• In the four weeks to May 9, 2009, 7.25% of search engine traffic to All Categories of websites was from paid clicks. This compares to 9.84% in the same four-week period in 2008 – representing a 26% decline in the share of paid clicks.

• The share of paid clicks to Insurance websites was down 22% for the year, Retail 500 down 20% and Travel Agencies down 25%. The steady and consistent decline across categories indicates that this is not an isolated or seasonal variance.

• 35.75% of clicks on searches for “orbitz” were on paid listings in the four weeks to May 9, 2009. This compares to 46.56% in the same four-week period in 2008. This represents a 23% decrease year over year.

Referrals from search engines continue to climb but the proportion of clicks going to sponsored or paid listings is decreasing. This is no doubt a result of cutbacks in marketing spend which seems to indicate that the recession could be the huge factor.

5.) Your URLs are numbers or single words

Your URLs should be readable by humans and should include descriptive keywords.  These keywords in your url will help the search engines with what that page is about. 

Example of Keyword URL: www.couponsaver.com/discount-coupons
Example of Dynamic/Improper URL: www.domain.com/?p=123567

4.) Empty Image Alt Attribute ( HTML Code)

The “alt attribute” help describes your image. Search engines can’t see images, so the image must include a description illustrating what your page is relevant for and the graphic image. 

3.) Duplicate or Empty Title Tags

Title tags are the first thing search engines see when they search a website. Leaving the title tag empty, using a single word like Home or having the same text on every page is a common slip up.  The title tag is what is displayed in the search engine results as your page title listing.

Place your keywords in the title, but don’t go over the top. A good example of a title is “San Diego Money Saving Coupon Finder”

2.) Keywords That Make Sense

Keywords are extremely important. You should figure out what terms and phrases mean the most to your business, and to the people who are searching for your site. Put yourself in your ideal customer’s shoes.  What would you search for?

1.) Potential customers are arriving, now what?

The design of your site is also critical to your success. You have less than 7 seconds to give the customer what they are hoping to find before they click the back button and buy from your competitor.