SandiFernando ~ Proper
ways to perform SEO has become a popular topic of conversation. The
difference between having a successful website and a flop usually
depends on how you incorporated your SEO.
Learning
proper SEO techniques can seem like a daunting task, especially to
those who are not familiar with the concept. The biggest problem is SEO
changes as the search engines change their algorithms, so it is
something that you have to stay on top of.
The following list offers 10 simple SEO techniques you should keep in mind when developing and marketing your website.
#1.
Make sure your website is initially designed with your SEO needs in
mind. Search engines look for text, not flashy graphics and cool
layouts. The trendiest web designs will mean nothing if no one is able
to find your site.
#2. Every
page of your website should have a title tag with text describing
either your site or what is on the page. Be sure the text includes
SEO-type keywords instead of the name of your website. Unless you’re
incredibly popular, no one is going to be looking for you by searching
for your name. They’ll most likely search for a product or service and
the keywords you use will lead them to your site.
#3. Consider
canonicalization, or whether or not your website address includes or
excludes the www prefix. If you choose to use the www version of your
website, make sure the non-www version directs users back to the one you
use. Make sure you use your preferred version (http://www.mydomain.com
or http://mydomain.com) every time you place a link to your site on the
web. Don’t use both!
#4. When
designing your website, be sure to avoid too many drop-down menus,
confusing image maps, and excessive images. If you must use any of these
methods, be sure to include plenty of text links for the search engine
spiders to find and identify. Without links, the search engines will not
pick up your site information.
#5.
It does not matter what type of website extension you use (ie. .html,
.htm. .asp, .php). Search engines do not look at the web extension and
it will not have any impact at all on search results or ranking.
#6.
Every page on your website should include a link to your home page and
your sitemap. Make sure every link is the same. Home page links should
go directly to your domain (http://www.mydomain.com). Make sure your
internal links do not include the additional /index.html or .php text as
it is not needed (ie. http://www.mydomain.com/index.html).
#7. You’ll
hear the same phrase over and over again: “Content is king”. It is
imperative that your website have fresh, unique, and quality content
that is updated on a regular basis. Be sure to include your favorite
keyword phrase within the body of the content!
#8.
People are more likely to input a phrase instead of a single word when
conducting internet searches. If your business has a physical location,
incorporate the name of your city into the text as well. For example,
you might use “our Philadelphia location” instead of “our location”.
Including your city name will improve the chances of your site being
seen in location searches.
#9. If
the information on your company website doesn’t change regularly, or
remains static, you might want to consider starting a blog. Search
engine spiders are always looking for fresh content. Use your blog as an
advertising tool and link back to your website within each and every
post.
#10.
Write naturally. The worst thing you can do is try to cram a zillion
keywords into your article or blog entry, making it messy and difficult
to read. Search engines are able to determine whether or not your text
is logical and they will ignore content with ridiculously high keyword
density.
#11.
Building links to your website is essential to its success. As a matter
of fact, links are like the queen to complement your king’s fresh
content. Choose a keyword phrase and network with other websites, asking
them to place links on their pages. Don’t hurt your ranking by having
non-related websites place haphazard links. While it may seem great to
gather 100s of backlinks, you’re better off limiting your links to
related websites. Ten relevant links stand a better chance than 100
irrelevant links.
#12.
Links within your website should be built with keyword phrases as well.
Try to avoid using generic anchor text such as, “click here”. Also, do
not use the same anchor text over and over when building any links, you
will get penalized by the search engines.
#13.
Don’t place a list of links on your website. Always place a link within
at least two to three lines of related content. The better your
description, the more likely it is someone will click on the link.
#14.
Don’t limit your keyword or phrase to text links. You should also
incorporate your keywords into your image alt tag and domain name,
whether it is part of the name itself or contained within the
description.
#15.
Try to avoid using frames, Ajax, and Flash as much as possible. None of
these functions are keyword or search engine friendly and will hurt
your SEO results.
#16.
Before your website can be found by the search engine spiders, it must
be indexed. Search engines such as Google have regular submission forms,
but it can take days or weeks for your form to be processed. Having a
highly ranked website place a link to your site is a sure-fire way to
have your site indexed quickly.
#17.
No matter what you hear, don’t be overly concerned with the Google
PageRank of your website. A website that is properly developed and
contains good content can outrank a website with higher PageRank.
Source: http://www.seopledge.com
