Use these tips to optimize your web site pages. Your pages should be written with your visitors in mind but created so that search engines can find them.
1) Research Good Keywords
Before you do anything else, think about what a user would type into a search engine to find your site. Then, use online keyword research tools to see what was really typed into search engines. (I list a few on the “SEO Tools” page.) Next, make sure your page really uses these keywords.
2) Make your Domain Name Count
If you are starting a business and want to brand your company name, then choose a domain name that reflects the company name or the type of business. If your company is Xodigo (Greek for multiplying learning), then get www.xodigo.com. If it’s taken, then get www.xodigoeducation.com.
3) Create Usable Content
Create real, original content on your site. 200 – 500 words is the easiest for both visitors to read and search engines to analyze. Write clearly and accurately describe your content. Write a page for each specific product or keyword phrase. Example: one page for “expensive gold watches”, one page for “cheap plastic watches”, etc. Search engines will display keyword results for the relevant page.
4) Site Design and Content
Keep It Simple. Visitors are spending 10-30 seconds scanning for information. Make it easy for them. Have a clear hierarchy and text links. Every page should be reachable from at least one static text link. Avoid too many Java Scripts, framed pages (often difficult for search engines to fathom), and use flash the way you would an image. Many search engines are still not able to read flash sites.
5) Use Headers
Headers (<h1><h2><h3>etc.,) are important. They help visitors quickly scan your page. Headers should accurately explain the content beneath them. Headers are also weighed by search machines (as are Bold <b> and Italic <i>) and as such should contain your keywords as well.
6) Use Text Instead of Images
Text is readable by both visitors and search engines. Display important names, content, and links using text. Images should be used as a aid to help your visitors quickly grasp your sites content. When using images, use the ALT tag and make it descriptive and accurate. Add TITLE tags to your links.
7) Placing your Keywords
Specifically, place your keywords in your <TITLE>, in your headers <H1> and occasionally <b>(bold face) them in the text. Because you are writing for people, your keywords should naturally be in the beginning of your copy and at the end of your copy.
Do NOT Keyword Stuff
However, do NOT use “keyword stuffing” techniques. Search engines frown on pages where keywords are hidden to the human eye in ALT tags or in white text on a white background. Do NOT “sp@m” your keywords (repeating the words over and over – expensive gold watches are gold and expensive watches made out of gold are expensive so watches are made from gold….)
9) Keep your Site Navigation Consistent
IBM did a study which found users consistently abandoned sites with complex drop-down menus and multi-layered navigation. Navigation in the footers was found to be ignored unless it seemed to be part of the page content and the next logical place (link) to go to. Search engines will not index your menu scripts but add weight to text navigation located on every page (site map links for example).
10) Create a Site Map
Create a site map with a link to each of your pages. Keep it up-to-date. Your visitors may seldom use it if your site navigation is good but search engines love them. (Some search engines recommend submitting the site map as well as the home page.) Put a text link to the site map on the main pages. Only 100 links please. If you have more, create site maps for each section or grouping of your web.
11) Submit to Directories
Directories such as DMOZ.org or Yahoo local / national are directories, not search engine crawlers and are reviewed by people, not machines. (See SEO Tools for specifics.) Find directories in your field and get into them. If your site is localized by area, language or country, submit to those directories.
12) Get Sites to Link to You
I cover this on the next page called “Page Rank”, but simply put, have other relevant sites link to yours.
13) Check Competitive Site “Back Links”
Who is linking to your competition? Use Yahoo’s “link:” service to see the back links of your competition. (Specifics are on the SEO Tools page.) Try to get links from the same sites as your direct competitors.
14) What NOT to do:
Do NOT use link schemes or automated software to get higher rankings. Don’t include keyword stuffing, doorway pages (keyword page without content, just AdSense or affiliate link), invisible text, cloaking, multiple content (in sub-domains), sp@m sites or those with viruses, trojans, or badware.
Technical Tips:
15) Use Meta Tags
“Description” and “Keyword” metatags are still used by small search engines even if Google doesn’t need them.
16) View Your Site as a Search Engine Sees It
Google advises that JavaScript, cookies, session IDs, frames, DHTML and Flash can cause search engine spiders trouble when crawling your site. (Specific links to overcome this problem are in the SEO Tools page).
17) Session IDs
Google advises that incomplete indexing of a site can happen when session IDs track a robots path through the site. You can modify the robots behaviour using the robots.txt file. Google says, “These techniques are useful for tracking individual user behavior, but the access pattern of bots is entirely different. …Robots may not be able to eliminate URLs that look different but actually point to the same page.”
Page Creation Software Tips
18) Dynamic Pages
Not every search engine can crawl dynamic pages (i.e., the URL contains a “?” character).
19) &id=
Google specifically says not to use “&id=” in your URL as Google does NOT index them! This applies to some blogging software and CMS (Content Management System) programs.
20) Create a Robots.txt File
Some search engines refuse to look at your site unless a Robots.txt file is present.