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Generate More Web TrafficWhen people use Yahoo!, Google, or another search engine, they tend to only look at the search results on the first page. If they don't see a relevant match, most people start a new search — a few will look at the second page. Naturally, you want your website to be listed on the first page of search results. By following these tips your site will have a better chance of reaching the first page. Select your keywords.What is your site about? What words will people use to search for content that matches your Web content? The words you think people would use in a search are your keywords. According to Danny Sullivan, Editor, Search EngineWatch.com, your keywords should actually be phrases of at least two or more words. This is because single-word searches usually yield too many hits, so you want your page(s) to be found by the more refined (and more relevant) search phrase. Place your keywords.This is of equal value to keyword selection. The most important place is the page title tag. The page title should be a phrase (not just a list of keywords) of 10-15 words. Each page should have a unique, descriptive title. Search engines also give more relevance to keywords used within the first 200-500 words on the page. So use your keyword phrases in the first heading and top paragraphs. Depending on how you design your page, tables and JavaScript can push your text with keywords further down the page. In tables, search engines read the left column first, so if the left column is a menu list without keywords, this pushes the relevant text down the page. Large chunks of JavaScript can also have the same effect as tables. NOTE: You don’t need to use the meta keywords tag as it is now ignored by almost all search engines. The meta description tag is more important in that it can help control your site’s description in the search engines that support it. Put relevant content in text.Don’t use graphics to present your content (words). This may give you control over the display of the copy, but search engines can’t read it. Also, be sure to provide descriptive text for all graphics, especially images that add to the content of your page. Some of the search engines can read the Alt text and comment information, so use relevant descriptions in your images’ Alt text entries. Use text links and link internally between your pages.Most likely your pages linked from the home page have the bulk of your content, so make them easy to find. Search engines cannot read image map links or Flash elements, so if you use one of these navigational tools at the top be sure to have text links at the bottom of the page. The search engines will read the links and follow them to index more pages from your site. Having a site map page with text links to everything is a good idea. Also, be sure to link internally between your pages. Avoid these stumbling blocks.
Build links to your site.All major search engines use link analysis (or link popularity) in their ranking algorithms. However, popularity is not about lots of links but the quality of links from the right places — directories and sites with related topics. Choose your directory listings carefully and use general and specialized directories. The Grantastic Designs website provides "Tips for getting listed in directories"and "Tips for getting your web site listed in Yahoo". (Yahoo is still the number 1 site for people “searching” for information.) The article "Search Engine Placement Tips" on the Search Engine Watch site provides tips on getting reciprocal listings from other Webmasters. Remember traditional promotion.Be sure to use word-of-mouth and traditional media. Put your Web address on business cards, on your newsletter, etc. Make sure your Web address is given in newspaper or magazine articles and in traditional advertising. "Lastly, the saying 'Content is King' still rings true. You can increase traffic to your web site, but if (1) people do not like what they see, (2) you do not offer potential customers what they want to buy, or (3) you do not give customers incentive to stay and/or bookmark your site, they will click off of your web site as quickly as they clicked on to it." ("Designing sites for search engines and directories," Grantastic Designs) Sources: ~ Pam Peters |
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