SEO Expert Tips
Essential Search Engine Optimisation Tips
There are many factors that influence your position on the search engine results pages; Google reportedly uses more than 200 to rank your pages. Here are some of the most important (in no particular order of importance):
- remember web pages are ranked, not web sites
- do your research
- how many competing pages are there?
- is the competition optimised?
- make sure people actually search for your keywords
- 1 or 2 word keyphrase = quantity not quality of visitors (assuming you can compete with established sites)
- 3 or 4 word keyphrase = quality not quantity of visitors
- use customer-focussed keyphrases
- avoid industry jargon
- keywords should be placed in the following:
- page title
- meta tags
- h1
- h2 etc
- anchor text (hyperlinks)
- body text
- there is no optimum keyword density
- ensure all of your website is accessible using text links
- structure your website directories and pages in ‘branches’ with related sub-topics connecting from topics
- avoid link farms
- collect links from recognised, relevant websites - the BBC is a good one. Let me know if - and more to the point, how - you manage it
- keep adding content on a regular basis
- don’t use query strings, url parameters or addresses that look like index.php?id=1000977545&cat=10097763&parent=1086736&pointless=13008752&rubbish=true
- use mod_rewrite instead
- use well-written, informed content
- don’t use duplicated content
- don’t use ‘cookie-cutter’ techniques to create thousands of ever-so-slightly-different pages
- structure your pages with minimal unnecessary html, javascript, tables or in-line styling
There is a huge amount to factor in when planning search engine optimisation. Best leave it to the professionals.
For results-based search engine optimisation.
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Expert SEO tips
Let’s just run through those again in more detail, shall we?
Remember web pages are ranked, not web sites
It’s a common misconception, this. Search engines rank individual pages, not whole websites. So when we talk about optimising your site, we should really be more precise and say ‘optimising the pages within your website’. The pages on your website will have a bearing on each other, including the way they are structured within directories and how they link together. We’ll talk about that in a minute, though.
Do your research
No point being number 1 for an unsearched keyphrase!
How many competing pages are there?
In very general terms, the more competing pages there are, the harder it is to find a competitive place in the search engine results pages. Unless...
Is the competition optimised?
That’s the great thing about the internet - the ease at which you can check-out and out-do the competition. Do the search. Who comes up? Have a look at the websites. Have they done everything on this list? No? You’re in with a pretty good chance, then.
Make sure people actually search for your keywords
Go sign up for a Google account if you don’t already have one. In AdWords choose the Tools link and click on Keyword Tool. Whilst this is pay-per-click data it’s a pretty good indicator for organic listings too.
1 or 2 word keyphrase = quantity not quality of visitors
I tell this story a lot. One of our clients is a builder who specialises in renovating sash windows. Not those horrible uPVC things, but pukka renovation of even the most rotten windows. He wanted to optimise his website for the search term ‘windows’. Fair enough, but there’s a certain American company who have that one pretty well sewn up. Even if we could have achieved a top 3 ranking most of the resulting visitors would have been looking for something quite different and left within seconds.
3 or 4 word keyphrase = quality not quantity of visitors
Use longer keyphrases to get much fewer visitors, but they will be in the market for your product or services. In the case discussed above, ‘replacement sash windows’ may have been a better keyphrase to optimise for.
Use customer-focussed keyphrases
Use language your customers use. Remember that sometimes they may be searching for the problem and may not necessarily be aware of your solution. For example, a manufacturer of back supports would do well to consider ‘lower back pain’ as well as ‘sacroiliac support belt’ - whatever one of those is...
Avoid industry jargon
... such as ‘sacroiliac support belt’. Unless your target market is medical professionals rather than back pain sufferers.
Keywords should be placed in the following:
Page title
The bit of text right at the top of this window, that says ‘ SEO Expert Tips’. In html it looks like:
Meta tags
Invisible to the visitor, these tags sit in the top of every web page (or should). There are two of major concern for SEO purposes, description and keywords. The meta description text appears under the link in the search engine results pages and can be used a mini advert to attract visitors to your site. People, more than search engines, like to see the keyphrase in this bit of text. It looks like this:
The keywords meta tag was originally intended to be used by web designers to inform search engines about the page content. It was so abused over the years that search engines don’t give it much credibility any more, but used as one of many elements to gain ranking it can be effective. The meta keywords tag might look something like this:
h1
The h1 tag is your page’s main headline and looks like this in html land:
SEO Expert Tips
There should be one, and only one, on every page.
h2 etc
These are supporting headings and sub-headings, and as such are excellent places for the natural use of your keyphrases.
Anchor text (hyperlinks)
Anchor text is the bit of text that forms a link. It should be relevant to the page that it describes. NEVER use ‘click here’ as anchor text. It’s not search engine friendly and visibility impaired visitors using a browser reader won’t thank you for it either.
Body text
This is the text that fills the majority of your page - the bit you’re reading now, in fact. Don’t pepper your text with your keyphrases, just write naturally, because –
There is no optimum keyword density
Some software manufacturers have made lots of money building ‘page critics’ that tell you how to construct a page and the perfect number of times your keyphrase should appear - known as keyword density. Sure, your page is more likely to get ranked if it actually contains the keyphrase, but gratuitous use of it may have a detrimental effect.
Ensure all of your website is accessible using text links
If it isn’t, the search engine spiders or bots (automated software that trawls and indexes the internet in order to assess web pages for search engine ranking) won’t be able to find all of your pages. And if they can’t find them, they can’t rank them.
Structure your website directories and pages in ‘branches’ with related sub-topics connecting from topics
So, if you sell outdoor pursuits goods you might opt for a directory called ‘outdoor-clothing’, one called ‘tents’, another called ‘footware’ etc. Within ‘clothing’ you may have directories called ‘jackets’, ’jumpers’, ‘trousers’ etc. Within ‘jackets’ you may have ‘waterproof’, ‘fleece’, ‘high visibility’ etc. So if someone is looking for a waterproof outdoor jacket your directory structure already incorporates that keyphrase.
Avoid link farms
Link farms are websites constructed for the sole purpose of supplying links to other websites in order to manipulate the search engines. This is because a link from another website to your website is considered a vote of confidence. Therefore the search engines will give that particular page more credibility.
The problem with link farms is that you can end up being associated with some very dodgy topics. And should the search engines find out you’re using link farms your website could be removed from the search engine results pages. How would they find out? Because every time we find a competing page that is using tactics designed to manipulate the search engines we report it. And so do a lot of other people around the world. Including your competitors.
Collect links from recognised, relevant websites
Their prestige rubs off on you! Just make sure the website on which the link appears is relevant to yours.
Keep adding content on a regular basis
Search engines - and people - like frequently updated content. And the more pages you have, by pure statistics alone, the more likely you are to turn up in any given search.
Don’t use query strings or url parameters
Because search engines just can’t be bothered. There’s a rather handy thing called Mod Rewrite which allows you to create apparently static pages from your databased content.
Use well-written, informed content
At the end of the day, all the search engines are trying to do is return results to excellent content. So supply excellent content, and you’re one step closer. You’re also more likely to have other websites link to yours.
Don’t use duplicated content
Search engines know and will ignore anything they’ve seen before elsewhere.
Don’t use ‘cookie-cutter’ techniques to create thousands of ever-so-slightly-different pages
Again, the search engines are getting incredibly sophisticated and will eventually find you out - assuming we don’t rat on you first...
Structure your pages with minimal unnecessary html, javascript, tables or in-line styling
ust write streamlined web pages the way they were supposed to be formatted before we all got ‘designer’. Put all Javascript into separate .js files. Put all CSS into separate .css files. Use tables for the display of tabular data ONLY. I can’t believe designers are still using tables for layout.
Once you’ve done all this, let me know, we may offer you a job here...
