SEO (Search Engine Optimization) happens both off the website and on it. It happens off it when people from social media mention you or Ping you, etc, or it happens when people link to you. SEO happens on the page in a different manner. The on-page SEO is the stuff that the webmaster has complete control over. It is all about following the search engine friendly guidelines that Google lay out for you.
1 - Put your content first and most keywords will appear organically
Your content is what is going to drive the traffic to your website. It needs to be of a high quality and it needs to be very useful. Useful content is search engine friendly on its own accord. Plus, you will find that if you create usable/useful content in the first place, your keywords will occur naturally in the text.
2 - Navigation is a big SEO player
Ease of navigation should be your phrase of the year. Look into the “three click rule” and take it seriously. People need to find what they are looking for very quickly, because if they do not then they will leave your site, and you will suddenly discover that your SEO is left wanting.
3 - Your anchor text tells the search engines about what it links to
The anchor text should have at least one keyword in it that describes the page that it links to. However, in the first instance it should be very user friendly. The user should be able to figure out what your linked page is about via the anchor text. However, keep in mind that the search engines are also going to view this text and the keyword should point them in the right direction.
4 - Do not neglect your Meta description and keyword tags
These are often neglected for two reasons. The first is because they are not directly on the page content, they are in the HTML code so they are easy to ignore. The second is because websites have a lot of pages and it takes time to go through each one and optimize their tags. But, you should remember that this is the foundation stuff that simply needs to be done to create a fully optimized web page.
5 - The H tags are useful but not essential
You should include them where you can, but you also need to know that they are not essential and that you should not try to work them into a page that simply does not have enough text on it to warrant them.
6 - Images should be plentiful but lightweight
Images do add to the usability of a website (in most cases) so do not be afraid to add them. They also have an SEO value (see tip 7). But, you also need to make sure that they are not going to take a long time to load, so do not make them too heavy (too many MB). Try using JPEG images instead of heavier file types such as BMP.
7 - Optimize your images with Alt text, titles and file names
ALT text is what appears if your picture does not, but it is also used by search engines to guess the content of the image, and how the image relates to the page, so it is a good idea to have at least one page keyword in it. The same goes for the title of the image, and even the file name. The file name is what you call your image on your hard drive when you upload it. Change the file name to something SEO friendly, with a keyword in it, and then upload it onto your server.
8 - Have a least two pages optimized for your location
This is a good idea because it helps to draw in a little more local traffic, and you will find that you have less competition on the page. When people type in a search query with a location on it, then they are not as likely to see lots of your competition (only your local competition).
9 - The title tag is an important page tag
This needs to be at the top of the page, and it basically sets the tone for the entire page. Do not underestimate the stock that search engines put in the title tag. This is even more true if the page has very little written content on it.
10 - Quality content counts more than quantity
The most search engine friendly content is high quality content. Even if your pages do not have a lot of text on them, you should still make sure it is high quality. This especially counts for mistakes that are easy to correct, such as repeated spelling mistakes.
About the Author:
The guest post is written by Sonia Jackson from http://www.essays.mightystudents.com. She writes essays on different topics and can give you useful advice.
1 - Put your content first and most keywords will appear organically
2 - Navigation is a big SEO player
Ease of navigation should be your phrase of the year. Look into the “three click rule” and take it seriously. People need to find what they are looking for very quickly, because if they do not then they will leave your site, and you will suddenly discover that your SEO is left wanting.
3 - Your anchor text tells the search engines about what it links to
The anchor text should have at least one keyword in it that describes the page that it links to. However, in the first instance it should be very user friendly. The user should be able to figure out what your linked page is about via the anchor text. However, keep in mind that the search engines are also going to view this text and the keyword should point them in the right direction.
4 - Do not neglect your Meta description and keyword tags
These are often neglected for two reasons. The first is because they are not directly on the page content, they are in the HTML code so they are easy to ignore. The second is because websites have a lot of pages and it takes time to go through each one and optimize their tags. But, you should remember that this is the foundation stuff that simply needs to be done to create a fully optimized web page.
5 - The H tags are useful but not essential
You should include them where you can, but you also need to know that they are not essential and that you should not try to work them into a page that simply does not have enough text on it to warrant them.
6 - Images should be plentiful but lightweight
Images do add to the usability of a website (in most cases) so do not be afraid to add them. They also have an SEO value (see tip 7). But, you also need to make sure that they are not going to take a long time to load, so do not make them too heavy (too many MB). Try using JPEG images instead of heavier file types such as BMP.
7 - Optimize your images with Alt text, titles and file names
ALT text is what appears if your picture does not, but it is also used by search engines to guess the content of the image, and how the image relates to the page, so it is a good idea to have at least one page keyword in it. The same goes for the title of the image, and even the file name. The file name is what you call your image on your hard drive when you upload it. Change the file name to something SEO friendly, with a keyword in it, and then upload it onto your server.
8 - Have a least two pages optimized for your location
This is a good idea because it helps to draw in a little more local traffic, and you will find that you have less competition on the page. When people type in a search query with a location on it, then they are not as likely to see lots of your competition (only your local competition).
9 - The title tag is an important page tag
This needs to be at the top of the page, and it basically sets the tone for the entire page. Do not underestimate the stock that search engines put in the title tag. This is even more true if the page has very little written content on it.
10 - Quality content counts more than quantity
The most search engine friendly content is high quality content. Even if your pages do not have a lot of text on them, you should still make sure it is high quality. This especially counts for mistakes that are easy to correct, such as repeated spelling mistakes.
About the Author:
The guest post is written by Sonia Jackson from http://www.essays.mightystudents.com. She writes essays on different topics and can give you useful advice.
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