A great web designer can make your site look and feel fantastic. But how is this design going to affect the ranking you achieve in the search engines It could have a massive impact -- and a detrimental one at that. Some web designers seem to have a blatant disregard for search engine optimisation (SEO). So here are a few things to consider and to tell your web designer.
Content IS king
Generally speaking, designers hate text. Many of them really, really despise it. They think its a joke: something that spoils their design. But people dont buy because of a pretty design. Its the words that persuade them, that give the information needed to make a buying decision. Its also the words that influence the search engines. If you dont have enough content on your site to look serious, then youll be ranked down by Google and others. You need plenty of text, from 100 to 1,000 words per page. Try having some sections that have lots of content. Is that expensive No, of course it isnt. Theres lots of content out there thats free. You can often use articles on your website for free providing you link to the writer. You need, of course, articles that are relevant to your business. If youre selling garden machinery, this article is not really relevant but there may be others that are. And if necessary, you could either write articles yourself or get a professional writer to do it for you. Its actually the cheapest way to get a high ranking with search engines.The copy of your site also needs to make extensive use of keywords. Optimising the copy for search engines is an art in itself (and subject for a separate article). But you need to check that your designers understand the importance of keywords, as they are vital to search engine optimisation. They are simply the words people would use when searching for your site. So, if youre an accountant, your keywords might be: accountant, accountancy, accountancy services and so on. Basically, if you search for accountant, Google finds sites that use the word accountant a lot in relevant context. That means in real sentences, not just in lists.
Give the images relevant names and alt tags
I know of websites where a lot of money has been spent, the copy carefully crafted, the hosting is top notch. There are lots of tasteful and relevant photos and pictures too. But no one has given the images relevant names and alt tags. The alt tags are the words that appear if you roll your mouse over the picture. Its good form to have alt tags on pictures because it enhances usability. But its also vital for search engine optimisation. Google, for example, reads the names of images and the alt tags and the results will influence the page ranking. Its an easy thing to miss, on the assumption that no one sees or reads the names and tags associates with images. But Google reads them, so calling all your pictures image1, image2 and so on is a wasted opportunity. The names and alt tags need to be relevant to your field and contain keywords.
Get your words in the right order
There is evidence that Google gives a higher ranking if your keywords come at the start of a line or sentence. So Accountancy service from Bill Baxter is better than Bill Baxters accountancy services.This applies not just to the body copy, but also to headlines, page titles, image names and alt tags. So its something your designers may need to know.
Meta tags versus real content
Meta tags are not as important as they used to be. They are a list of keywords that tells the search engine what your site is about, put in the heading of the html code, and not actually visible to a visitor.
But the use of meta tags has been much abused by people wanting to drive traffic, any traffic, to their site (for example, spammers and pornographers). So, Google and the other search engines now appear to place less importance on meta tags, and look more at the real content on your site. That means the text, the copy. You still need a list of meta tags containing keywords. But how long should the list be Its tempting to create a huge list and cover all the bases. Theres some evidence, however, that less is more when it comes to meta tags. By having a long list, you are diluting the impact of your really important keywords. How many you should have depends on the nature of your business, but try to keep it short and focused. And relevant.
No flash, no splash
Splash pages damage your search engine rankings because there is no relevant content on them. They annoy many visitors too, as they have to click through them. Flash content is all well and good, but Google cant read it. So if your most important marketing message is in flash, it wont be seen by the search engines. On the other hand, you could exploit this, by putting pieces of copy that contain no keywords in as flash or as an image (not readable text). Remember, however, that by doing this you are reducing the amount of content on the site. And the search engines love relevant content.
Dont use frames
Dont worry if this means nothing to you, just tell them this and dont take no for an answer.Frames are one way of laying out a web page. A bad way. There are better alternatives, such as tables. The problem with frames is simple: Google cant read whats in them. Disaster. Google sees no text on your site. Youll rank next to nowhere, no matter how much money you spend.
Dont try to fool Google
Its tempting to try to fool Google but it rarely works. Indeed, you run the risk of being blacklisted all together. One common trick is to put words in white onto a white background, so that Google will read them, but a visitor wont see them. That way, they wont spoil the design. Google can spot this (it reads the html). Dont do it.
Your web designer should be willing to take these factors on board, even if they werent aware of them before. Everything is a balance of course. You may not need search engine traffic. Ive written the copy for a mobile phone service launch where SEO was irrelevant as all the traffic was driven through a huge internet retailing presence, massive in-store marketing and one of the worlds most extensive CRM capabilities. But if you need to drive people to your site through the search engines, you need to optimise your site. Content is the key. But for it to work, the design also has to be right. That might mean sacrifices on the design front, but in business terms, its worth it.
UK copywriter and journalist Simon Townley can be contacted through . You are welcome to re-use this article on your website providing you dont change it, you include my byline and you link to my website.
Keyword density is the key to search engine copywriting. Learning how to write with keyword density in mind is a skill that every online business owner must take to task. The concept of writing keyword rich content may sound technical or worse yet ~ boring BUT its actually easier than you think!
Writing keyword rich content isnt easy but its a skill that is developed by remembering that you are writing for both your readers AND for search engines at the same time.
Keyword density is essentially the number of times a keyword occurs within a page on the internet and how many times the keyword is found compared to all the other words within that page. Okay, that may sound wordy but think of it like a writing assignment in school. Your teacher tells you to write an 850 word paper that has five different keywords or phrases. You can write in any style that is readable but you need to use the assigned keywords or keyword phrases throughout the paper. That is the first step to search engine keyword writing!
Search engine keyword writing grading system
Keyword density is based on the percentage (how many times is the keyword or keyword phrase found compared to the entire page) of occurrence for your chosen keywords. The search engine standard is keeping your keyword density between 3 12% of the entire word count.
The reason its important to know the ideal keyword density is to avoid having your writing look like spam to the search engines. Search engines are sensitive to overuse of keywords in content so remember that simply using the keywords repeatedly will not improve your search engine traffic.
Keyword density starts with your title. Whether its an article, blog entry or individual page on a web site you get a higher grade when your title contains your main keywords. More weight or points will be credited to your keyword rich content when you use your keywords at the beginning of your title and each of your headings.
One of the main reasons that blogging can be such a boost to your traffic is that when you have researched your keywords then used them effectively in your blog entry title and opening paragraph, search engines will see that your content is relevant to someones search.
Search engines have a tendency to read the first one hundred words of any given page on the internet so keep that in mind when writing keyword rich content. Your grade for writing will depend heavily on how you use your keywords and keyword phrases in your titles, headlines, opening paragraph and first sentence of each paragraph.
Writing keyword rich content is a skill that is learned. With practice and persistence, even trial and error, you will learn how to effectively place your important keywords where search engines want to see them while making your writing enjoyable to read for your visitors.
Keywords play a key role in your search engine traffic in your website development, article writing, business blogging and link exchanges so take the time to master writing with keywords your potential customers and recruits will use to find you!
Tammy Ames - WAHM Connections owner and publisher of a popular weekly WAHM Newsletter -Work at Home Connections Ezine helping home business owners succeed online.