Guide to Search Engine Optimisation
While an absolute guide to 'search engine optimisation' and web site marketing would take several books to cover, the following in an overview of how RipeSite pages interact with search engines.
Web site optimisation and marketing is basically broken into 3 steps:
- Create web pages with content
- Optimise each web page
- Get listed in search engines
Google says it best of all, write web pages for readers not search engines. In other words, content is king, content is text on the page, content is not graphics [repeat not]!
Configuring RipeSite Content Editor for Search Engines:
The steps described here apply to every web page:
- Page Title - Search engines give the title a high importance and care should be taken to help both the reader and engine to know what the page is about. The page title is also what is seen in the browser title bar. It is also displayed in search engine results. This page title is "Guide to Search Engines :: RipeSite".
- Page Heading - Not only does the heading display at the top of the web page, a search engine reads this as a page summary in 5 words or less. This page you are reading has a heading "Guide to Search Engines". RipeSite places headings in tags, telling the search engine it is your heading.
- Allow Search Engines: Yes or No - This useful feature tells search engine robots whether to index the page or not. It generally is a waste of robot time and PaeRank to allows robots to index every page. Pages to deny robots to include contacts, forms, policy, terms, use and pages with little to no content. Also keep in mind robots cannot see or read pictures, so galleries should be blocked as well.
- Meta Description* - An overview description of what the page content is about in no more than 2 lines. Often used by search engines in search results below the title.
- Meta Keywords* - Only indexed by Inktomi and Teoma robots.
* To see where Meta values are displayed, you need to view the source code of the web page. Either right-click on this page and View/Source or in the browser toolbar see View/Source. Displayed is the HTML of the web page and 6 lines down is the Meta Description and Meta Keywords.
ALT Text - If you hover your mouse over this graphic you will see some text known at the ALT text. Search engines use this text to know what the picture is about. See Adding Pictures to web pages for instructions how to add ALT text. Remember, search engines can only read text, so this is how you let the search engine know what the picture is about.
SEO Checklist
Now that we have covered how RipeSite is used to optimise each page, here is a checklist of points to consider when building and optimising your web site.
Optimising your web site for search engines should be treated as an integral part of your web site project, and never stop. Search engine optimization (SEO) should be considered, implemented, throughout the planning, design, development, and maintenance stages.
Working with Keywords and Keyphrases
Research keywords and keyphrases (multi-word phrases) before you create your web site.
It's important to create your web site with keywords and keyphrases in mind and to put them in place as you develop the pages and content.
Target keyphrases rather than single keywords.
Single keywords are much more commonly entered by web users, which makes them more difficult to target effectively than multi-word keyphrases. Unless the single keywords are highly unique, your best results will be achieved using keyphrases.
Use longer words and plurals.
If you target plural versions of your keywords or phrases, you'll get hits from people searching for the singular and plural versions of those words.
Use that Thesaurus!
As part of your brainstorming for appropriate keywords and keyphrases, try using a thesaurus to find similar words. There are helpful thesauri online (you might start at Thesaurus.com), but see also the Search Term Suggestion Tool, and Wordtracker.
Focus on a few specific keyphrases for each web page.
Pages that rank well in search engines tend to focus on specific keyphrases that usually appear in the HTML.
Ranking Factors
Other factors that influence search engine rankings include:
- Age - It can take between 1 and 6 months for a page to start appearing in search engine results. The older a web page becomes, the more likely it will be indexed.
- Incoming Links - The number and quality of incoming links. Get high quality links from related web sites and Internet directories.
Incoming links are a big factor if you want a good ranking with Google. It is important that the incoming links come from web sites with similar content to your site.
Search for sites that are similar or complimentary to your own. Send them a polite email asking if it would be possible to exchange links. Be critical, only contact web sites that are worth linking to... sites with good content who already rank well.
Other places to try and get links from are directories, many of which specialise in one topic like our own (see publications) as welll as DMOZ and Yahoo Directory.
The guide above comes from our own real life experience. Everything you have read is exactly what we employ to get top rankings and traffic to our web sites. Having said that, I urge you to read the article below..
The Top 3 Components Of Optimizing Your Web Site for Top Search Engine Rankings
More Reading
Search engine optimisation discussion and methods is a bottomless pit! Be wary of web sites offering 'free' search engine advice, most of which lead to a paid product or service.
Most tools and services are shortcuts to optimisation. Nothing beats the simplicity of the advice provided above including good content, time and incoming links.
- Overture - A great way to find out related keywords.
- Search Engine Watch - Authoritive guide to search engines.
- Link Popularity Tool - Find out your link popularity with this freeware tool.
- SEO Best Practice Search Engine Forums - Forums on every engine.
Final Comment
More than 90% of visitors to your web site will come from a search engine ~ fact.
Part time marketing and search engine optimisation rarely achieves much. Your competition will already have been on the web for some time and generating a good ranking.
Considering it will be the best advertising with the broadest possible marketing your company will ever invest in, consider an internet advertising budget. It should include annual costs for the domain name and hosting as well as marketing.
You may wish to pay yourself for the time spent optimising and marketing your web site, but it should include a minimum of 3 hours a week devoted to it.
Shortcuts ~ none that we know of!
Options - Google Adwords is pay-per-click advertising. You offer to pay a fixed amount only when someone clicks on a link to your web site. Your advert is only displayed when the keyword/s you have selected are searched for! You can see an example of the type of advert below..
Hey, good luck with your marketing!
Brian King
