A large part of my time at StepForth as a search engine optimization consultant is spent conducting competitor research on behalf of our clientele. This service aims on destroying the marketing strategies and campaigns of each competitor while determining the ways that appear to have the foundation that contributed to their SEO success. as you might think I bumped in to a lot of fascinating strategies the do create results and some don't. The creation of on-site glossaries and frequently asked questions areas have been overlooked; but, I have proven them to work over and over. The techniques discussed in this article describe these two areas usefulness.

 

Create a Glossary

I imagine we have both shared one frustration with the Internet Marketing at one tíme or another and that is jargon… too much of it. Acronyms, and bafflegab seem to be unintentionally utilized on websites all over the web (I am guilty too, I admit it) and I often wish there was a simple way to find a definition within a website rather than visiting an online dictionary. In most scenarios, there are a few websites where the owners have inteligently linked a relatively ambigous term to an off-site definition which is friendly to user but totally junk for great optimization opportunity. Whenever an occasion arises where a link to a definition would be worthwhile it makes far more sense to link to that content within your own website so that you can gain credibility in the eyes of a major search engine like Google.

You see, Google's algorithm is essentially a credibility calculator; it considers a whole host of elements on your website and pointing to your website to determine where it should be ranked. There are seemingly insurmaountable elements that the algorithm considers, not to mention the uniqueness and importance of each page's and it's content to the number of linkslinking or pointing to your website coming from different credible websites. Having the added relevant content not incoherent to a glossary will create a small boost in credibility and also by linking a phrase or word from a webpage to its definition inside your glossary.

For example, your website is.e. www.xyzname.it would be beneficial to build an inclusive glossary of woodworking term on to you site to sell a large array of wood working equipment and tools. Once the glossary is complete you can then occasionally link to the associated terms from within the written content on your website~When the glossary is complete, occasionally you can then link to the associated terms in the written content on your website}~{Once the glossary is complete you can then occasionallylink to the associated terms from within the written content on your website}~When the glossary is complete, occasionally you can then link to the associated terms in the written content on your website}.

I may see that the content inside the glossary is connected but Im not sure on how these links help?

 

A search engine algorithm tries to ascertain credibility in much the same manner humans do; we just take our innate calculations for granted. So consider how you would feel if you were on the woodworking site reading a tutorial on building a rocking chair and whenever a confusing term appeared you were provided with a link to a glossary on the site kindly defining the term. This tiny convenience will probably sky rocket your opinion of the value of the website and in return there will be less doubt in the credibility of the website. Search engine algorithms assimilate these helpful links in much the same manner so by helping your visitors you are also helping your website.

Wait! There is another bonus to having a glossary:

As an added benefit glossary pages also have a great chance at obtaining rankings for their associated definitions precisely because they have links from relevant text pointing to them. In other words, glossaries are entirely helpful for your site to be well known by curiois surfers that are just looking for definition as well as for those big website that would like to link in for reference to your site.

In short, glossaries are simply a win-win tactic for nearly any website. In fact, as I write this I can't think of a single website that would not benefit from a glossary.

Create a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Page

Now that you have read why an on-site glossary is important perhaps the concept of adding a Frequently Asked Questíons section to your website is a no-brainer or perhaps not. It is my very strong opinion that if you don't have a FAQ page you should get your butt in gear and create one ASAP.

Similar to a glossary, the FAQ page is the best place to establish the credibility of your website ang set aside all the worries that often arise concerning your products and services. you can have some ideas of queries of prospective customer might ask by trying to call a few clients and ask them what they are sought for prior choosing your company. Place a submission form on your contact page and see if prospects are willing to ask you a question directly – always try to respond promptly. Then place the question and your response on the appropriate FAQ page.

 

Yet another bonus from having an FAQ:

It is very common for the average surfer to search the web using questíons. If your FAQ uses the wording that you think your prospects will use when searching, you will have a good chance at acquiring some extra high quality traffic. Do some research using a keyword analysis tool and try to find the best wording for each FAQ.

Tips for Building an Optimized Glossary or FAQ

Now I imagine that every expert in the SEO field has a different preference for designing the ‘ultimate’ glossary or FAQ but there are definitely some important tips to keep in mind for both:

1. Keep the pages relatively short. For example, I do not recommend having the entire glossary or FAQ on a single page unless they are relatively small. Up to 10 to 15 questions and answers is ideal on each page.

2. In creating a FAQ, assign each page to a particular topic. For example, on a woodworking site the FAQ for one page might be on the installation of a wood floor and another page would be devoted to questíons on laminate floor installation.

3. When formatting the content for both the glossary and the FAQ try to link to related content within your website. In this occasion, if there is a visitor or seach engines go to your site through any of these pages, they will get an absolutely exact information in just one click.

4. Always put a "back button" or a link to click on to take the user to the FAQ page or the glossary main navigation is made available after every definition and/or answer. This will create a more userfriendly navigation for your visitors to explore each resource and find a way back home or to the reading material they where before.

5. Include content to both FAQs and glossary pages as much as possible. It is often very simple to add a new definition or question and over time each resource will become more and more valuable to your users and ultimately contribute more to your website’s success.

6. Secure that the Glossary and Frequesntly Asked Questions pages are aggregated in XML sitemap in order for the search engines to regularly index the page [see Google XML Sitemaps – The Basics ]. That being said, I suggest to set appropriate re-index rate every month unless the source will have an update than the usual. After all, all of these pages were meant to support rather than taking awa the main content of your site.

Your Competitors Are Doing It or They Will

If your website lacks a glossary or a FAQ I can only hope that this article convinced you to make it a priority. These tools are important factors to the success of competitors that I have noticed in many of my analysis contracts. They are too simple to add for anyone to be without them. Hiring your favorite web designer to add those resources will still come to one conclusion - the ends will justify the means.