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Optimizing your web site for search engines should be an integral part of your web site project, from the very beginning to the very end. Search engine optimization (SEO) should be considered, and if possible, implemented, throughout the planning, design, development, and maintenance stages of your web site.

Successful SEO

Plan your web site's SEO before you create the site.

It's important to create your web site with SEO in mind. Changing a web site, or potentially even redesigning your web site, to optimize it for search engines can end up being an expensive proposition. Plan to create a search engine-friendly web site from the start. Employ other means to market your web site. In addition to SEO, consider paid submission programs, PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, reciprocal links campaigns, and advertising your site on others. Depending on your budget, you might consider advertising through traditional media, such as newspapers, magazines, radio, and television.

Working with Keywords and Keyphrases

• Research keywords and keyphrases (multi-word phrases) before you create your web site.
• Target keyphrases rather than single keywords.
• Use longer words and plurals.
• Focus on a few specific keyphrases for each web page.
• Create keyphrase-rich text content, especially for your homepage.
• Include keyword and keyphrase research in your ongoing web site SEO maintenance plan.
• Use relevant keyphrases within your img element alt attributes.

Being Search Engine-Friendly

Great keywords, keyphrases, terrific content, and having other web sites linking to yours does nothing for your search ranking if the search engines can't access your web pages to index them. Use this checklist to help ensure that your web site is based on search crawler-friendly design and markup.

• Avoid the use of splash pages.
• Balance HTML text and graphics.
• Professional, high-quality graphics can help support your credibility.
• Create search-engine friendly HTML text navigation and cross-links.
• Use external CSS and JavaScript whenever possible, to maximize relevance.
• Use structural markup, and separate content from presentation as much as possible.
• Provide a web site sitemap, and link to it from your homepage as well as all your other web pages.
• If you use JavaScript links, include <a> element <href> attribute links within them.
• Use text alternatives to Flash content.
• Provide metadata and text alternatives for audio and other rich media files.

Avoiding Being Banned by Search Engines

• Use genuine SEO methods.

Don't even think about trying to play tricks on the search engines to improve your rankings! You run a good chance of having your web sites banned from their search results.

• Avoid cloaking.
Cloaking is an artificial technique that malicious users employ to deliver to search engines content that's not delivered to web site visitors.
• Avoid using doorway pages or domain names used for doorways.
Doorway pages, or domain names used for doorways, are web pages or domain names that are stuffed with keyphrases and submitted to search engines.

 

• Avoid stuffing keywords into comment tags or <img> element <alt> attributes.
• Avoid using JavaScript or <meta-refresh> redirects to try to trick search engines. Often, search engines won't index pages that use JavaScript or <meta-refresh> redirects because, historically, so many web sites used them to trick search engines.

Getting Listed

• Research the best description to use for each search directory before you submit.
• Search each directory for your most important keywords. Study the categories of results, and descriptions, and base the style of your description on those of web sites that have already been accepted in that particular directory. In addition, if a directory doesn't have a category for your business type, consider suggesting a category that's similar to those already in the directory.

   

  Ensure your unique selling description is also included in your directory description.

  Even though your description should resemble the description style of other web sites that have been accepted by that particular directory, make sure your description is unique. For example, include specific services or products that you offer, and mention your target audience.

  Write several descriptions of varying lengths to copy/paste into submission forms.

  Each directory has different requirements in the number of words allowed in a web site description. Write several descriptions within a plain text file that you can copy/paste into the submission forms as appropriate. Include descriptions with seven, ten, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 50 words.

  Ensure your most important keywords are in every description, but avoid keyword stuffing.

  Make sure your web site's most important keywords are in every description, but don't stuff too many keywords into it! Directory editors don't like descriptions that basically read like a list of keywords.

• Consider paid or expedited submissions as a way to have your web site listed more quickly. The sooner you can have your web site listed in search directories, the sooner your web site can receive referrals from those search engines. Using paid or expedited submissions is one way to help speed up the process of having your web site listed, and can sometimes make the wait as short as a day or two. It's important to note that paid inclusion doesn't typically guarantee high placement.
• Submit your homepage to search directories before submitting other web pages.
• Submit other pages, particularly those on specialized topics, once your homepage is listed.
• Submit your web site manually to search directories, rather than using automated submission software.
• Avoid over-submitting.

Creating an Ongoing Links Campaign

• Provide ongoing, link-worthy content.
• Provide plenty of outbound links to web sites that you recommend.
• If any URLs change at your web site, be sure to inform those who link to it.

Planning for Ongoing Maintenance

• If you don't find your web site listed at a particular directory within four to five weeks, go ahead and resubmit.
• Contact a directory representative if you don't find your web site listed at a directory after three submissions.
• Check your server logs regularly to see how visitors find your web site and adjust your web site accordingly.
• Add announcements about, and links to, new content from your homepage, to help web site visitors and search crawlers find it.
• Add new keywords and keyphrases to your SEO strategies when you add new content or make other changes to your site.
• Consider using analytics software to review keyphrases, search engine rankings, and listings status.
• Use the results of keyphrase analysis to add to your web site content that visitors seek.
• Avoid making changes to your site's SEO tactics for at least three months after you optimize the site and submit it to search directories.
• Avoid constantly tweaking your web site in an attempt to improve your search engine rankings.
• Check your link popularity at search engines regularly.