There are many search engine optimization techniques that are absolutely necessary if you expect to increase web traffic to your site. Whether you are looking for a top 10, top 20, or comprehensive list of SEO techniques, there are a few suggestions that overlap among search engine marketing strategy experts. In order to improve your search engine results position (SERP), the following techniques are the bare bones of SEO basics that cannot be ignored. SEO Technique 1: Tags.
Just as you would not think of driving your car down the highway without a tag, you should not consider entering the information superhighway without tags for your web site. The following tags are a do or die move in the utilization of SEO techniques:
· Title. By far one of--if not THE--most important tags of your entire site. The title tag lands in the link returned in search engine results. These should be found in your title tag:
- Company name, regardless of level of name familiarity.
- Keywords that efficiently reflect your site content.
- Custom wording that differs from any of your copy content.
(Note: each page should have its own title with relevant keywords included.)
· Meta description. The meta description is simply a sentence that lets the search engines and prospective site visitors know what your site is about. The meta description needs to include at least one or two primary keywords to be reflected in your search results.
· Meta keyword. Keywords that should be included in the meta tag are those that you feel will generate the best and most accurate results relating to your web site content. Keywords should be specific enough to help define your site for those using the search engines for results.
· Author. Your company name should be always be found in the author tag of your site if you want to be recognized by search engines and returned in search results. Even if your company name is found in your title tag, you should still include the company name in the author tag to ensure name recognition.
Tags are what the search engines crawl when searching for content to index in their results. Improperly or ineffectively creating tags can be a death sentence for your site and potentially your reputation with the search engines.
SEO Technique 2: Content.
What is a web site without content? A blank page. Adhere to these simple principles of web page creation to make your site return the best search engine results possible:
· Theme. Keep your site limited to one theme. Search engines crawl the web in search of a common theme among web pages.
· User-friendly. Keep in mind that your site is a product up for review by customers rather than search engines. Although search engines are responsible for your presence in search engine results, it is the live customer who is the target audience.
· Unique. By including both unique titles and content, search engines will not see you as a carbon copy of other sites. By taking the time and making the effort to create unique content, you are helping raise your search engine results position.
Content is key when creating a web site that you want to recognized by search engines. If you truly want to increase web traffic to your site, you must not ignore the obvious and focus much of your time attention on your site’s content.
SEO Technique 3: Design.
Design is crucial to optimizing both search engine results and visitor reactions. Search engines and live visitors both have expectations in what they will find in a site’s web design.
· Appearance. This one is more for the live body. Stark colors, varying fonts, and disorganization can have someone scrambling for their mouse in record time. Make an effort to create a visually pleasing site that draws the visitor rather than deters them.
· Easy navigation. Your visitors want to find information and they do not want to have to work for it. Make your site easily navigable so potential customers do not become frustrated and searching for the competition.
· Avoid flash and frames. Although frames and flash are appealing to the visitor, the search engines are challenged by them both. Frames create a web crawling challenge that is not easily overcome without adopting an alternative design method (like CSS) while flash is not recognized by the spiders like traditional text.
(Note: Search engines like Google are becoming more capable of indexing flash, but the system has yet to be perfected.)
There are many search engine optimization techniques that should be legitimately followed. If you are new to the search engine marketing game and want to make the most of your site, start with these simplest of suggestions and move on to more intensive techniques when you are ready.
