to mean communicating once the crisis has hit. Risk management entails ensuring as far as possible that risks do not become a reality. Risk communication is part of risk management—informing responsibly on the extent of risk.
Macleod, Sandra. Communication World Bulletin (2006). Articles>Risk Communication>Research>Crisis Communication
#29493
Effective Search Engine Submission Strategies
Now that you've got a website it's time to start thinking about promoting it. Search engine listings are the number one way to generate traffic to your website.
stevenforsyth.com (2005). Articles>Web Design>Information Design>Search Engine Optimization
#22376
Search result pages must make information easy to find and present results in a format that is easy to use.
Bohmann, Kristoffer. Bohmann Usability (2000). Design>Web Design>Usability>Search
#27546
The Effects of Contrast and Density on Visual Web Search
This study evaluated the effects of white space on visual search time. Participants were required to search for a target word on a web page with different levels of white space, measured by level of text density. Screens were formatted with one of four types of graphical manipulation, including: no graphics, contrast, borders and contrast with borders under two levels of overall density and three levels of local density. Results show that search times were longer with increased overall density but significant differences were not found between levels of local density. Only the use of contrast was found to be significant, resulting in an increase in search time.
Weller, Donnelle. Usability News (2004). Design>Web Design>Visual Rhetoric>Search
#25708
Eight Quick Ways to Fix Your Search Engine
Almost every site's search engine could use improvement. Most organizations' Web teams couldn't really affect the quality of their search results--they were stuck tweaking search technologies that had already been purchased and installed. Often, the most dramatic change they could make was in the design of the search and results interfaces.
Veen, Jeffrey. Adaptive Path (2004). Design>Web Design>Search
#21999
Eight Ways to Use Alexa.com's Toolbar as Your Secret Traffic Weapon
By now, most web marketers know that the Alexa.com ranking of their site is important. It gives an independent measure of your monthly unique visitors and reach on the web to potential advertisers.
Abayomi-Paul, Tinu. Free Traffic Directory. Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
#18737
El título de la página es un metadato acerca del contenido de la página, que se define a través de la etiqueta HTML <title>. Definir el título en todas las páginas que conforman el sitio web es una norma básica que aumenta considerablemente la 'findability' de la información contenida en cada página. Además, no definirlo supone mostrar una imagen poco profesional del sitio web y su diseño. Al contrario de lo que pudiera parecer, el título de la página no es un elemento de orientación del usuario en su navegación, ya que la mayoría de los usuarios ni tan siquiera advertirán su existencia.
Hassan Montero, Yusef. Nosolousabilidad.com (2003). (Spanish) Design>Web Design>Search>Search Engine Optimization
