Your website is finally finished! You spent a large amount of time designing it, and even more time coding it, but it was worth it. The site looks terrific - better than you envisioned.
But what good is a dynamic website if no one goes to it? That's why Search Engine Optimization is so important. SEO works with search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo to help drive traffic to your website. But it's up to you to make sure it is done properly.
Here are 10 tips to optimize your entire site for search engines.
What is the site about? Identify the main topic of your website. Focus in and make your message revolve around that "one thing."
The key is in the words. Keywords can get tricky. Avoid being too broad or too specific. Sounds impossible, right? It's not. Instead of going broad with "marketing" go with "marketing a small business." Don't forget to use the keywords in places like the description, tagline, page titles, page content and domain name.
Link-up. Make a conscience effort to link your pages directly from your homepage and cross-link them. Some systems automatically do this.
URL. Avoid using permalink structures that use numbers. It just doesn't look good. Instead use a URL structure that includes text and keywords.
Keep it moving. If something is slowing down your website, get rid of it such as flash graphics, large images and music players.
Images. Use keywords that relate to your site in your images. If need-be, re-title the file name.
Find a partner. Link to other websites with similar content but do it sparingly. You don't want to direct traffic to the competition!
Keep it fresh. Get in habit of updating and adding new content. The more you do this, the better your chances are to be discovered.
Check it out. Most search engines automatically find and index your content. Just to be on the safe side, check it out and make sure. You don't want to miss out on search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo crawling to your site.
You are a human. Face it, most of us don't talk in technical terms. Create content that everyone can relate to. Talking like a robot may make it harder for people to find your site and could be a turn-off.
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At the WunderLand Group staffing and employment agency, we specialize in placing qualified creative, marketing, and interactive design & development candidates with companies in New York, Chicago and San Francisco. For more information, contact our recruiting experts today!
