May 3, 2012

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24 Quick Search Engine Optimization SEO Tips

  • Commit yourself to the process. SEO isn’t a one-time event. The search landscape changes daily, so expect to work on your optimization on a regular basis. Search engine algorithms change regularly, so the tactics that worked last year may not work this year. SEO requires a long-term outlook and commitment.  KEEP IN MIND every one of the tens of billion websites out there want the same thing you do…. to be at the top of a relevant search engine search.
  • Be patient. SEO isn’t about instant gratification. Results often take months to see, and this is especially true the smaller you are, and the newer you are to doing business online. 
  • Content is king, so be sure to have good, well-written and unique content that will focus on your primary keyword or keyword phrase.
  • If content is king, then links are queen. Build a network of quality backlinks using your keyword phrase as the link. Remember, if there is no good, logical reason for that site to link to you, you don’t want the link.
  • Fresh content can help improve your rankings. Add new, useful content to your pages on a regular basis. Content freshness adds relevancy to your site in the eyes of the search engines.
  • Be sure links to your site and within your site use your keyword phrase. In other words, if your target is “blue widgets” then link to “blue widgets” instead of a “Click here” link.
  • Focus on search phrases, not single keywords, and put your location in your text (“our Palm Springs store” not “our store”) to help you get found in local searches.  Download zips.xls or zips.txt.  They contain a list of all US ZIP codes and city names.  You should list the ZIP codes and city names that you service on your site
  • Use keywords and keyword phrases appropriately in text links, image ALT attributes and even your domain name.
  • Frames, Flash and AJAX all share a common problem, you can’t link to a single page. It’s either all or nothing. Don’t use Frames at all and use Flash and AJAX sparingly for best SEO results.
  • Your URL file extension doesn’t matter. You can use .html, .htm, .asp, .php, etc. and it won’t make a difference as far as your SEO is concerned.
  • Got a new web site you want spidered? Submitting through Google’s regular submission form can take weeks. The quickest way to get your site spidered is by getting a link to it through another quality site.
  • If your site content doesn’t change often, your site needs a blog because search spiders like fresh text. Ideally you should blog at least three time a weeks with good, fresh content to feed those little crawlers.
  • When link building, think quality, not quantity. One single, good, authoritative link can do a lot more for you than a dozen poor quality links, which can actually hurt you.
  • Search engines want natural language content. Don’t try to stuff your text with keywords. It won’t work. Search engines look at how many times a term is in your content and if it is abnormally high, will count this against you rather than for you.
  • Not only should your links use keyword anchor text, but the text around the links should also be related to your keywords. In other words, surround the link with descriptive text.
  • Be aware that by using services that block domain ownership information when you register a domain, Google might see you as a potential spammer.
  • The bottom line in SEO is Text, Links, Popularity and Reputation. Keep in mind the search engines don’t and can’t read images or Flash animation.
  • Give link love, Get link love. Don’t be stingy with linking out. That will encourage others to link to you.
  • If you absolutely MUST have your main page as a splash page that is all Flash or one big image, place text and navigation links below the fold.  That said, why would you want something on your site that does not help your ultimate goal of getting your site view by your target audience?
  • Some of your most valuable links might not appear in web sites at all but be in the form of e-mail communications such as newletters.  We recommend www.MailChimp.com Click the link and check it out.  They allow you to send up to 3000 email newsletters per month for free, no credit card required.  And it is very easy to use.
  • You get NOTHING from paid links except a few clicks unless the links are embedded in body text and NOT obvious sponsored links.
  • Get the owner or CEO blogging. It’s priceless! CEO influence on a blog is incredible as this is the VOICE of the company. Response from the owner to reader comments will cause your credibility to skyrocket!
  • Understand social marketing. It IS part of SEO. The more you understand about sites like Digg, Yelp, del.icio.us, Facebook, etc., the better you will be able to compete in search.  There is a reason EVERYBODY else is doing it.  You should be doing it too.
  • See A Pinging Service like Pingoat help you ping or notify a number of blog agregators and blog search engines, e.g. Technorati and Syndic8, whenever you update your blog. This helps increase your blog’s presence on the Internet and creates more avenues for visitors to find you.
  • Make use of the “More” tag when blogging and  leave the first paragraph on the main page and the rest of the content on the post page. This helps prevent duplicated content and keeps you off Google’s Supplemental Index.