SEO - 10 things your Web site needs

November 9, 12:47 PMWichita Web Development ExaminerEileen Brown

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For those who know something about the SEO process, you know that optimizing a Web site is
different for each and every client. For those who know nothing (zilch, zip, nada) about SEO, the
question is always "Why?" do I need to do this or do that.

There are some pat rules, but a large portion of what goes into optimizing a Web site has to do
with the marketplace in which that Web site resides. What your competition is doing is one of the
main courses of action to be taken, and this should be taken seriously. If you don't know how
someone else managed to get their Web site to the top of the SERP's for any set of particular key
words or key phrases, how can you manage to get your humble little Web site at the top or even
near page one of Google?

Understanding your marketplace, who your top competitors are, and how to find your niche in
large markets are considerations that come first. This should be part of the research you do for
your business before you have a Web site built and/or before you build your own.

If all you are looking for are guidelines for SEO, remember these items:

1. Choose your URL carefully, and include keywords if possible. When choosing keywords or phrases, use as many that fit, as possible.
2. Place keywords (or phrases) in the page titles.
3. Make sure your headlines grab readers and use H1, H2 and H3 tags on your web pages.
4. Use keywords and key phrases in your copy. Check density to make sure you do not keyword "stuff".
5. Put the most important words at the top of the page. Statements should contain keywords and key phrases.
6. Web site navigation should be clear, concise and easy for people to use first, and search engine spiders and robots second.
7. Use good naming conventions for images and include mouse over text (alt text) for all images that are not part of the pages design elements.
8. Keep your code simple and include the meta keyword tag and the meta description tag.
9. Don't worry about "follow" and "no follow" tags.
10. Make your copy people friendly and informative. Information in the form of a story will be read through more often than just tidbits thrown together.

These are some of the things you have control over and can do to (and for) your Web site to make
it index faster, better and depending on your marketplace, help you top out on the search engines.
There are many more considerations. If you have a web site in need of help there are many SEO
firms out there, but choose one carefully.

There are hundreds of things you can do to help your website get listed better in the search engines
but the most important ones are the ones contained in the Web site itself.