Every web designer knows that there are two essential qualities in every good websiteappearance and how it performs in the search engines. There is no doubt it is critically important for pages to look good so they keep visitors on the page. But visitors will never arrive at the site to appreciate even the best design without search engine optimization (SEO). Integrating these fundamentals of effective website design can be complex, and compromises are almost always required.
While Yahoo! and Google and also take other factors into account, no aspect of your web pages is more important to their ranking than keyword density. What is keyword density It's a simple percentage of the total words on a page that are keywords. Keyword density that produces high page rankings is generated by a small selection of highly searched keywords that do not have high competition. For the most frequently searched keywords, as many as 100,000 sites will be vying for position. Frequently searched keywords can bring you high page rankings, but they demand longer-term commitments and more resources.
How do you operationalize your keyword density rule Start by injecting keywords into your content as organically as possible. Google, in particular, and other search engines have developed complex algorithms that penalize your pages when keywords are "stuffed" into the text. The keywords you choose must flow with the text, making good grammar and adding meaning to the page.
The next step is to tag all the images you use on your website with the "alt" in HTML. Each and every image without exception must have this tag. The "alt" tag permits you to tell the web browser which text will pop up when visitors run their mouse over the image. It's also essential to labe every image with an SEO-friendly title. For instance if your site is about swimming with dolphins and you use a picture of dolphins on a page, a name like dolphins.swimming.jpg is far more effective than 477876ACDAW.jpg. Keywords in the tags become keywords for your pages. Just be sure you do not make your pages too keyword-dense with image names, either.
Another key step in search engine optimization is including links between the pages of your site. Visitors appreciate internal navigation. The websites also appreciate internal navigation, because these links are places you can place keywords that identify your pages. For instance, if you have a page called "Dolphins in Belize," you can link to that page from every other page in your site with a link entitled "Dolphins in Belize." This way you not only signal the search engines that you have created a page, but you tell them what the page is about.
Is there an ultimate rule for integrating page design and SEO Yes, and here it is: Keep it simple! Use flash sparingly. Avoid excessive images. Shun complex design. Paying attention to these vital rules will boost your freedom to do SEO. You always want your pages to be beautiful, you just need to do more with less.
Always take care that the search engines do not mistake your content for spam. Beyond keeping within the 7% limit, your respect for your readers and your providing genuinely content will make all the difference in how well your site will perform.
While Yahoo! and Google and also take other factors into account, no aspect of your web pages is more important to their ranking than keyword density. What is keyword density It's a simple percentage of the total words on a page that are keywords. Keyword density that produces high page rankings is generated by a small selection of highly searched keywords that do not have high competition. For the most frequently searched keywords, as many as 100,000 sites will be vying for position. Frequently searched keywords can bring you high page rankings, but they demand longer-term commitments and more resources.
How do you operationalize your keyword density rule Start by injecting keywords into your content as organically as possible. Google, in particular, and other search engines have developed complex algorithms that penalize your pages when keywords are "stuffed" into the text. The keywords you choose must flow with the text, making good grammar and adding meaning to the page.
The next step is to tag all the images you use on your website with the "alt" in HTML. Each and every image without exception must have this tag. The "alt" tag permits you to tell the web browser which text will pop up when visitors run their mouse over the image. It's also essential to labe every image with an SEO-friendly title. For instance if your site is about swimming with dolphins and you use a picture of dolphins on a page, a name like dolphins.swimming.jpg is far more effective than 477876ACDAW.jpg. Keywords in the tags become keywords for your pages. Just be sure you do not make your pages too keyword-dense with image names, either.
Another key step in search engine optimization is including links between the pages of your site. Visitors appreciate internal navigation. The websites also appreciate internal navigation, because these links are places you can place keywords that identify your pages. For instance, if you have a page called "Dolphins in Belize," you can link to that page from every other page in your site with a link entitled "Dolphins in Belize." This way you not only signal the search engines that you have created a page, but you tell them what the page is about.
Is there an ultimate rule for integrating page design and SEO Yes, and here it is: Keep it simple! Use flash sparingly. Avoid excessive images. Shun complex design. Paying attention to these vital rules will boost your freedom to do SEO. You always want your pages to be beautiful, you just need to do more with less.
Always take care that the search engines do not mistake your content for spam. Beyond keeping within the 7% limit, your respect for your readers and your providing genuinely content will make all the difference in how well your site will perform.
About the Author:
Justin Harrison is a leading Internet Marketing consultant responsible for the Internet Marketing strategies behind some of the biggest online brands including Amazon, BBC, MasterCard and many others.
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