If you want a website to rank well in the organic search engine listings, you will need to concentrate on SEO. For anyone that is not aware, SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization and is probably the most crucial aspect, aside from actual content, that a website needs to consider - if it hopes to stand any chance of becoming visible.
SEO is always “PRE”, not “POST”: Once you decide to create a website, you should already have a structured SEO plan in mind before you even think about adding code or content.
1. Design a website with SEO in mind. Search engines look for text - not fancy graphics or intricate website designs. If you want your website to be visible, give the search engines something to read.
2. Include a title tag on every page of your website, not just the home page. The title tags should use relevant keywords that relate to each specific page and should describe the site, or better still, what is on each page.
3. Optimize each page for a specific keyword or keyword phrase. Place that keyword in the content (but do not over-stuff) and in the heading tags. A good tip is to bold or italicize keywords in the content. Search engines pay particular attention to a page title, main heading tags (H1-H3) and any text that is bolded or italicized.
4. Always take care with the internal architecture of the site. Make sure the internal linking structure is well-formed and link all internal pages back to the homepage and sitemap. A good sitemap, and internal links structure, ensures that a search engine will index ALL of a websites pages and not just the index page. If you are linking to another page, use that page’s keyword as the anchor text for the link. Never use anchor text such as, “Click Here” or “Go to Next Page”.
5. Update the website content on a regular basis, keep it relevant to the website and use keywords wisely. This may be the most important aspect for your website. Good keyword placement and quality fresh content will do wonders for a sites quality score and importance.
6. Images and graphics on the website should always have alt tags. Use relevant keywords in the alt tags and make sure they relate to the keywords for the page they are located on.
7. Steer clear of using frames, flash and JavaScript wherever you can. These are not search engine friendly and can hurt a websites overall SEO.
8. Do not get obsessed with Google’s PageRank (PR) system. People become infatuated with this and assume it relates directly to how well a website is performing. There ARE other search engines and a website with a low PageRank, but good SEO and content, will often outrank websites with higher PR that are poorly managed.
9. Submitting a website manually for search engine inclusion and indexing is advisable but it can take weeks to become indexed. Look for a site that allows “Do Follow” links and has a blog, or forum, which is popular and constantly updated. Check that the blog, or forum, allows links in profiles, signatures or posts and post a comment that is relevant and contributes to the topic of conversation – this will ensure that your post gets accepted. Remember to use your main keyword as the anchor text for the link. There is a very high chance that this site will be crawled by search engines on a daily basis and they will find your post, follow your link and then index your site.
10. You will need to build up quality backlinks to your site. The strongest backlinks are one-way links. You can write to site owners and ask them to place your link on their site, use banner advertising, comment on good quality blogs and forums, and add your site to important directories. Reciprocal links are fine if the other site has decent authority and trust, but reciprocal links do not have the importance of one-way links. Do not use link farms or link exchange sites and ensure your links are from topic-related sites.
Xepta has experience with balancing all the technical requirements of a well optimized website whilst still delivering an engaging, vibrant experience to your visitors. See the samples in our portfolio, or contact us to find out more
