Website Optimization

Remember when an optimized website was one that merely didn't take all day to appear? Times have changed. Today, website optimization can spell the difference between enterprise success and failure, and it takes a lot more know-how to achieve success.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the tips, techniques, secrets, standards, and methods of website optimization. From increasing site traffic to maximizing leads, from revving up responsiveness to increasing navigability, from prospect retention to closing more sales, the world of 21st century website optimization is explored, exemplified and explained.

Website Optimization combines the disciplines of online marketing and site performance tuning to attain the competitive advantage necessary on today's Web. You'll learn how to improve your online marketing with effective paid and natural search engine visibility strategies, strengthened lead creation and conversion to sales methods, and gold-standard ad copywriting guidelines. Plus, your increased site speed, reduced download footprint, improved reliability, and improved navigability will work synergistically with those marketing methods to optimize your site's total effectiveness.

In this book for business and IT managers, author Andrew King, president of Website Optimization, LLC, has assembled experts in several key specialties to teach you:

• Search engine optimization -- addressing best (and worst) practices to improve search engine visibility, including step-by-step keyword optimization guidelines, category and tag cloud creation, and guerilla PR techniques to boost inbound links and improve rankings
• Pay-per-click optimization -- including ad copywriting guidelines, setting profit-driven goals, calculating and optimizing bids, landing page optimization, and campaign management tips
• Optimizing conversion rates -- increasing leads with site landing page guidelines, such as benefit-oriented copy, credibility-based design, value hierarchies, and tips on creating unique selling propositions and slogans
• Web performance tuning -- optimizing ways to use (X)HTML, CSS, and Ajax to increase speed, reduce your download footprint, and increase reliability
• Advanced tuning -- including client-side techniques such as on-demand content, progressive enhancement, and inline images to save HTTP requests. Plus server-side tips include improving parallelism, using cache control, browser sniffing, HTTP compression, and URL rewriting to remap links and preserve traffic
• Web metrics -- illustrating the best metrics and tools to gather details about visitors and measure web conversion and success rates. Covering both search marketing metrics and web performance measures including Pathloss and waterfall graphs

Website Optimization not only provides you with a strategy for success, it also offers specific techniques for you and your staff to follow. A profitable website needs to be well designed, current, highly responsive, and optimally persuasive if you're to attract prospects, convert them to buyers, and get them to come back for more. This book describes precisely what you need to accomplish to achieve all of those goals.

This book is a comprehensive guide to the tips, techniques, standards, and methods of Web site optimization, from increasing site traffic to maximizing leads, from revving up responsiveness to increasing navigability.

Foreword; Preface; Who Should Read This Book; How This Book Is Organized; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; How to Contact Us; Safari® Books Online; Credits; Acknowledgments; Part I: Search Engine Marketing Optimization; Chapter 1: Natural Search Engine Optimization; 1.1 The Benefits of SEO; 1.2 Core SEO Techniques; 1.3 Ten Steps to Higher Search Engine Rankings; 1.4 Summary; Chapter 2: SEO Case Study: PhillyDentistry.com; 2.1 Original Site; 2.2 First Redesign: Mid-2004; 2.3 Second Redesign: Late 2007; 2.4 Summary; Chapter 3: Pay-per-Click Optimization; 3.1 Pay-per-Click Basics and Definitions; 3.2 Google, Yahoo!, Microsoft, and Everybody Else; 3.3 Goal Setting, Measurement, Analytics Support, and Closing the Loop; 3.4 Keyword Discovery, Selection, and Analysis; 3.5 Organizing and Optimizing Ad Groups; 3.6 Optimizing Pay-per-Click Ads; 3.7 Optimizing Landing Pages; 3.8 Optimizing Bids; 3.9 Other Pay-per-Click Issues; 3.10 Summary; Chapter 4: PPC Case Study: BodyGlove.com; 4.1 Body Glove PPC Optimization; 4.2 Summary; Chapter 5: Conversion Rate Optimization; 5.1 The Benefits of CRO; 5.2 Best Practices for CRO; 5.3 Top 10 Factors to Maximize Conversion Rates; 5.4 Staging Your CRO Campaign; 5.5 Summary; Part II: Web Performance Optimization; Chapter 6: Web Page Optimization; 6.1 Common Web Page Problems; 6.2 How to Optimize Your Web Page Speed; 6.3 Summary; Chapter 7: CSS Optimization; 7.1 Build on a CSS Architecture; 7.2 Top 10 Tips for Optimizing CSS; 7.3 Summary; Chapter 8: Ajax Optimization; 8.1 Common Problems with Ajax; 8.2 Ajax: New and Improved JavaScript Communications; 8.3 Proper Application of Ajax; 8.4 Rolling Your Own Ajax Solution; 8.5 Relying on Ajax Libraries; 8.6 JavaScript Optimization; 8.7 Minimizing HTTP Requests; 8.8 Choosing Data Formats Wisely; 8.9 Addressing the Caching Quandary of Ajax; 8.10 Addressing Network Robustness; 8.11 Understanding the Ajax Architecture Effect; 8.12 Summary; Chapter 9: Advanced Web Performance Optimization; 9.1 Server-Side Optimization Techniques; 9.2 Client-Side Performance Techniques; 9.3 Summary; Chapter 10: Website Optimization Metrics; 10.1 Website Success Metrics; 10.2 Types of Web Analytics Software; 10.3 Search Engine Marketing Metrics; 10.4 Web Performance Metrics; 10.5 Summary; Colophon;

Andrew B. King is the President of Website Optimization, LLC, a Web Performance and Search Engine Marketing firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since 2002, team WSO has helped firms optimize the effectiveness of their websites to improve their ROI. Their clients include Bank of America, AOL, Time Warner, Net Zero, WhitePages.com, and Caravan Tours. For more information on website optimization and a book companion site go to: http://www.websiteoptimization.com.

Andy is the author of Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization, a highly regarded book on web site performance tuning and search engine optimization. Mr. King holds a BSME and MSME from the University of Michigan specializing in design optimization of structures. He was recruited by NASA after graduation, but chose instead to join the fast-paced world of engineering consultant.

Since 1993, Mr. King has worked full time as a web professional applying and teaching web optimization and creation techniques. He is the founder and former Managing Editor of WebReference.com and JavaScript.com, two award-winning developer sites acquired by Mecklermedia in 1997 (now Jupitermedia).

Andrew B. King is the President of Website Optimization, LLC, a Web Performance and Search Engine Marketing firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Since 2002, team WSO has helped firms optimize the effectiveness of their websites to improve their ROI. Their clients include Bank of America, AOL, Time Warner, Net Zero, WhitePages.com, and Caravan Tours. For more information on website optimization and a book companion site go to: http://www.websiteoptimization.com.

Andy is the author of Speed Up Your Site: Web Site Optimization, a highly regarded book on web site performance tuning and search engine optimization. Mr. King holds a BSME and MSME from the University of Michigan specializing in design optimization of structures. He was recruited by NASA after graduation, but chose instead to join the fast-paced world of engineering consultant.

Since 1993, Mr. King has worked full time as a web professional applying and teaching web optimization and creation techniques. He is the founder and former Managing Editor of WebReference.com and JavaScript.com, two award-winning developer sites acquired by Mecklermedia in 1997 (now Jupitermedia).

Publisher: O'Reilly Media
Distributor: Ingram Publisher Services
Publication Date: 07-15-2008
Pages: 396
Measurements: 9.18in X 7.10in X 0.97in X 1.39lb