Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Good search engine optimization is the practice of optimizing your web site design, architecture, body copy, links and link popularity to satisfy the relevancy criteria of a search engine ranking algorithm. It's playing by the rules set forth by the search engines. Trying to stay abreast of the latest SEO rules requires regular vigilance, but if you emphasize HTML code optimization and good content, you can't go wrong. For example, larger bodies of useful, relevant content that include naturally occurring instances of the same phrase do much better than sites which focus on a single keyword or phrase.

Optimizing your web site includes things such as the proper development and use of keywords, header tags, header text, link text, keyword density, putting JavaScript and CSS style code into external files (as much as possible), minimizing the use of flash, creating the proper inbound/outbound link structure, creating a resources page, a site map page, doing competitor analysis and creating an optimized page for each keyword/keyword phrase.

A simple example: You can boost your rankings by moving the web page content containing your important keywords as close to the beginning of your HTML code as possible. Unfortunately, many web pages are hurt by using layout templates that downgrade the prominence of the pages' primary content. Elaborate HTML tables which push the page's content section (and it's keywords) far down in the file diminish keyword prominence and hurt your search engine ranking.

 
Search Engine Listings

Helping people find your business on the web takes time, patience and persistence, but it can definitely pay off.  Getting listed on major search engines can give your web site a significant traffic boost, which in turn can be an important factor in your company's sales.

There are free and paid options for getting listed and what you choose will depend on your budget, timeline and overall web site marketing strategy.

There are some distinct advantages to paid indexing and advertising. Free indexing can take several months for your site to be listed, whereas paid indexing and advertising usually only takes a few business days. In addition, if your site contains frames and/or the site content is not optimized for search engines and you're not building link popularity, then you should purchase search engine indexing and/or advertising.

 
Search Engine Optimization Maintenance

Every 3 to 6 months, update your web site to comply with the latest SEO rules. This should also be done on an "as need" basis for situations such as Google's "Florida Update" in November 2003.