It's the Little Things.....

It's the Little Things....
by windsong

Optimizing for the search engines doesn't have to be a tough job.
But you need to pay attention to detail. It is often the little
things that you do to your pages that will improve your ranking
in the search engines. Sometimes, it's also the little things
that can get you banned from the same search engines. Pay close
attention. First we will cover some things you can do to improve
your ranking. Then we will get into what not to do.

* Did you know that some search engines read the alt tags in
your images? You don't have alt tags? Better include them in
all your images. These tags were originally meant for browers
that don't support images. This way, people with older browsers
would have an idea of what the image is about. However, you can
place keywords in these tags. Use 2 or 3 word keyword phrases,
as this is what most people search for. If your site does not
have images, Don't despair. You can use a 1x1 pixel clear image,
(which doesn't show up on your page) just to give yourself a
place to include the alt tag. Use these images as spacers.

* Your pages are probably peppered with headlines here and there.
Instead of just using a larger font size for these headlines,
use header tags instead. ( H1, H2, etc.) Search engines
think that the most important information is in the header tags.
Be sure to place your most important keywords here. If you don't
have headlines on your site, start using them. This is better
than meta keywords!

* The most important meta tag is the title tag. Your title
tag is within the head tag. It is what shows up on your search
engine listing and in the title bar at the top of your browser
window. It is a must that you place your very best keywords
here. Don't just put keywords in the title tag. It must make
sense. Most search engines put a very stong emphasis on the
title tag. Get it right and get listed.

* Use comment tags throughout you pages, especially near the top.
The search engines like to read these, and by having keywords,
keyword phrases, and other pertinent data here you will boost
your ranking. Comment tags do not show up on your page. They
only appear in the code. A comment tag begins with < !--- and
ends with --- > Be sure to leave a space between the tags and
the text.

* Probably the best boost in ranking that you can give yourself
is a domain name. Some search engines won't index your site if
you don't have a domain name, and they put a lot of weight on
your domain name. Do you know what your domain name should be?
*Your very top keyword or phrase.* Preferably something short
and memorable. Don't get cute with domain names by using numbers
and letters for words (u for you, 4 for for, 2 for to). Keep it
simple so it makes sense to the search engines.

Now lets consider some things that can get you banned from the
search engines, so pay close attention. These could be more
important than the things you should do.

* DO NOT use text that is the same color as the background. Now
this can get tricky. Some people have inadvertently broken
this rule and don't know why they were banned. Lets say your
site has a white background. So obviously you won't use white
text. But what if you have a table on a page that has a black
background and you use white text in this table? The search
engines don't know the table has a different background. They
only know that the page background is white, and suddenly here
is white text. Oops! So make the text the palest gray you can.
It will still look white to the viewer, but the search engines
will know that its a different color from the background.

* DO NOT hide teeny tiny text somewhere on you page. The search
engines know the viewer can't see it, and that you are trying
to trick the search engines.

* DO NOT use keywords in your meta tags that are irrelevant. some
people try to use 'the most searched for words' in their meta
tags.... such as, sex, MP3, etc. You get the picture. Just
stick to keywords that are related to your product or service.
Remember that the search engines read the content of the page,
so if you have keywords that do NOT show up in the content, you
are likely to be ignored by the search engines. It doesn't make
the viewers happy either, if they land on an irrelevant site.

* DO NOT use flash movies, frames, java applets, or image maps.
You will choke the spiders to death. This is just garbage to
them. They can't read it and can't index it. You should also
limit your use of javascript and cgi scripts. Javascript will
push your content farther down on the page, and the spiders
generally look for content near the top of the page.

Sometimes it is the little things that will make or break your
listing in the search engines. Just use common sense. And always
remember the number one thing your site must have to get a good
listing on the search engines: CONTENT! Without this, all the
optimization in the world just won't do you any good.

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Copyright © 2002, windsong

windsong is a noted webmaster/editor/publisher at Marketing
Resources: http://marketing-resources.com

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