When you are starting to develop a website, SEO probably seems like a nuisance – something to be put off until later. The dynamic nature of search engine algorithms makes SEO something that requires some implementation before a site even launches and then experimentation and continuous tweaking for optimal results.
The question most likely on your mind is, “How do I even get started?” By simply creating a website and deciding to optimize it, you are on the right path. The SEO tips outlined below are intended to provide a stepping off point.
SEO and Keyword Research
Every search engine optimization campaign begins with keyword research. After all, you need to know what keywords your target market is using in order to properly optimize your web pages.
Google’s Keyword Tool and other free tools on the market are the ideal starting point. You can use these tools to find the most highly searched phrases based on your website’s product or information offerings. Global and local search numbers are provided, allowing webmasters to find which keywords best meet their target market.
Keywords should be used naturally within the content of each page and in appropriate page tags like title tags and headings. Also, using keywords in your domain name and in urls is an effective way of telling search engines what your site is about.
Once your keywords are identified, the following steps can be used to optimize your website for top ranking on SERPs (search engine results pages) for these keyword searches.
In SEO – Content is King
A common phrase used by SEO professionals is “content is king.” After all, search engines demand fresh, original, high quality content from their top ranking websites.
Most websites, including ecommerce sites, blogs, company sites, and others, will drastically benefit from adding unique, reader-friendly content on a regular basis. If outsourcing your content production, make sure to avoid duplicate content, which is a deterrent to search engine spiders. To ensure your content is original, try utilizing a service like Copyscape, comparing your content to that which is available on the web to identify any similarities that would be recognized as duplicate content by search engines.
Originally, search engines gave preference to the number of keywords. This led to numerous websites stuffing keywords into their content to the point that it was impossible to read by visitors. Hiding keywords in invisible text on the page was also a common tactic. Ultimately, these two techniques have been deemed Black Hat SEO tactics and should be avoided.
For most sites, freshness is key. Providing regular, new, and unique content is necessary to remain high in search engine rankings. In the case of widely searched news features, like a recently occurring natural disaster, Google implements QDF, Quality Deserves Freshness. Ultimately, in this case, search engines will offer the highest ranking to the freshest, most relevant content, overcoming high quality content for the time being.
Optimizing Logos and Images for SEO
Make full use of HTML’s <alt> tag for your images and logos. ALT tags are a great way to show search engines what your site is about. They can be used to identify applicable keywords on a particular page, without having to stuff those keywords into the content; thus, allowing your content to be more reader friendly.
Stuffing ALT tags with keywords, however, is frowned upon. Use one or two keywords for each ALT tag for best results.
Backlinks & Internal Linking for SEO
Backlinks, or links to your site from other websites, are a key indication of the quality of your site. After all, if numerous websites are linking to you, you are likely to have high quality content.
That said, the quality of the backlinks is also important. While PageRank isn’t as significant as it originally was, it is still a decent indication of the quality of a site as viewed by search engines. A backlink from blog.blogspot.com, with a PageRank of 0, will not carry the same weight as a backlink from a feature news site with a PageRank of 5.
Social media plays a crucial role in attaining backlinks. As search engines add more weight to social media links, companies should always use Twitter, Facebook, and other social media outlets to link back to their site, their products, and their latest news. Re-tweeting or Facebook likes by visitors are a great way to exponentially increase the number of links to a particular page.
Creating an internal link structure is also essential. Contextual links placed in the content of your site linking to other pages offers a distinct value, as keywords used as the link are immediately associated with the destination page. This allows search engines to more readily identify a page with a particular keywords, even before they reach it.
Sitemaps for SEO
Adding an XML sitemap to your website is essential, to list all followable links within your site. When search engine spiders reach your page, the sitemap facilitates their scanning of your entire site. If you leave pages off or the sitemap in its entirety is missing, the spiders are likely to miss pages of your site, which won’t be ranked.
While these can be lengthy steps, slowly make strides towards fully optimizing your website and understand that continual management and updates will be required to meet the dynamic changes in search engine algorithms.
Here are some other articles on domain names and SEO:
Why Use Keywords in Domain Names?
Local SEO & Domain Strategies to Boost Site Traffic
Better SEO & Domain Visibility with Big Brand Sitelinks
SEO Domain + AdWords Express = Local Search Goldmine
Most Expensive PPC Keywords of 2011
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