Web Site Optimization
Web site optimization is the process of intentionally designing your web pages to rank high in the Search Engines. It is also known as SEO optimization. Unless you plan on paying for traffic forever this is a must. seo optimization is simple and straight forward but it can be tedious. Web site optimization or search engine optimization is very important to your business. Search engines account for 80-90% if the traffic that web sites receive and it is free! So it is very worth the agravation to apply these techniques to your web site.
The major search engines introduce new factors into their algorithms constantly. They do this to make their search results more relevant to the user and to keep savvy marketers from spamming and abusing the system.
In the past only META tags mattered. They were the key to success, or so we thought. A fierce war among top ranking sites broke out, people were snatching the META tags from sites that ranked #1 and #2 and stealing their #1 and #2 placements. The search engines got wise, changed their algorithms now your page had to have a particular 'keyword weight' or density along with correct META tags.
Then along came link popularity, and now you need to have links to your site not just from your site. Marketers put up link farms by the dozen and the search engines got wise. Now not only do you have to have links from other sites but they have to have relevant content, be themselves somewhat popular and they cannot be link farms.
Title tags are another page component that weighs heavily when you are being ranked.
Why the Hassle From the Search Engines?
Aren't you tired of doing a keyword search in your favorite search engine and getting thousands of pages that have not even the faintest relevancy to your keyword? Search engines have a reputation to protect and a business to run. The moment they let their guard down people will stop using their service and find another that tries harder to get them the results they desire.
You need to rank in the top 10-20 results in the search engines under your desired keyword or your target audience will never find you. Up to 80% of your daily traffic will come from search engines so make nice with them and they will send you customers.
You have to put yourself in your potential visitors' shoes and imagine what words they will type into a Search Engine to find your site. Do your key word research using the overture tool and a good little free application called Good Keywords. Also visit wordtracker.com and Search.com Snoop
These are the components of your web page that you should pay close attention to when preparing it for listing in a Search Engine are;
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The META Keywords tag- will contain a listing of your keywords and keyword phrases that are relevant to your page and enable a Search Engine to find you. The most effective use of keywords is to concentrate on just a few Keyword phrases. |
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The META description tag- should bear a description of your site. People will see this description in their search results. Your description should focus on your site's main topic and not generalize. Make sure you include your most important keywords towards the beginning of your description. |
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Keywords - A keyword is a term that best describes your business or web site theme. more specifically each page should have one or two keywords that describe it best and each should be different. |
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Keyword Phrases- A keyword phrase is two or more words that best describe your web page. Avoid using general one-word keywords, as you definitely won't rank high in the Search Engines. |
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<IMG ALT> Tags- The words in an image Alt tag will be displayed in place of your graphic through an older browser or when your visitors have their graphics turned off. Insert a keyword phrase in the Alt tags of your graphics. |
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<H1> Heading tags- Usually used to separate topics and range from <H1> being very large and bold to <H6> which is very small and bold.Your page heading should contain your most important keyword phrase |
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Text- Optimizing your text is another important step in ranking higher in the Search Engines. Your web page should contain plenty of text and should contain each of your keywords and keyword phrases used in different variations. If all of your keywords and keyword phrases you've listed within your META tags aren't found within your text, the Search Engines will simply ignore them. Your keywords and keyword phrases should appear within your text at least three times, but not more than seven. |
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Tables If you'd like to set up your web page using tables, try to place your Heading text above your Table code. If this isn't possible, make sure you include your keyword phrases within your top left Table cell to assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engines. |
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<TITLE> Tag- Place your most important keyword phrase first in the title. Type your title in lowercase. Most effective Title tags include only relevant keyword or keyword phrases. Avoid words, such as a, an, the, untitled page, welcome and home page. |
For more detailed information on search engine optimization check out searchenginewatch.com
I recommend Self Promotion when you are ready to submit your web site to the search engines and directories.
Search Engine Guidelines
Each Search Engine is different and the rules change everyday. It is a job within itself to keep up with them. My advice is do the above once and submit your site and forget about it. Concentrate on adding more content to your site and finding link partners. It is not a good idea to depend too heavily on one source of traffic in case something happens to that source.
Web Design Resources and Recommendations