The ideal website for search engine marketing success!
Unfortunately most companies still see optimizing a website for the search engines as the very last thing they have to do before a site goes live. In fact it should be one of the first areas to be considered when designing or re-designing a new site.
If the site goes live without any search marketing project discussion, it will be far harder to market effectively and will fail to attract the kind of visitor traffic that it requires to be a success. There are many different factors that can affect a sites search engine ranking. Two important factors to be considered at the start of any project are that of the site and page structure. If these guidelines are implemented at the beginning of your project, your site will much more search engine friendly.
The site structure
1. Having carried out extensive keyword research and planning to find the most appropriate keywords, ensure these keywords appear in the page URL, directories and within individual file names.
2. Create a search friendly site map rather than a series of links. Give additional information about the link and ensure a link to the site map appears on all pages.
3. Try to minimise the depth of the directory structure and remove any extraneous directory names i.e. www.yoursite.com/html. If your site sells widgets then your structure should be www.yoursite.com/widgets or www.yoursite.com/products/widgets
4. Remove any session variables that are contained within dynamically created pages. Search engines tend to avoid these like the plague.
5. Choose a navigation scheme that enables the search engines to crawl the majority of your site. Any tricky areas should be covered by the site map.
6. Create and upload a Google Sitemap if your site is database driven or has a complex structure. This will help Google to index your pages more effectively.
The page structure
1. The crucial element of individual pages is the Title Tag. These tags must include your keywords and be appealing to potential visitor. Be as descriptive and relevant as possible avoiding commonly found words as much as possible.
2. Place your most important keywords in the following areas; Title Tags, Description Tag, H1 and H2 Tag as well as sparingly throughout the page.
3. Try and ensure that your keywords appear in the link text. Don’t use text like “ Click here for more info” Be more descriptive and use “ Find out more about Widgets here!”
4. If there are any images within your page ensure that you use appropriate alt tags to describe the picture in more detail.
5. Place any JavaScript or CSS code in an external file and provide a link to the relevant code i.e. <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href=" /sample.css" />
6. Add a different, descriptive relevant Meta keyword and Meta description for all pages.
7. Place a consistent statement in the footer of each web page that includes any copyright information and your most important keywords. i.e “Copyright 2004-2006 YourSite.com. The UK ’s umber 1 for Widgets.” Link this back to your home page
If you can adhere to the guidelines outlined above you should give yourself the best possible opportunity of getting a good search engine ranking.
Andrew Allfrey is commercial director of a specialist search engine marketing company called e-Prominence. They provide a wide range of services including consultancy, search marketing, search optimization and pay per click advertising. To discuss your search marketing objectives call them on 0871 550 m0046 or visit their website at www.e-prominence.co.uk
Other Search Engine Marketing Articles that might be of interest:
+ The ideal website for search engine marketing success!
+ Google continues to dominate the UK search engine marketplace
+ How search engine optimization fits into the rest of your online business.
+ The challenge of getting a listing on Google.
+ Validating your website for better Search Engine Optimization
+ Developing quality content is the key factor in search marketing success.
+ The Key to Successful Search Engine Marketing - Use both Search Engine Optimisation and Pay Per Click Advertising.
+ Paid Directory Submissions - Top 10 Tips
+ Googles cache and other useful research tools
+ Selecting the right search engine marketing and optimization services company
+ Search Engine Marketing Services : The Business Case
+ SEO Quick Start - 3 things you can do to improve search engine rankings immediately
+ Google Page Rank Explained
+ Directory Submission Checklist
+ Protecting your Search Engine Rankings for the future
+ Is your website doomed for failure before you've built it?
+ Getting one way inbound links. 5 Major strategies.
+ Creating a solid base for your search engine marketing
Should you require further information about our search engine optimization services please feel free to fill out our enquiry form or call us on 0845 658 0330.
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