se·man·tics The meaning or the interpretation of a word, sentence, or other language form: We’re basically agreed; let’s not quibble over semantics.

I’m always quick to pull out the old “semantics” argument with friends and family. But when it comes to website design and online marketing semantics are huge! You know what your business is and the words you use to describe it. But you’re already visiting your site, you need to find out the words that people searching the internet use to find businesses in your industry.

This issue came to the forefront of my mind this afternoon when I stumbled upon a site called Geoff’s Google Duel. This site is basically just an application that allows you to compare the number of results for two different keywords or keyword phrases. Just out of curiosity I entered “web design” vs. “website design.” Here are the results:

Now what stands out to me immediately looking at those numbers is that I should definitely be actively targeting “website design” as the competition is far less than “web design.” And it might be a more realistic shorter term search engine goal. If you have a young or newly redesigned site, reaching the top 100 for “web design” could really be an impossible dream, but with a lot of hard work and active marketing, it could be a possibility for “website design” or at least not bring quite as loud of snorts and smirks from the pros as reaching the top of “web design!”

Keep in mind though…that there are other things to take into account. There is probably a reason those numbers are so lopsided. The number of searches for “web design” is probably higher, right?

A quick search on Wordtracker shows that the daily prediction for number of searches is as follows:

• “website design” - 2,030 searches per day
• “web design” - 6,291 searches per day

From a purely free, organic search engine optimization point of view, I for one, would not snub my nose at over 2,000 searches a day. So you might notice me substituting “website design” for “web design” here and there.

After all, it’s just semantics!

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Yes, even during the joyful holiday season, I am still plagued by that dang Google monster who seems to have taken up permanent residence under my bed…or desk for that matter. He’s still chasing me and nagging me to write more articles, put in an extra SEO effort, get more links, blog more frequently, etc.

Well, it doesn’t look like he’s going to be going anywhere anytime soon. According to a New York Times article,

Google, the search engine company, displaced Yahoo as the world’s second-most-visited Web site in November and closed in on the leader, Microsoft, a market researcher said yesterday.

Check out the article for all the specifics and breakdown of the numbers. But needless to say, it looks like Youtube was a big help to the big G.

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After spending yet another day wading through the latest SEO articles, sites and blogs, I just began wondering…How many people give up on their websites and online marketing plans before they even really get started?

Optimizing your webpages and blog posts is important.  BUT for small businesses and individuals just taking the first steps towards gaining an online presence, don’t let the big, bad SEO boogie monster scare you away!

Most SEO experts will tell you that the one of the most important pieces of the search engine puzzle is building quality sites filled with great content, which coincidentally should be any website owner’s goal in the first place, right?

If you’re getting overwhelmed and start to feel like giving up and that you can’t do this…just focus in on what you started to do in the first place…build a great site that complements your company’s mission and image.

I know this advice might sound oversimplified…it is and that’s the point!  You will inevitably hear more and more SEO techniques the longer you’re online.  After awhile, you will most likely begin to notice that there are three or four main commandments of the SEvangelists and when you feel more comfortable, definitely start playing around with those and find what works for you.

If you’re already at that stage, please by all means continue and check out the SEO gurus blogs, websites, etc.  I do not claim to be an expert!  There is obviously value in being aware of what’s going on around you, or more importantly with the search engines, above you.

Just please, don’t let the Google Monster under your bed, the Yahoo Crypt Keeper in your closet keep you and your business from joining the rest of your competitors online

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According to an article at CNET today

Search engine rivals Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are teaming up to make it easier for Web site owners to make sure their sites get included in the Web indexes, the companies are expected to announce Thursday.

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