Optimized web pages receive better search engine placement.
Optimization of your web pages can only be done once you have identified and selected your keywords. Only continue if you have completed Step 1.
There are two key areas in web page optimization ...
- make sure web pages contain your keywords and phrases
- make sure the HTML code of your web pages are error free
Your website pages need to include your keywords and phrases in order for the search engines to identify and select your site when those keywords are searched for.
Your website pages need to be free of code errors so that search engines can accurately parse
your web page information.
Target a Top 10 Position
Most search engines display 10 results on the first page and relatively few searchers will click through to look at the second or third pages.
Being listed in position 11 on the second page, is very different from having your site listed on the first page in the top 10 results.
It's easy to see why you need to make sure your web pages rank well.
Page Content
When you begin to optimize a web page, start by looking at the page content. You need to make good use of the keywords you have assigned to each page.
Use your specific keywords and phrases often but be careful ...
- do not make sentences unstructured or difficult to read
- do not swamp the page by simply repeating keywords or phrases
- make sure the 'density' of your keywords is acceptable for the page length
Header Tags
Each web page should include header tags which should then be customized using the keywords and phrases for that web page ...
You can also use tags within your page content to strengthen the weight of your web page, increase importance of keywords and improve your ranking ...
- title tags: H1, H2, H3, h2, bold
- image tags: ALT
- links: text link and URL
- html comments
Remember to make them relevant for each page and to alter them between pages.
Page Design
It's likely you want to optimize a website that is already live which means your web pages have already been designed however, these design tips should be noted ...
- don't use frames to build your pages
- avoid overuse of flash and media content
- don't use a Welcome Page which then redirects to the main site
- avoid dynamic generation of web page content
- avoid special characters in your text: & $ % = ?
- ensure you have your own unique domain name
- use a reliable web host provider not a free (my space) hosting service
HTML Code
Make sure your web page code (html or other) is valid. Check that all tags are properly closed and that redundant tags are removed. Also ...
- use CSS as much as possible for page layout and style
- don't clutter your page with hard coded tables
- if using tables, specify column, row and cell height and width
- if using images, specify height and width
- try to hard code all parameters and don't leave it to the browser to interpret layout
What Next ?
When you have properly optimized your website pages, you need to make sure the search engines are aware your website exists ...
If you have any questions regarding this subject, talk to one of our SEO engineers for direct assistance with your site. Call us on 0844 884 9100 to arrange a session.
