Each webpage within a website should contain a unique title, and meaningful
keywords and keyword phrases should be included in the title of each page.
2. Keywords In URL
Use hyphenated keyword phrases in the URL's pages, as some search engines
take notice of keywords used in URLs. The hyphen used between words allows
search engines to better identify and recognize the separate the words used.
3. Anchor Text
When linking to web pages, use descriptive keywords to identify the links to
webpages. The "anchor text" used to link to a specific page is weighted as
part of some of the larger search engines ranking criteria. In other words,
search engines make note of the text used to link to specific webpages, and
use the text relevance to determine a search ranking for those pages.
4. Keywords In Header Tags
Keywords should be used to highlight sections on a page, as mini-titles over
each subsection in a webpage. The subsection heading keywords should be
identified as header tags or bolded in the HTML. The added emphasis, by
applying specific HTML properties to subtitles, is noticed by search engines
and given extra weight in the search ranking process.
5. Content Length
Each webpage should contain a minimum of 250 + words in text. Generally, it
is best for the text to be formatted in sentences and small paragraphs.
Bulleted lists can also be used for text contained in a web page.
6. Meta Tags
Keywords should be included in both the "description" meta tag and the
"keyword" meta tag in the header of each page (please note: not all search
engines pay attention to keywords in meta data, but for those that do, it is
worth the effort of including them). Each webpage in a website should
contain unique descriptions. The description should be 20-30 words in
length.
7. ALT Tags
Keywords should be used in the "alt" tags for images, to describe the
images.
8. Keywords In Image Name
Keywords should be used in the naming schemes for the images themselves.
9. Spider-able Navigation
The websites navigation should be in a format that allows search engines to
easily "spider" the contents of each page and follow the links.
Utilize Analytics
After optimizing a website, it then becomes a waiting game. In order to
assess the effectiveness of any optimization, you will need to evaluate web
traffic. That can be accomplished using web logs and various tracking
products. There are a variety of solutions available; find a solution that
provides statistical data in a meaningful format and benefits your company's
needs.
Keep in mind that the effects from optimization will not be immediately
visible in your web logs, or in the search engines. The webpage will need to
be spidered and indexed first. The frequency of spidering and updating
varies greatly, depending on the age of the domain and popularity of the
website. Patience may be needed to see how effective changes are.
Tweak Optimization
After reviewing web logs, you should tweak optimization with minor
adjustments, and then re-evaluate the results. Keep in mind that search
engine optimization is an ongoing process, and rarely are the results
visible overnight. Evaluate web logs on a regular basis, and modify
optimization to enhance your listings.
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