Search Engine Optimization Tips for Google, Yahoo and MSN
Search engine optimization can be difficult and confusing. Knowing this we decided to put together some tips to help you with the process. They cover everything you need to know about optimizing your web pages for the search engines quickly and easily.
Search engine optimization tips listed in order of importance:
- Potential site design/set up problems.
- Selecting the correct keywords.
- Copy writing.
- Meta tags.
- Image "alt" attribute.
- Title tag.
- Header tags
- What NOT not do....
- How long it takes to get listed.
Additional search engine optimization tips:
These tips are here because they can be useful to those that can implement them on their web site, but they are not necessary to achieve good listings in the search engines.
Potential Design/Set Up Problems
If your site does not use Frames, Flash, Javascript, Image Maps, or Dynamic URL's you can skip to the next tip, or go back to the main search engine optimization tips page.
Unfortunately there are some site design/set up issues that can make it very difficult for the search engines to list a website no matter how well you optimize and submit. Before you get into all the optimization tips, to hopefully save you from trying to list a site that that will be very difficult to get listed. Almost everything can be fixed or worked with one way or another before you submit. The most common problems are:
- Sites that use Frames.
- Sites that use Dynamic URL's.
- Sites that use Flash.
- Sites that use Image Maps for navigation.
- Sites that use Javascript for navigation.
While many of these design techniques improve the look of the website or make it easier to administer, they can spell search engine disaster.
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Optimizing for the Correct Keywords
To get listed correctly in the search engines each page of your site that you want listed needs to be optimized to the best of your ability. Since the keywords that you decide to target will be used throughout the optimization process choosing the right keywords is essential. If you choose the wrong keywords you will not be found in the search engines. If you are not found in the search engines how will anyone find your site?
Since the keywords you choose to optimize your pages with are so important we have put together some tips to help you make sure that you make the right choices. You should utilize these tips when selecting keywords for each page that you plan to submit to the search engines.
Think "specific keyword phrases" not "keywords". Why? Due to the extreme amount of competition for general terms in the search engines, if your keyword phrases are too general it is very unlikely you will rank well in the search engines. You stand a far better chance to rank well for specific phrases where there is less competition. The resulting traffic, since it is more highly targeted, should also be much higher quality too!
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Optimizing Page Copy
The copy on your page is also very important in order to achieve better search engine listings. Actually, it is probably the most important thing! By 'copy' we mean the actual text that a visitor to your site would read.
Did you know that just like a visitor to your site would read the copy on your page to figure out what you have to offer, the search engines do too? Of course, search engines devour every word of your website and use it rank your website for a given keyword accordingly.
Page text tips:
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For best results we recommend that each page you submit has at least 200 words of copy on it. There is some cases where this much text can be difficult to put on a page, but the search engines really like it so you should do your best to increase the amount of copy where you can.
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This text should include your most important keyword phrases, but should remain logical & readable.
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Add additional copy filled pages to your site. For example, how-to articles, tips or tutorials. These types of content pages not only help you in the search engines, but many other sites will link to them too.
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Optimizing Your Meta Tags
Meta tags were originally created to help search engines find out important information about your page that they might have had difficulty determining otherwise. For example, related keywords or a description of the page itself.
Many people incorrectly believe that good meta tags are all that is needed to achieve good listings in the search engines, which is entirely incorrect. While meta tags are usually always part of a well optimized page they are not the be all and end all of optimizing your pages. In the early days of the web people were able to get great listings from optimizing just their meta tags, but the increasing competition for good search engine listings eventually led to many people spamming the search engines with keyword stuffed meta tags. Naturally, search engines picked up on this and started penalizing those sites for their so called "black hat" techniques.
What they look like:
Description Meta:
<META NAME="description" content="This would be your description of what is on your page. Your most important keyword phrases should appear in this description.">
Keywords Meta:
<META NAME="keywords" content="keywords 1, keyword phrase 2, keyword phrase 3, etc.">
Where they belong:
The correct placement for both meta tags is between the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags within the HTML the makes up your page. Their order does not really matter, but most people usually place the description first then the keywords meta.
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Optimizing Your Images "alt" Attribute
Did you know that any images on your page can help your listings too? Each image on your page can include a keyword phrase or two that relates to the image. This text will also show up & help those that may have their images turned off when visiting your site. This does not work for all engines, but it certainly does not hurt so we recommend you give it a try where you can.
What it looks like:
<IMG SRC="SubmitItLogo.gif" width="10" height="10" alt="Submit It! Web Site Submission Service">
Where it belongs:
You can add the "alt" attribute to any image on your page.
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Optimizing Your Title Tag
The title tag is what the search engines usually use for the title of your listing in the search results.
Tag limits:
We recommend that your title tag be between 50-80 characters long - including spaces! The length that the different search engines accept varies, but as long as you keep within this limit you should be ok.
Tag tip:
- Make your title enticing! Don't forget that even if you get that #1 listing in the search engines your listing still needs to say something that makes the surfer want to click through and visit your site.
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Optimizing Text Hyperlinks
Did you know that text based hyperlinks can help improve your listing in the search engines? The search engines basically figure that if you are linking to something from your page whatever it is you are linking to is likely to be closely related to the content of your page. For that reason some of the engines actually look for keywords in the hyperlinks and any text immediately surrounding the hyperlinks. What this means to you is that if you can you should include your most important keyword phrases in the link itself and possibly the surrounding text.
What it looks like:
A text based hyperlink is a standard HTML hyperlink like this one (the example link does not go anywhere).
Tag tip:
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What you should not do. . . (spamming the search engines)
There are several things, considered "spamming", that you can do to try to get your page listed higher on a search engine results page. Basically, you should never try to trick a search engine in any way, or you risk being blacklisted by them. Since the majority of your traffic will come from search engines the risk far outweighs the benefits in the long run. Below is a list of the more common things we recommend that you never do when trying to achieve better listings.
Do not:
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Do anything to trick the search engines into listing your site better. If what you are doing is not listed as one of our search engine tips the search engines will likely view it as spam and penalize you.
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List keywords anywhere except in your keywords meta tag. By "list" we mean something like - keyword 1, keyword 2, keyword 3, keyword 4, etc. There are very few legitimate reasons that a list of keywords would actually appear on a web page or within the page's HTML code and the search engines know this. While you may have a legitimate reason for doing this we would recommend avoiding it so that you do not risk being penalized by the search engines.
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Use the same color text on your page as the page's background color. This has often been used to keyword stuff a web page. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
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Use multiple instances of the same tag. For example, using more than one title tag. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
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Submit identical pages. For example, do not duplicate a page of your site, give the copies different file names, and submit each one. Search engines can detect this and view it as spam.
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Submit the same page to any engine more than once within 24hrs.
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Use any keywords in your keywords meta tag that do not directly relate to the content of your page.
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How Long Does it Take to Get Ranked?
Here's the length of time it currently takes to get listed at each of the major search engines once you have submitted your web page. When we talk about listings, we mean how long will it take t
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Up to 1 months |
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Up to 6 months |
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Up to 3 months |
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Optimizing Heading Tags
Although they are not used very frequently any longer HTML heading tags can help improve your listings in the search engines too. Since they are "headings" the search engines figure that they are very closely related to the content of the page that they appear on. So, just like with all of your other optimization efforts you should include your most important keyword phrases in heading tags on your page if you can.
What they look like:
HTML heading tags have 4 different sizes and are formatted as you see below.
<h1>Heading 1 - SEO </h1>
<h2>Heading 2 - Ranking </h2>
<h3>Heading 3 - Optimize </h3>
<h4>Heading 4 - Listing </h4>
Where they belong:
Headings can go anywhere within the HTML of your page.
Tag Tip:
Search engine optimization can be a full-time job. Isearchable can help! To get a quote, complete the form or call us at 201-977-4739.
