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Search Engine Optimisation Basics
his is the process of may place more importance on your
making your website more site if it's algorithms indicate
attractive to search engine it found you due to your content
robots in order for the search being of value rather than you
engines to list you higher up in forcing the search engine to
their indexes. For example, let's index it. Either way, it's
say you've set up a website about certainly quicker to manually
things to do while in France. submit your site. You can either
Just by creating your website, submit to each search engine
search engines are not individually, or use a tool like
neccessarily going to find out SubmitNet to automate the process
about it unless another website for you.
provides a link to your site. So,
to get the search engines to Once a search engine robot finds
'look' at your site you first your site, it then begins the
need to get another site to link process of indexing. This is
to yours, or you can manually where the robot, which acts a bit
submit your site to the search like a normal human browsing your
engine in question. Neither way site, but a bit more thoroughly,
guarantees that a search engine checks every page on your site
will look at your site, but in and follows all the links. This
practice it does usually. The process may take days or even
manual submission page to let weeks depending on the size of
Google know about your site is at your site. Each robot has it's
http://www.google.com/addurl.html own way of trawling through a
. Many optimizers consider it site, and will use the
better to have some good incoming information on each page as input
links and let a search engine to the search engine algorithm to
find you rather than manually enable the search engine to
submitting it, as a search engine decide how it should categorise
your site, and how important it France", "attractions in France",
is. The key to understanding how "French attractions" and so on.
search engine optimization works Always think from the viewpoint
will help you to maximise the of your potential visitors. Once
chance that someone typing you have a list of phrases, then
relevant words into the search you can begin to optimise your
box of a search engine will find site. Search engines place a lot
your site. Obviously, if there of importance in actually finding
are over a thousand sites about the 'searched for' phrase in the
the same subject as yours, and page, so although your website is
you do no optimisation, then the about 'things to do in France'
search engines may show you near and you know that cycling is an
the end of the results selection, obvious activity, the search
and the chance of a person engine doesn't. Unless your page
finding your site is slim. makes specific reference to
"cycling in France", it won't
In the example we've chosen of a categorise you as such. You are
website about things to do in basically trying to get the
France, it's vitally important search engine to show your site
that the search engines correctly for a whole bunch of relevant
categorise your site. Is it a keywords and phrases. Irrelevant
travel site, or is is designed keywords are unlikely to help,
more for people who live in because if visitors click onto
France? Think of all the phrases your site and it doesn't
that people who would potentially immediately appear relevant to
want to see your site, might type the term they were searching for,
into a search engine. Maybe they they will likely close the window
would type "things to do in immediately. (More on keyword
France"? Then think laterally. selection later)
Phrases such as "cycling in
Just including relevant terms on and visit."
the page however is not enough.
Try to make each page specific to None of this information is
a narrow subject, that way the visible to someone viewing your
search engine is more likely to page, although the search engine
view the page as important to may show the description or title
that subject. So, for example, in the search results which may
dedicate an entire page or more influence a potential visitor as
specifically to cycling in to whether they should visit your
France. Now we can talk about the site of not. The META data shown
other factors that can help with above is unlikely to influence
gaining a search engine's how well your site ranks, but it
attention. Why not call the page does insure that each page is
in question "cycling in described acurately by the search
France.htm"? Apart from making it engine. Remember to change this
easy for you to remember what the information for each page in your
page is about when looking at a site. Simply, having the same
directory of pages, it can title and description duplicated
clarify the purpose of the page on every page will miss you the
to the search engine. Each valid oportunity of getting the search
page should also have a title, engines to give the correct
and it's historically common to importance to each page.
include META information such as
a description and keywords in the Another factor which can help is
head of each page. To fit in with in the actual choosing of a
the purpose of the page you could domain name. Calling your domain
make the page title "Cycling in www.placestovisitinfrance.com is
France" and include a description likely to help more than
such as "Information about www.mikes-great-french-site.com.
cycling in France, Places to stay If www.placestovisitinfrance.com
is gone, check for derivatives ensure that every page is
such as correctly linked to using a clear
www.places-to-visit-in-france.com menu system. Robots are getting
or even increasingly adept at following
www.france-visit-places.com. The links of diffent types, but as it
more descriptive the domain may stand, it's still better to keep
influence the search engine and links to plain HTML links such as
will also help a potential Search-Engine Optimization rather
visitor to identify the purpose than using Javascript or other
of your site before they visit. means to create a link. Menus
Avoid choosing a domain that is created in Flash are now able to
too long, as there is little be traversed by some robots, but
chance that a visitor will you are potentially limiting your
remember it if they want to chances of being highly ranked,
return. Also avoid mis-spellings the more complicated you make the
as a visitor will most likely menu system. If you must use
forget and spell it correctly. images for links, consider
Including too many keywords in duplicating your links in plain
the domain or page name, e.g. text, because although your page
www.cycling-bike-bicycling-velo-i may have an image that shows the
n-france-french-visit-places.com words "Search-Engine Marketing"
is considered spamming and apart and a visitor will see it, a
from the fact it looks robot cannot, and will not
unprofessional, it may get your associate any text with that
site excluded from a link. Whilst on the subject of
search-engines' results. images, always include a tag for
each image which will give a
Linking description to the robot of that
For the robots to correctly index image. The title="picture of car"
every page, it's important to tag will show your text "picture
of car" when a visitor hovers article" which they may or may
their cursor over the image, and not take your word for, and the
the alt="picture of car" will robot would view that as too
show the text if for any reason unspecific, lessening the page's
the picture cannot actually be appeal to the search engine.
displayed. Some browsers are set
up to not show images, and of A technique to increase the value
course some of your visitors may of a page is to have other links
be visually impaired and using from other pages pointing to that
audio browsers which will be able particular page. For example, if
to 'speak' the picture if you use you had another page about
these tags correctly. Aside from website marketing, you might talk
this, the more indication you can about the various techniques
give to the robot of what the involved. Somewhere on the page
picture is about is likely to you could mention search engine
help. optimization and include a link
to your search engine
The text you use in the link is optimization page. This not only
also important. By using the provides another relevant link to
self-explanatory term your page, but also helps a
"Search-Engine Optimization" in visitor to find the page quickly
the link, it's obvious to if they are interested in that
visitors and the search engine subject.
robot, that by following this
link they can expect to find a External Links
page dealing with the subject Most search engines consider
you've specified. If you used a websites with lots of links from
link like Another interesting other websites to be more
article the visitor would see the important. This can affect how
text "Another interesting highly your site is ranked my the
search engine. Althought the Avoid using these tools to fill
practice of link exchange has your page with a list of
resulted in thousands of sites keywords, visable or hidden, as
with pages of irrelevant links, this is considered by the search
it can still help if you have engines to be 'spamming' and can
links from relevant pages on result in you being excluded
relevant sites. For example, a totally from their results.
link on a page about cycling
tours on another site, to your For the important headings on a
page about cycling in France page, use the tag, as this
could add value. Usually you indicates to the robot that this
would be expected to reciprocate is a primary heading, and so it
the link, although it's usually will place more importance on the
better to link from a different text in an h1. If you don't like
page that the one with the the default font and size you can
incomming link. change it preferably using CSS.
Keywords Validation
When you are looking for phrases When you have completed a page
and keywords to include in your it's often worth validating the
page, it can sometimes help to page to ensure that the HTML is
consider what phrases search correct, so that the page doesn't
engine users are actually using. give unexpected results on other
Here are some tools which show browsers or to the robots.
other similar words. Remember, your visitors probably
use a different version browser
Espotting Keyword Generator to you, and that could affect the
Overture Keyword Generator look of a page. To validate your
Wordtracker page, try the HTML Validation at
http://validator.w3.org/
quick results then you may be
Conclusion better off considering other
Search Engine Optimization is not search engine marketing
an exact science unless you work techniques such as PPC.
in the algorithm design
department of a search engine If you pay for a professional to
company. Exactly how they rank optimize your site, there are no
sites and decide who should guarantees, particularly on
appear in the top results changes competative keywords such as
regularly as they improve their 'insurance'. If they ask for a
algorithms. It also takes time payment up front, with a promise
for a new site to be indexed, and to get you a certain ranking then
can take months even for a well you should probably think again.
optimized site to appear in a High rankings are possible, but
search engine's results. So this it's more likely with niche
form of marketing does take a lot keywords.
of patience, and if you need
About the Author:
Zach Townsend is a freelance internet marketer and database bod. You can contact him via
http://www.zdt.co.uk or http://www.marbellawebdesign.com
Read more articles by: Zach Townsend
Article Source: www.iSnare.com
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