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Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, can seem
very complex. In fact, there are dozens of things you can
do to improve your rankings. Some of them are proven to
work and some are just theories. Everyone wants to rank
well on Google, and many spend hours each week chasing Google's
algorithm. This can be fun for some, but if you want to
make sure that you have the basics covered in the least
amount of time here are some top SEO tips to consider:
1. Make sure your site is text based. A lot of great
Web designers will create the entire site's copy inside
of a graphical image. This looks great, but the search engines
can't read the graphics. All they see is a picture. The
search engines need text to read so that they can understand
what your site is about. Content is King online and you
need great content to rank well.
2. The second tip is to ensure that you use keywords
relating to your idea in the copy. Be careful not to overdo
this. Just make sure that if your site is about Southern
Rock & Roll that you mention "Southern Rock &
Roll" in the body of the copy a few times. It will
probably happen naturally, but if it doesn't you will want
to rework your copy to include it.
3. Use simple text links for your navigation. This
is another mistake great Web designers make. Graphical links
look good, but again they are just images. You want your
links to be text based and include, when possible, words
that fit the subject of the page they are linking to. So,
if you have a page on Rockabilly be sure to use those words
in the link.
4. Some will disagree, but I believe that Meta titles
and descriptions are important. These two things often
show up in the search engine results so you want titles
and descriptions that will entice the user to select your
page over another. I also believe that titles help you rank
well in MSN (the third most visited search engine).
5. If you want to rank well in Google you will need inbound
links to your site. Exchanging links with other sites
used to be a foundation of SEO, but now reciprocal (two-way
links) don't have the value they once did.
So, if you can't exchange links with other sites how do
you get them? There are several ways. One is to provide
such valuable content on your site that other Webmasters
will want to link to you. Look up "link bait"
in Google to find dozens of other techniques to bring inbound
links to your site. A fun way to get inbound links is to
get a Stumble Upon account (free) and submit a few of your
pages. Others will visit your pages and rate them. This
is also a great way to learn what others think of your site,
thus helping you make better design and content decisions.
There are hundreds of resources for learning more about
SEO. I've included a few of my favorites below. If you still
need more help you can always hire an SEO firm, but I suggest
you try to learn as much as possible on your own first.
If nothing else, it will make you a better consumer when
you do hire someone.
Clickfire
Searchenginewatch.com
Seobook.com
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