Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Using Keywords and Phrases
By David Slone ©2005www.honestinformation.com
Probably, the most important thing for your website is traffic. You can have a great looking and informative site but without traffic who will know? If your goal is to earn money from your website traffic will be a very important factor in determining your success. Some of the best traffic that you can get will come from the search engines. In order to fare well in the search engines a clear SEO (search engine optimization) program must be implemented. There are many different aspects of SEO. In this article I will be dealing with keyword optimization.
1. The Title Tag Obviously the title of your page is an important thing to consider. Sometimes you will see pages that are titled simply "home page" or worse yet "untitled". The title is the first thing the search engines see so it is important to use your keywords here. Most often this title will be what the search engine uses for the heading in the listing. Each page within your site should have its own title composed of keywords specific to that page. The title for the "home" page may be more general than those for the internal pages.
Correct title using keywords:
<title>Learn how to train your dog to obey and to do tricks</title>
Incorrect title
<title>My Home Page</title>
2. The Meta Description Tag As the title tag is most often used as the headline or lead in for the search engine listing the meta description is used as the actual description in the listing.
This is what a description tag looks like:
<meta name="description" content="keywords in your description">
When you compose your description tag summarize and expand upon the title
Example:
<meta name="description" content="Training your dog to be obedient and to do tricks can be fun and rewarding. Learn the proper methods to teach your dog.">
3. The Meta Keywords Tag Most of the major search engines no longer look at the meta keywords tag. But many small specialized search engines do. For this reason it is advised that you include the keywords tag. Include your most important keyword for the page first. Then add a few related keywords or keyphrases. Most webmasters separate them with commas, but this is not required.
This is what a keywords tag looks like:
<meta name="keywords" content="training dogs, train dog tricks, teach obedience, beagles, terriers, german shepherds, poodles, irish setters">
4. Links Always use your keywords in your links - whether they are internal, outbound or inbound. Most of the links you will work with will be internal (links to other pages within your site) or outbound (links to pages outside your site). When constructing these links pay careful attention to the inclusion of your target keywords.
When creating links to pages within your site, or to pages outside your site, don't use graphics for your navigation links. Include your best keywords in the link text that navigates to pages optimized for those keywords.
Correct link using keywords:
<a href="url">How to train your dog to do tricks</a>
Incorrect linking method
<a href="url">training</a>
Example for an outbound link:
Correct link using keywords:
<a href="url">Training Dogs Can be Fun</a>
Incorrect linking method
<a href="url">www.dogsarefun.com</a>
In the case of inbound links you will have much less control. Inbound links are those that are placed on other websites that point to yours. Inbound links are a very important part of SEO but that subject will be dealt with in another article. Suffice it to say that when you have the opportunity to request an inbound link from another webmaster try to use your keywords for the text.
5. Header Tags This is what a header tag looks like:
<H1>keyword in your headline</H1>
Header tags range in size from H1 (the largest) to H6 (the smallest). All Header tags are given more weight by the search engines than regular text. Bigger H sizes count more than smaller Header sizes. Be sure your keyword for that page appears in an H1 tag, an H2 tag, and an H3 tag on each page. Make sure the H1 tag appears as close to the top of the page as possible.
6. Bold Tags This is what a bold tag looks like:
<b>keyword or phrase</b>
Bold text is given more weight than regular text by the search engines. Include your keyword in a boldface font once or twice on the page.
7. The Body Try to use your main keyword or keyword phrase as the first word on your page. Also try to use keywords or phrases as the first word in each paragraph. A good rule is to repeat the keyword two or three times in each paragraph. Opinons vary as to what the density of your keywords should be but 3 to 5 percent of the total words is a good target. It is important not to overdo this as the major search engines may penalize your site for "keyword stuffing" if you use too many.
8. Image Alt Tags Search engine spiders cannot "see" the images in your site. For this reason it is important to include an alt tag for each image that you use.
This is what an alt tag looks like:
<img src="url" alt="German Shepherd being taught to sit">
Keywords and phrases are only a part of SEO. But if you learn to use them properly you will be doing a lot to help increase your popularity and search engine rankings.
More lessons on SEO and webmaster resources
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