If you have a search engine optimized website, then you can rest assured that you will be ranked higher in search engine results-get higher and targeted traffic and achieve your conversion goals. The main thought behind building a search engine optimized website is to give the search engines what they need to see when they index your site. So, read on to know how you can make your site search engine friendly.
Work On Your Site’s Structure-
You need to plan how your site will look. For example, if you have a website selling mobile phones, then you can have pages for each brand-Apple- Samsung-Nokia-BlackBerry etc. And then in these pages, you can have further categories based on features- like- smartphones-touchscreens-camera phones- slider phones etc.
Moreover, remember that you must make a landing page for each of these categories/directories- so that search engines can categorize these specific theme areas easier.
Work On Your Keywords And Content (Post Panda Updates)-
Research is the key here. Finding the right keywords for your website is the most essential task. You need to figure out how people search for you. Work on your audience, and what would make them search for you on the net and how would they do it. For instance, if you are a pest control service website, then your keywords will have to have local area reference-like Bed Bugs New Jersey, or pest control New Jersey. Working in this manner, you need to make a short list of 1 or 2 key word phrases for each page of the site you want to optimize. Each phrase should be no more than three or four words. There are several tools that will help you pick the right keywords. One great free tool is the Google External Keyword Tool.
Once you are done with the keywords, you have to generate keyword rich but highly relevant content. Content is really the king now- post the Panda update, content of your site is your top priority. More than ever, the emphasis is on unique, useful and keyword rich content. The idea is to write content that is perfect for both the search engines spiders as well as your visitors. With the right content, you build credibility before both of them. Make sure that your content is relevant to your site, and is the perfect mix of relevant keywords.
Work On Your Metatags-
Metatags are located in the HTML source code of a web page. They provide nformation about a web site/page and are scanned by the search engine spiders. The essential meta tags are:
Title metatag- The most important thing about title tag is that it must contain the main keyword phrase for which you are optimizing that page. Search engines Google and Bing place heavy emphasis on what is the title tag.
Description metatag- This tag should describe the specific page it is on, not the whole website. In other words, it must have keywords well-reflective of content. Do not go over board with this, it be descriptive, not hyped. Do not repeat individual key words more than twice in any one meta tag- as it is then keyword stuffing or spamdexing. Search engines will penalize or ban your site for this.
Keyword metatag: It is more or less obsolete, but you may do it. Google does not index the metatag for “keywords” The meta keyword tag contains the key word phrases for the specific page we are on. You must not make this more than about 250 characters long.
Add metadata to images- You can do this with the < alt > tag and include/reinforce keywords.
While on your meta tags, keep a balance between human preferences and search engine food.
Work on a site map for your site-
Build a text site map, and link to it from every page of your site. This will assist both human visitors and search engine spiders. It must be simple with HTML links. It must include keyword rich descriptions, that will be useful both to the human visitors and the spiders.
Work On Your Site’s Navigation:
You must make sure to organize your navigation based on the importance of your keyword phrases. Also, link all the pages of your site to the most important page/s. Link to the other pages from section header pages and the site map. Standard HTML links are suited for both human visitors and search engine spiders. Be consistent throughout the site, and treat each page separately for its full potential. For instance, search engines can send users looking for BlackBerry phones to your BlackBerry page instead of the home page.
Work Towards Being Consistent-
Be lean with your pages. Ensure that the secondary pages leading to categories have the same layout as the main page. And average word count of 350 to 550 words per page is suggested. The ideal size for the page differs, but the smaller the better. Keep any scripts in external files to minimize page size and to assist spider digestion.Keep your pages lean & mean: Webpage Size Checker.
Work On Submitting Your Site To Chosen Engines-
You have to very carefully decide where is your target audience, and what engine do they use to search the net. Avoid mass submissions to multiple engines. Google, Bing and Yahoo remain the obvious choice. Establish your site by submitting to the major directories, The Open Directory and the Yahoo! Directory.
Work On Studying The Competition-
Keep a close watch on your competitors. If they are ahead, find out how they are doing it. Do the competition analysis very methodically. List the competitors for several keyword phrases specific to your product- Nokia Phones, Pest Control New Jersey etc. Then give a close look to find what is giving them the advantage- domain name, page title, content, links or anything else.
To stay ahead of the competition, know the competition.
Work On The Mastering Tools To Monitor Website Traffic: You need to know your visitors actions- where they go on your site, what they do and most importantly, where do they come from. Also which search engines are sending you visits and for which terms etc. Use tools like Google Analytics to know all this.
Work Towards Being Adaptable To Changing Patterns:
On the basis of the analysis you have done, make the necessary changes. Results will take some time in coming in, but you must be working continuously towards making your site better for both visitors and search engine robots. Be prepared to make some changes and adjustments if you are serious about your search engine position results.
To conclude:
There is no magic formula, that will show instant results. Be focused and up to date on your research, work according to changing market patterns, and you will not go wrong. Expect tactics and techniques to vary and change. Use the latest tools available for better optimization. Keep your eyes open, and you will succeed.
