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Please
note: We have used periods before the coding so that it correctly
displays in a web page. If you want to use the code, you have to remove
the periods and use.
Selecting the right keyword phrases for each
page of your web site is the first step towards ranking high in the
Search Engines. However, it is only the first step.
In addition to selecting targeted keyword
phrases, you must also strategically optimize your page including:
• META description tag
•
META keyword tag
• Title
• Image ALT tags
• Image names
• Heading tags
• Hyperlinks
• Body text
META
The
META description tag will
contain a description of your site. This description will be visible in
some of the Search Engines when your site is returned in a search.
Your description should include your site's most important keyword phrases.
Example:
<.META name="DESCRIPTION" content="Providing dog grooming tips, supplies and training.">
The META Keywords tag will contain a list of
your keyword phrases separated with a comma. Your primary keyword
phrase should be first, followed by one or two secondary keyword
phrases.
Example:
<.META name="KEYWORDS" content="dog grooming tips, dog grooming supplies, dog grooming training">
TITLE Tag
Just as you must place your keyword phrases within your
META description and keyword tags, you
must also use your primary keyword phrase as your web page title.
Nothing more should appear between the <.TITLE>and <./TITLE> tags except your primary keyword phrase.
IMG ALT
An image Alt tag follows your graphic address
or URL in your HTML code. These words will be displayed in place of
your graphics through an older browser or when your visitors have their
graphics turned off.
To fully optimize your graphics, insert your
keyword phrases within the Alt tags of your graphics. At a bare
minimum, make sure you use enough images to display all of your keyword
phrases. Remember...your primary keyword phrase should always come
first.
Example Images (Notice the images are named using the three primary keyword phrases):
dog_grooming_tips.jpg
dog_grooming_supplies.jpg
dog_grooming_training.jpg
Example:
<.IMG SRC="WIDTH="80" HEIGHT="105" dog_grooming_tips.jpg ALT="dog grooming tips">
<.IMG SRC="WIDTH="80" HEIGHT="105" >dog_grooming_supplies.jpg ALT="dog grooming supplies">
<.IMG SRC="WIDTH="80" HEIGHT="105" dog_grooming_training.jpg ALT="dog grooming training">
H? Tag
Heading tags are used to separate topics and
range from <.H1> being very large and bold to <.H6> which
is very small and bold. Some Search Engines place relevance on text
displayed within the heading tags. Top priority is placed on the
highest listed heading tag.
Your keyword phrases should each be used as a
heading for sections within your web page (placed in the same order as
your keyword phrases within your
META keywords tag) and placed within an appropriate heading tag. These headings should be followed by some descriptive text.
Your headings should look something like this:
Dog Grooming Tips
Your descriptive content containing your keyword phrase.
Dog Grooming Supplies
Your descriptive content containing your keyword phrase.
Dog Grooming Training
Your descriptive content containing your keyword phrase.
A HREF Tag
When creating links on your web page, your
links should be displayed together with a small image in front of each
link. This image might be a graphic bullet, arrow, or whatever you'd
like. These images will not only enhance your web page, but they will
also enable you to place your keyword phrases within the Alt tags.
When you begin creating your links, make sure
the page name, image name and page description text all contain your
keyword phrases.
Your HTML code might look something like this:
<.img src=">dog_grooming_tips.gif"
alt="dog grooming tips"><.a
>href="dog_grooming_tips.htm">Dog Grooming Tips<./a>
<.img src="dog_grooming_supplies.gif" alt="dog grooming
supplies"><.a >href="dog_grooming_supplies.htm">Dog
Grooming Supplies<./a>
<.img src="dog_grooming_training.gif" alt="dog grooming
training"><.a >href="dog_grooming_training.htm">Dog
Grooming Training<./a>
BODY Text
Optimizing your text is another important step
towards ranking higher in the Search Engines. Your web page should
contain plenty of text and should contain each of your keywords and
keyword phrases used in different variations. If all of your keyword
phrases you've listed within your
META tags aren't found within your text, the Search Engines will simply ignore them.
Search Engine Submissions
Once you've optimized your web pages and
uploaded them to your server, your next step will be to submit your
main pages to the Search Engines. However, don't submit your pages to
Google. Your pages will rank much higher if you allow the Search Engine
to find your pages on its own.
You may want to consider creating a site map
for your site and submit this page to Google instead. A site map is a
page that outlines how your pages are set up and linked together. If
you design a site map with links to all of your pages, the Search
Engine robots can easily spider and index them.
Taking the time to optimize each of your web
pages is the most important step you can take towards ranking high in
the Search Engines and driving your more traffic to your web site.
Other pages on Web Design for Marketers: Components Design Basics Landing Pages Planning Redesign Effective Sales Copy Launching Web Site Search Engine Preparation Tools Website Promotion
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