Question 1: Are Internal Page Titles Important?
I enjoyed your article “10 Minute Search Engine Optimization” and found it quite timely as we’re about to roll out a new version of our website…and I have next to no promotion budget!
(Read 10 Minute Search Engine Optimization Here)
One question if you don’t mind: In item 6, you suggest adding a textual link menu to supplement graphical/programming menus. Our menu structure is quite complex and it wouldn’t be practical to include everything. However, we have taken care to match the title of each page within the site to the navigation (e.g., Toys – Toys For Sale – Approved Toys – Feedback). Are these page titles within the site relevant for SEO, or only the home page title?
Many thanks, J.T.
Ross:
I am very glad that you enjoyed the article, it is always nice to know that it is being read and appreciated.
It is good that you are doing your best to match the content of each page to the title, this is extremely important and will pay off quickly on Google… among others. To answer your question simply, page titles are always the most important part of a web page after content. In the case of the home page, however, it is even more important as this title tag is often used as the title of your search engine listings.
Also, a solution for your textual link problem is to make a textual site map and link to it from every page. This will provide search engine spiders the ability to jump to a single page that provides a complete map of your entire site.
Question 2: How Often Should You Submit Your Site?
Do you have a FAQ for beginners on how often to submit to search engines. I mean; every month, every three months, or when ??
Thank You, L.H.
Ross:
In reality, the free-submit search engines should only be submitted to once. Submitting continually will not get you a better placement and it will not get your site listed faster. There are cases where you should resubmit such as if your web site is not showing up at all in Google’s database within 6-8 wks.
You can tell if your site is actually in a search engine database (usually) by typing in your web site address or keywords that are unique to your site (such as a company name).
If you want your site to appear faster and more reliably in search engines such as AltaVista, Teoma, AskJeeves, HotBot, AOL, MSN, then I highly recommend doing a paid submission so that your site is reviewed on a weekly basis.
I hope that answers your question Linda. Please let me know if you are asking due to a strange situation where your site is not being indexed over a long period of time. I will endeavour to help as best I can!
Question 3: How Important is the Heading 1 Tag?
How important are the “H1”, etc. in SE optimization and why?
Thank you, P.M.
Ross:
The H1 tag or “Heading 1” tag was created so that a web designer could instantly format the title of a web page or core paragraph (the text is instantly larger and bolder). For this reason the search engines expect to find one of the many clues required to determine the topic of your web site.
Ross Dunn is the CEO and founder of StepForth Search Engine Placement Inc., an SEO firm that has been providing expert services since 1997. Rosss considerable experience in the world of search has made him a respected writer for countless publications and an SEO consultant for small business and Fortune 500 web properties.
