Search Engine Optimization Guide

SEO Tips and tricks for Search Engine Optimization

SEO Steps

1. Keywords In Title

Each webpage within a website should contain a unique title, and meaningful keywords and keyword phrases should be included in the title of each webpage.

2. Keywords In URL

Use hyphenated keyword phrases in the URL's subpages, 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 webpage 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 webpage, 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 webpage (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.

Collection of Search Engine Tools

Developer Resource contains a large collection of software marketing tips.