To get your FREE copy of the Special Report:
"The 7 Biggest Internet Marketing Mistakes"
To get your FREE copy of the Special Report:
"The 7 Biggest Internet Marketing Mistakes"
It is no secret that in order to be successful online, you need a good solid SEO ranking. The best search engine optimization strategy is to create sites that are search engine friendly. So how do you go about doing that? Here are a few tips and guidelines to help you design a Google friendly website.
Coding Accuracy and ALT Tags
Check all HTML coding for accuracy, and make certain that all URL links work. The Google crawler does not recognize the text in your images, so it is important to take advantage of the ALT attributes, adding descriptive and relevant information. It is also recommended to offer visitors a site map containing links that take them to the various important areas of your website.
Search Phrases and Keyword Density
Take time when writing website content so that it contains keywords and search phrases users would enter to find your site's pages. Don't overdo it with overuse of keywords; a good rule of thumb is 1-1.5% keyword density. The keywords need to be relevant to the site's theme or topic, not irrelevant words used in an attempt to deceive users into visiting your site.
Web Browser Compatibility
Not everyone uses the same web browser, so it is important to check your website to make sure it appears as it should in as many different browsers as possible. It is not uncommon to have a site display fine in Mozilla Firefox and have issues in Internet Explorer or vice versa.
Deceptive Tactics
Do not implement tactics that are deceptive or intended to manipulate visitor behavior. Google favors site designs that provide an enhanced user experience rather than attempting to deceive and trick visitors.
Visitor Site Design
It is good practice to design site content for visitors, not the search engines. The same content your visitors see should be the same content the spiders crawl. For example, do not add large blocks of invisible text on site pages using the same font color as the site's background.
Relevant, Useful, and Duplicate Content
Don't skimp on content, and this means useful, beneficial, and relevant content. A web page selling an affiliate or other product should offer value to the site visitor in the way of content. The content should be unique and relevant to the topic or site theme.
Don't place duplicate content on your website. If you are selling an affiliate product, for example, don't just cut and paste the information from the source site. Another bad strategy is to place duplicate content on more than one page on your site, and this includes placing it in other domains or sub-domains.
Redirects and Link Schemes
Avoid using tricky site redirects, cloaking techniques, and hidden URL links. Doorway pages are another no-no if you want to create a Google friendly site. Link schemes are another strategy to avoid. If your website contains links to what Google considers bad neighborhoods, it may negatively affect your website ranking.
You do want other websites to link to you, but they should be natural links from websites that consider your web content valuable and of benefit to their users. Natural links will improve the ranking and indexing of your website with Google.
In Summary
A thought to keep in mind when implementing search engine optimization is if it seems to be tricky, malicious, sneaky, or deceptive, it most likely is. If you are not sure, you will find an abundance of useful information at Google in their section entitled "Webmaster Tools Help."
* Stick to writing unique high quality content
* Avoid overuse of keywords - stick to around 1-1.5% keyword density
* Implement a plan to get more natural links to your web content
Make it your design goal to create a Google friendly site early on, and it will definitely pay off in the long run. A good SEO Consultant can advise on these matters.