It’s true – search engines are a royal pain when you try to optimize your web pages for them but you can reduce the pain by analyzing their similarities.
==> Similarity #1
Search engines do not like frames so don’t use them or put in the tag.
==> Similarity #2
Titles should have key word in it and not be longer then 75 characters. Less is even better. Make sure your title starts with the key word if you can.
==> Similarity #3
Each web page should have a different key word in the title but be part of a theme. Search engines look for consistent keywords throughout your site.
For instance, Golf tips by Butch Harmon at nationalgolfer.com on one page, Free golf putting tips by David Leadbetter at nationalgolfer.com on another page or even Golf products to improve your golf game at nationalgolfer.com on a third page. Each title has the word golf so the search engine spider knows the site must pertain to golf – which it does. Hey, nobody ever accused these robots of being smart.
==> Similarity #4
Meta name description and keyword tags are accepted by some but not all; therefore, keep your description to a minimum length and the keyword tag to only one or two. Spend your time on a pithy, short one line description sentence which includes your keyword at the start of the sentence but will also entice the person viewing to click on the link.
==> Similarity #5
Search engine spiders or robots like the keyword or phrase at the top of your page between the codes. So make sure the first table cell on your page has your pithy one line description in it using the opening and closing tags.
==> Similarity #6
Content with keywords in the top portion of your text. Some search engines like short pages and other pages like longer so creating an average length of 250 words should help you get in all major search engines. Or, you might even want to create short pages for one keyword and a longer 500 or more word page for another keyword thus satisfying all the major search engine’s requirements.
==> Similarity #7
Link popularity. This means looking for sites that complement yours and asking for reciprocal links. Be creative when describing these links by using keywords.
Large sites also want your link so don’t be afraid to ask. Why do you think they offer affiliate programs? It’s not just for the visitors that might click through from your site but also the link you put on your page. They know this community of links is what the search engines now consider the most important.
Besides, as more and more search engines require pay before they even consider sites, your reciprocal links might be the only way your small business gets visitors or is listed.
So create web pages using the seven search engine similarities, submit them to all the search engines you can find and see if the “targeted” visitors to your site improves. It should but don’t expect it to happen overnight.
Judith Tramayne-Barth’s site is http://www.agoodread.com which has free books, articles and link pages you’ll love. She also writes excellent “how-to” books.
