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Free Website Content - ABCs of Search Engine Optimization
ABCs of SEO
By Sharon Housley
Follow the ABC's of search engine optimization:
A - Alt Tags
All images should include ALT tags. The ALT attribute in
HTML is used for three main reasons: the ALT tag provides
further details about an image or hyperlinked graphic, the
ALT Tags enhances web access for individuals with vision
impairments. The ALT tags will also help search engines
discern what an image represents.
B - Bandwidth
Compress images and use a mixture of text with images to
conserve bandwidth and help your webpages load quickly.
Use good design techniques to reduce bandwidth and maintain
a fast loading website. This will save both storage space
and data transfer allowances.
C - Content Management System
Many businesses have adopted CMS systems for web design.
Unfortunately these systems are not always designed to be
search friendly.
D - Description
Each page of a website should contain a unique, and relevant
description. The description should make use of relevant
keywords and keyword phrases.
E - Error Page (404)
Use a custom 404 page to capture any traffic from mistyped
URLs or abandoned web pages. Sometimes it takes a while
for the search engines to catch up to abandoned pages, so
they may send traffic to a web page that no longer exists.
Using a custom 404 web page in order that you capture the
traffic and provide visitors navigation options.
F - Fresh Content
Fresh content is the corner stone of search engine optimization.
New content shows that a website is updated on a regular
basis. Content is a critical part of search engine optimization.
A website must contain both unique and fresh content to
rank well.
G - Google
Google dominates other search engines, so it is important
for webmasters to optimize pages in a way that will help
the web page perform well in a Google search.
H - Header Tags / H1
Use H1 Tags in the HTML to emphasize keywords or sub-headings
on a webpage.
I - Image Optimization
Images should be optimized for web pages. Use standard web
formats and compress the images without compromising quality.
It is important to specify the width and the height of your
images in the HTML code. If the height and width of the
image is not specified, the web browser will have to reposition
the text once the pictures load, consuming more time.
J - Javascript
Avoid the use of javascript for navigation. Search engine
spiders often have a difficult time following javascript
links.
K - Keywords
Keywords are the hallmark of search engine optimization.
Keywords should be integrated into the body of the website
and the meta tags of the web page.
L -Link Building
Link building is an important aspect of SEO. In order for
a website to generate organic ranking. Submit the website
to large directories and niche portals to generate incoming
links.
M - Meta Tags
Meta tags should be defined and included in all of the web
page's HTML header information. Each web page on a website
should contain unique meta tags.
N - Navigation
Not only is it important to have a clear navigational structure
for human visitors, but also one for search engine spiders
which follow a website's links to index the web page's contents.
Have a navigation structure that is viewable by both web
visitors and search spiders.
O - Optimize
Optimization is a continuous process. Optimize the website
and monitor web logs to determine the effectiveness of the
changes that you have made.
P - PageRank
PageRank is one of the methods Google uses to determine
the relevance or importance of a web page. PageRank is a
vote, by all the other web pages on the Internet, about
how important a Web page is. To raise PageRank, one must
have a large number of incoming links from trusted sources.
Q - Quality Link
There is more to linking than just getting a large number
of incoming links. The quality of the incoming links is
important as well.
R - Robots.txt
Robots.txt files should be used to tell search engines what
web pages should and should not be spidered.
S - Social Bookmarks and Social Networks
Social bookmarks and social networks can be using to build
incoming link structure.
T - Title
All web pages within a website should contain unique title
tags. Titles should include keywords and be descriptive
in nature.
U - URLs
URLs are also part of search engine optimization. Using
hyphenated keywords to name the sub-pages of a website has
been known to play a role in search engine ranking.
V - Viral Marketing
Viral marketing is a marketing strategy that encourages
people to pass along messages to others in order to generate
added exposure. The viral piece is a self-propagating practice
or pattern of Internet use that moves from person to person.
W - Web Design
Web design should not focus solely on aesthetics. The design
should be done with search engine optimization in mind.
X - XML XML is eXtensible Markup Language it is used as
a standard to transfer data.
Y - Yahoo
Yahoo still has one of the best web directories. Be sure
to manually submit your website to the Yahoo Directory.
Z - ZeeEnd
About the Author:
Sharon Housley manages marketing for FeedForAll http://www.feedforall.com
software for creating, editing, publishing RSS feeds and
podcasts. In addition Sharon manages marketing for RecordForAll
http://www.recordforall.com
audio recording and editing software.
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This article may be used freely in opt-in
publications and websites, provided that the resource box
is included and the links are active. A courtesy copy of
the issue or a link to any online posting would be greatly
appreciated send an email to sharon@notepage.net
.
Additional articles available for publication available
at http://www.small-business-software.net/free-website-content.htm
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