Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a way to make a website rank highly on search engine results pages. Every business should incorporate proper techniques into its development plan. These methods increase website visibility with the target audience, encouraging site traffic and sales. There are several basic SEO tips to increase the search engine ranking of a site.
A regular inspection of the referrer log is recommended to track the source of traffic and identify search terms being used. These terms should be converted to keywords used in URLs, titles, content, and image names. However, they should not be overused or the site will be labeled as spam. The two most important places to use keywords are the page header and title tag.
Integrating internal links on the site is one of the most basic search engine optimization strategies and a simple way to increase individual page traffic. When new content is created, it should be linked to archived information. Using relevant anchor text increases the chance that the page will appear in search engine results for like-worded queries. Links should be relevant and not overused or site visitors may become frustrated and leave the page.
Clear keywords should be used in URLs to make these friendlier for search engines. Avoid using a dynamic URL or including an internal classification system in the URL. Site maps may seem like ancient history but they are important to search engine spiders. A site map should list and link to all the major pages on the site. It should not take more than a few clicks to reach any page on the site.
When images are used, the words associated with them should be descriptive. By using an ALT tag, a keyword-laden image description can be included. Search engine programming considers visible text included around images quite valuable. Images should have captions and the text located close to images should be descriptive. Adobe Flash may seem snazzy but since it cannot link to a particular page, it should be used sparingly.
Keeping content fresh is one of the most basic tips and should not be underestimated. Integrating a blog is one way to regularly update content. This blog is part of social media distribution, which is another important SEO technique. Site owners should use social networking to distribute links to the newest content on the site. Incorporating basic tips like these will increase the visibility of any site.
A regular inspection of the referrer log is recommended to track the source of traffic and identify search terms being used. These terms should be converted to keywords used in URLs, titles, content, and image names. However, they should not be overused or the site will be labeled as spam. The two most important places to use keywords are the page header and title tag.
Integrating internal links on the site is one of the most basic search engine optimization strategies and a simple way to increase individual page traffic. When new content is created, it should be linked to archived information. Using relevant anchor text increases the chance that the page will appear in search engine results for like-worded queries. Links should be relevant and not overused or site visitors may become frustrated and leave the page.
Clear keywords should be used in URLs to make these friendlier for search engines. Avoid using a dynamic URL or including an internal classification system in the URL. Site maps may seem like ancient history but they are important to search engine spiders. A site map should list and link to all the major pages on the site. It should not take more than a few clicks to reach any page on the site.
When images are used, the words associated with them should be descriptive. By using an ALT tag, a keyword-laden image description can be included. Search engine programming considers visible text included around images quite valuable. Images should have captions and the text located close to images should be descriptive. Adobe Flash may seem snazzy but since it cannot link to a particular page, it should be used sparingly.
Keeping content fresh is one of the most basic tips and should not be underestimated. Integrating a blog is one way to regularly update content. This blog is part of social media distribution, which is another important SEO technique. Site owners should use social networking to distribute links to the newest content on the site. Incorporating basic tips like these will increase the visibility of any site.
