Search Engine Optimization (MKTG470)
a very important SEO rule
**regularly offer quality content!! -content is the #1 most important aspect of any site, to any visitor -interesting sites will begin to increase their recognition on their own -quality content that is REGULARLY UPDATED will be noticed by search engines
use the ALT Tag to help search engines identify image information
- it is the yellow box that appears if you were to hover your mouse over the image -primary use is for people who have visual impairments and need their reader to tell them what the image is -also sends a signal to the search engine
SEO
- the process of optimizing your web site to have it listed amongst the first natural/organic results when users query a search engine for a service or product you offer
optimization caveats
-avoid frames! -don't create entire website in flash -wait until you have a stronger presence before incorporating flash into your pages
SEO using the description Meta tag
-descriptions should not exceed 160 characters -make sure you accurately describe the content of your page while trying to entice visitors to click on your listing -include 3-4 of your most important keyword phrases, especially those used in your title tag and page copy -try to have your most important keywords appear at the beginning of your description -exclude wasted words
how to most effectively use the ALT tag
-do not cram a bunch of keywords into the "alt" tag -do not use more than a brief sentence to describe an image (70-80 characters per ALT tag) -describe the image-do no just list keywords
why is the title tag so important
-it is often the first term a search engine reviews; many consider it to be the most important tag -shown in the search engines when people do a search -want them to be unique to one another
how to optimize meta tags
-short for metainformation -used by the search engines to help categorize and label the content of pages -placed in between the <head> and </head> tags on the page -the two for SEO are: <meta name="description" content="________"> <meta name="keywords" content=" ______">
URL structure
-simple-to-understand URLs will convey content and information easily -displayed in search results -could also lead to better crawling of your files by search engines
how to optimize using body copy
-this is the actual text that a visitor to your site would read -search engines are looking for keyword phrases when they "read" your page -they are also looking for content to be updated regularly -each page should have 250 words of copy on it -include bold and italicized keywords -repeat phrases at least once, but not more than 3 times
managing SEO expectations
-to encourage Google to crawl your site, submit a site map and add new content to your site regularly -you cannot just "pay" to get higher organic rankings -you may rank high for some keywords but not others
goal of SEO
-to make it easier for search engines to crawl, index, and understand your content -every page and every post in your site should be optimized -there will be tradeoffs between SEO and usability -results are completely algorithmic (common business practices-->white hat) -everything in SEO world is targeting to a computer, not a human being
optimization caveats: images can be problematic
-too many images can prevent engines from indexing your site (compress your images before uploading them to your site) -always name your images strategically (associate the image file name with your content so that it adds to the overall idea of the page and gives you a chance of being listed in an image search) -when we look at the image, we see the whole image but when computer looks at the image, they see the file name and THAT'S IT -we want to change the file names from generic to something more meaningful
keywords
-used to help the spider properly index the pages to return relevant results to user queries
what is the description
-what the search engine will return as below your hyperlinked page on the search results page
what is organic ranking in google based on
1. the keywords on your webpage (on-page SEO factors) 2. the pattern of links to your domain name (off-page SEO factors) **a complex algorithm based on these two factors determines which sites are on top or organic SERP for any keyword search
sitemap protocol
a new program where web pages are not just SUBMITTED to search engines, they are REGISTERED with search engines
what is the single most important SEO strategy
don't change the URL where your content lives! Once you create online content, don't move it
on-page optimization
involves strategically placing key phrases in very specific areas in the head and body of your site
how to optimize using the "header" tag and the link text
these give search engines very important indexing clues -search engine spiders look for clues of several types to determine what the webpage is about
