Doorway Pages
Website Optimization with Doorway pages
If you want a website, you obviously
want lots of internet traffic to flock to your site. It will be very helpful if
this stream of traffic can be "targeted" traffic as well. It means that your
visitors are looking for what you have to offer!
There are different approaches to
achieve your goal. Advertising in existing electronic magazines (ezines) is one
way. You can combine such a campaign with building up a mail list of your own.
You simply ask your website visitors to join your mail list so that you can keep
them informed about new developments on your website. Cozahost will gladly assist you with setting
up a mail list for your purposes.
Another way of creating traffic is to
use doorway pages.
What is a "doorway page"
exactly?
To arrive at a full understanding of
doorway pages we must start with a bit of background information.
Almost 400 million people use the
internet daily. Almost 90% of them use search engines - such as Google for instance - to find what they are
looking for. The search engine offers you an indexed list of a couple of
thousand possibilities - or even a few million in some cases - to choose from.
To have your website on top of that list of references can be quite something!
Just to be in the top 10 positions is an enormous achievement and can be
extremely profitable.
How does the engine decide who is
first, second and so on?
Well, powerful software scans
billions of web pages of the internet constantly. It "reads" and indexes all the
different pages of all the websites (Google - for example - indexes 4.2
billion pages at time of writing).
The search engine scanning software
is also known as a "crawler, spider or robot." The crawlers can complete this
massive scanning task in about 90 days - then the whole procedure starts all
over again.
An obvious question now is: how does
the robot "read" a page?
It counts the words and phrases and
then calculates a "density profile" for that page. "Density" in this sense
simply means that if the word "fruit" and the phrase "fruit
juice" are repeated a lot of times - much more than other words and phrases
- the search robot will regard this page as possible good candidate for a high
ranking in its final list. These "high density words" are known as
keywords and the phrases as keyword phrases or
keyword combinations. If the webmaster gains a good
understanding of this procedure and write a page accordingly, the particular
page is said to be optimized.
Do you remember the little song from
the golden classic movie The Sound of Music that goes: "When you
read you begin with a-b-c, when you sing you begin with doh-re-me"... and
so on? Let me tell you this, gentle reader: "When you read you begin with a-b-c,
when you sing you begin with doh-re-me, when you start developing your
website, you begin with keywords, keywords,
keywords!"
When talking about doorway pages, the
talking is all about KEYWORDS; BUT if you attempt to "fool" the search
engine by artificially loading your pages with keywords - you will achieve the
opposite of what you set out to do. First, foremost and above all, your
pages MUST CONTAIN VALUABLE INFORMATION.
Keywords
Simply a repetition of certain
keywords, huh? Be careful!
One: If the
search engine comes across a page that reads: "fruit, fruit juice, fruit, fruit,
fruit juice....(and goes on like this up to about 150 words)...." then it will
recognize the density, but it will also immediately regard this as
garbage and "spamdexing" because of the obvious attempt to
fool the search engine.
There is no useful content on the
page. In such cases the search engine will simply penalize the page by giving it
a very low ranking or by banning it from indexing.
The search engine wants "to see"
rich content that will be useful and meaningful to its own users.
Two: The second
problem is that readers are not fools you know. Even if you spread or scatter
keywords all over the page, they will immediately sense when the text is
somewhat artificial or "forced"... To write keyword rich content that satisfy
both the search robot and the reader can therefore turn out be a real challenge
for the webmaster.
Three: Then
again, any keyword won`t do. You must select optimized keywords
for the job. It means that you have to find popular keywords that
the search engine user will most likely type in there. How do you identify such
popular keywords? One great source: Aleksika
For $41 per year you will be allowed to use their database... and you will have
more popular keywords that you can handle! WordTracker
is another valuable source.
Four: When you
are thus far, you also need to name your page correctly. The very best is to use
your keyword for the name of the doorway page. How do you "name" your page in
such a way that the search engine robot can read it? This requires a bit of HTML
knowledge. The <name> TAG (and the <meta> TAG - giving the robot a
short description of the contents of your page) will take care of this. If you
are not HTML "literate," please do not quit! It is a simple procedure and Cozahost will help you out in no time!
(Note: FrontPage users need only right click on a page, select
"Page properties" from the menu and type the page title in the space
provided)
So, a Doorway page is...
A quick summary of what we have
covered so far - I guess - might be in order: a doorway page is...
- an "optimized" page designed in
such a way that the search robot will find it hard not to give it a "nice"
rating
- a page that is designed to put carefully
chosen keywords of keyword phrases on a pedestal
- a page using a popular keyword to name it
(using the "name tag")
- a page describing the contents for
the search engine (using the "meta tag")
- a short content-rich page with
keyword all over the page to create the desired but "unforced" density
Looking at this list, you might start
thinking: "Well, this is a simple recipe..." You are quite right! Just stay with
me now...
"When you sing you begin with
Doh-Re-Me..."
True? Yes! When you develop your web
pages you begin with...? Keyword-Keyword-Keyword. Am I repeating myself? Yes,
for a specific reason. You do not begin your website planning with a R14,000
budget to "Flash-flash-flash". Bells and whistles will
not sell your goodies. Targeted traffic to your website will. High ranking
search engine pages will. Doorway pages will...
When developing your website, start
off by thinking about:
- keywords
- strategic placing of doorway
pages
- focus on text rather then "looks"
- visitors want information and not "movies"
- fast loading pages - about 7
seconds loading time (Fact: Slow loading pages are to be blamed for an annual
loss of an estimated $1.3 billion)
Naturally - apart from doorway pages
- you must have your "main" pages as well. On those pages you can show your
visitors all the fantastic things that you have cooked up for them and why your
product or service is so special and why they must open their wallets for you.
BUT - your planning must not start with the
"inside-of-your-shop" stuff. You must start your planning with
the "doors-to-the-inside"
Forget about the old way of thinking
that the "home" page is the ONLY entrance to the "shop" (website). Think the
"mall-shopping-centre" way. Entrance No 1, No 2...... the more the better! START
the PLANNING of your WEBPAGE DESIGN with the placing of the DOORS! Pages that
are optimized, clean, simple, fast loading and extremely effective. The search
engines would like you very much for it and will reward you with loads of
traffic rushing to your place.
And... do not place obstacles in the
doors Obstacles?
Here is a no-no list for you
doorway pages:
- no flashing
- no or low graphics
- no JavaScript (if you don`t know
what this one is, be happy)
- pop-up windows (your visitors hate
them...)
- frames
- image maps
In some or other way these "features"
will work against you doorway pages. Avoid them.
What about an
Example of a Doorway Setup?
OK! Let`s say that I am a person
living near a rose farm and I know something about flower preservation. I decide
to dry roses and selling it to on a global scale. Packaging is no problem and
once preserved it will keep its fresh look at least two years. In fact, my
method is so unique that you actually have to smell the preserved rose to
distinguish it from a fresh rose. I also know that florists pay high prices for
this product and I can easily make a 100% profit.
Now I need a website to market my
"niche" product.
Where do I start? A fantastic home
page with BIG pictures of my fantastic pink roses? NO! A Doorway page! YES! So,
I must do keyword research!
Task
1: Find
optimized keywords. I did exactly that. I found out that
382 people recently searched for "drying rose." The
competition (websites talking about drying roses)? ZERO! How many people
searched for "preserving rose"? There were 159
searches. Competition? Only 59 websites dealing with this subject are
currently indexed and listed by Google. My conclusion? "Drying roses"
is such a "niche" subject that I have no competition at all and ironically
enough I don`t need a doorway page at all for this keyword! I will be the
only website dealing with this subject! But when I thought
about it for a while, I realized that "drying roses" could also have the meaning
of "roses in the process of dying while still on its natural state." So, I must
rather focus on "preserving roses." I have only 59 websites to beat! With
a doorway page I will possibly gain a rather high search engine
ranking!
Note: You may think: "Only 159
potential visitors? Now, really, this is a waste of time!" Think again. These
visitors are 100% targeted "seekers". Will you be able to handle them? Do
you have enough flowers to supply 100 of them? Or even 50? Statistics show that
1 out of 4 of these kind of visitors end up as buyers.
Task
2:
Naming your doorway page. This is easy and a short process. Use
your keyword phrase for the name. Once you know how to edit your page
with a simple text editor such as Notepad, you go right to the top of the page
and type in (the bold part):
| <html>
<head>
<title>preserving
roses</title>
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html> |
Task
3: Adding the
meta tags. Like this (the bold part)
| <html>
<head>
<title>preserving roses</title>
<meta
name="description" content="Detail information about preserving
roses">
<meta
name="keywords" content="preserving, roses, preserving
roses">
</head>
<body>
</body>
</html> |
Task
four: Write the
optimized content rich text. Your aim is to impress the search engine`s robot as
well as your reader. You are writing for optimum density without falling into
the trap of spamdexing. I will add comments here and there using a red color to distinguish it from the real text.
____________________
Preserving roses
[The heading must be the keyword
phrase]
Preserving roses [start your paragraph with the keyword phrase] is a very satisfying undertaking. You experience the
feeling that by preserving roses you are actually capturing the beauty of the
queen of flowers and cutting time decay right out of the equation. To achieve
ultimate results when preserving roses you need a very specific preserving
technique. Using silica gel for
preserving roses is the best way to go. Although it is called a gel, it is
actually a granular. Use the "fine sand" - like quality to retain the fragile
structure of the roses` petals. Although silica gel is very expensive it will be
worth every cent - especially so when you are preserving roses and desiring to
end up with a fantastic result! [Thus far we have used "preserving roses" 5 times and "preserving"
(standing alone) once and "roses" (standing alone) also once. The first 50 to 80
words of the page are quite important and you have to push the usage of your
keyword or keyword phrases to the limit. This is called "keyword
prominence", ie how early in the page the keywords appear].
Your color choice is critical.
For example: do not use red roses for preserving purposes because you will end
up with a deep purple roses or even black colored roses. Light pink roses are
not only the most popular color amongst florists, but retain it`s color also
perfectly during the preserving phase. It would be a wise decision using
exclusively light pink when preserving roses. ["preserving roses" - 1 more time and separately: "preserving" 2 times
and "roses" 4 times. In the second paragraph it is wise to ease off a bit and
not push your keyword phrase to hard because your reader will start thinking
that there is something "wrong"]
Cut the fresh rose [singular usage here and there is also a good
technique] just before it starts to open its
petals. Keep it in a refrigerator until it starts to open up. [Using "it" creates smooth reading - now that
you have established your density level for your keyword phrase. Use the
opportunity to write rich content]. Cut the stem
about two fingers down from the bottom of the flower itself and insert a thin
wire vertically as high up as possible without entering the rose petal area. If
you try to insert the wire after the preserving process the dry stem will break
up. There must be about three fingers of open wire visible after the insertion.
Bend that part towards to petals to form a kind of a hook. [Keep your keywords going on a continuous and discreet basis and
focus on valuable information].
You have to use an air tight
container for your preserving activity. Instead of buying expensive equipment,
use a simple carton box and place a large plastic bag in it - large enough to be
sealed after filling up the box. Pour a thick layer silica gel in the box. Bury
the roses at a 45 - 60 degree angle in the desiccant in such a way the weight of
the silica will not disturb the petal formation - that is the reason why roses
with fully opened petals must not be used. Make sure that you carefully pour
some of the preserving agent "inside" the rose - between the different petals -
as well. No open spaces or "air locks" must be allowed. The roses must not touch
each other. If the box is deep enough, you can bury a second layer on top of the
first. Finally - to end off the preserving preparations - cover the top layer of
roses totally with the gel and seal the box. Store it in a fairly warm
environment. [Your effort is now
focused on content while dragging your keywords along].
The preserving will be completed in
about 8 to 10 days. Remove the roses carefully and gently shake out the
drying agent. Can you distinguish
between a fresh rose and the dried one? You have only your nose to detect the
fresh one! Now for the waxing part. Waxing is needed to avoid discoloring. Click
here to read more [add the link here to take the
visitor to an optimized page about "waxing"].
Preserving roses is a demanding but very rewarding
activity. If you are within reach of a rose farm you can try preserving roses
yourself. Experimenting a little will quickly turn you in a rose preserving
master and florists will like you a lot. But very important: PLEASE USE A MASK
WHEN WORKING WITH THIS PRESERVING AGENT - SILICA IN YOUR LUNGS IS NOT A GOOD
IDEA. THE IDEA IS PRESERVING ROSES - NOT HURTING YOUR HEALTH. PLEASE USE A
MASK!
Finally - if you ask me what is my favorite flower to
preserve, my answer will unequivocally be... preserving roses!
[I have tried to push my keyword
phrase in the last section of text to create a nice spread throughout and to
lift the density-factor a bit more].
Task Five: Final touches. When your
doorway page is written, save it, add the links to other pages
and make sure there are links from other pages to your doorway page as well
(quite important). Now you are ready to submit your page to the search
engines.
General Comments
The word count of my doorway page is just over 600 words.
Because I wanted to insert a few comments, I have created a fairly extensive
text. In general between 150 and 350 words will be just fine.
To sum the whole doorway page up:
- a doorway page is essentially not different from any
other website page
- we have just paid serious attention to the optimized
keyword part
- we have organized the text to be keyword
orientated
- we have avoided all kinds of bells and whistles and
have worked with "clean text" to promote fast loading and easy "reading for
the crawler.
- Your page contains real, valuable content - with
no attempt to "fool" search engines
A last perspective: A very "smart approach" would be to
set up your doorway pages as short "dictionary pages" to act as explanatory
notes helping your visitors towards a thorough understanding of your subject.
They will think that you are very generous to give them a lot of additional
information. At the same time the search engines will love you as well for all
your optimized pages!
Finally...
One article can not cover everything that can be said. Our
aim was to persuade you to think new about your website approach. Think
keywords!
If you want to read more, try http://www.1stsearchranking.net/keyword-rich-pages.htm for instance.
Browse the web and try all sorts of keywords and learn
from what those websites did to gain high rankings.
Good luck!
Do you want more quality information like
this?
See our other article "How
search engines and their spiders work" and you will find more of the same in
our blog or read about the Cozahost
web designer service.
About the author
This article was compiled by a Cozahost newsletter
subscriber who whishes to remain anonymous.
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