Search Engine Tips
More than 8 out of 10 Web users find sites through search engines. To get visitors to your site, it is critical to get listed. All search engines are different and register sites in various ways. The best way to optimize for all the engines is to follow some basic, universal guidelines. Below are some general tips.
- Use relevant <TITLE> tag content
- Use <META> tags for your site's keywords and description
- Include keywords and key phrases in your body text and keep it concise
- Register multiple pages of your Web site target search engines and categories when registering
- Re-register your site! Regularly, every 6 - 12 weeks.
- Keep your home page design simple and easy to navigate!
- Invest in your own domain name
- Choose a Web hosting firm carefully
- Use text links in addition to image links
- Be Patient!
- Use Northstar's submission and website optimization service
Use relevant <TITLE> tag content
- Be sure to include your company and a short description.
- Web users will see your <TITLE> tag information in the bookmark or favorite folder of the browser.
Search engines consider the content of the <TITLE> tag when registering a site, be very specific and avoid generic terms.69 character limit including spaces.
<TITLE> tag example:
A company name; specializing in an industry or product name.
La Fiesta; California's supplier of authentic handmade Mexican straw hats.
Use <META> tags for your site's keywords and description
<META> tags are mini indexes of the content found when visiting a site. These tags give a Web site owner control over the information that will be processed by a search engine. <META> tag keywords should be limited to fewer than 1,000 characters including spaces with little repetition. <META> tag descriptions will be displayed in many search engines to entice surfers to visit your site and should be under 200 characters in length including spaces. To help you with your <META> tags, we offer a FREE <META> Tag Generator. Placement of <META> should be in the <HEAD> section (where your <TITLE> tag is, on the pages your register).
<META> tag keyword section:
- Use plurals for your keywords. Search engines will process both the singular and plural form, repeating both is not necessary. Avoid 'word stuffing' or excessive repetition, in the keywords section of your <META> tags which may cause your search engine to penalize your site's placement.
- Construct your keyword list with commas separating the words.
- When determining your list be sure to think like you potential customer or visitor. What terms would they use to find a site with the content, products or services your site offers? A good method to determine your keywords is to brainstorm at least 50 words then narrow down and focus on your content.
- Misspell keywords if common misspellings are used by newcomers in your industry. For example, DIRECTV, a digital satellite television service is frequently referred to as Direct TV.
<META> tag description section:
- Include your company name.
- Include your industry or market.
- Use keywords and key phrases in your descriptions.
- Do not exceed the 200 character limit. Trying for under 150 is even better.
- Avoid superlatives (such as "best", "biggest", and "most").
<META> tag description example:
La Fiesta of San Diego, California sells many authentic hand woven straw sombreros and velvet matador hats from Mexico, Spain and Argentina. La Fiesta has colorful blankets, salsa dishes, clay pots and Latin American cultural items.
Include keywords and key phrases in your body text and keep it concise
Use keyword and key phrases within the first 60 words of your body text, especially for those search engines who do not use <META> tags for indexing. Emphasize and repeat your keywords and key phrases within your body text, but do not 'word stuff' or repeat excessively. Keep the Web pages you register short, concise and relevant to the audience you want to attract. Once you have brought the traffic to your site from the engines, use the sub-pages to provide further information to your visitors.
Register multiple pages of your Web site
Since top placement can be challenging in some category niches, it is beneficial to keep a narrow focus in your <TITLE> and <META> tag information for each page. Register multiple pages to broaden your reach. This will assist with bringing more targeted traffic to a specific area of your Web site. When registering sub-directory pages, be sure that visitors will be able to easily navigate to other pages in the site. This can be accomplished by placing a navigation bar on each page of your site.
Target search engines and categories when registering
Select with care to get the best results. Request to be placed in the search engines and directories that cater to your specific geographical region, industry or special interest. Avoid registering with sites that are not relevant to your Web site or business.
Re-register your site!
Search engine registration is a proactive marketing activity, which requires re-registration periodically. We offer a submission and website optimization service to maximize your Search Engine Rankings. Avoid re-submitting your site too frequently (spamming) for many engines will block your site if you attempt to re-register too often. Stick to the guidelines above (6-12 weeks or when significant site changes occur) for the best results.
Keep your home page design simple and easy to navigate!
Do not use re-direction on your Web site. Most search engines cannot process re-directs. Avoid using frames, Java and dynamic HTML on pages you expect to register. Save these technologies for the sub-pages. Although the technology is quite impressive, many search engies have difficulty processing pages with these elements and may impact your listing or placement.
Invest in your own domain name
With Go Daddy reducing the cost to purchase a unique domain name this is the time to make this small investment, approximately $8.95 per year of use. Re-registration is the same. You will find that unique domain names will register better than domains from over-registered, free or low cost domains. These resources are best for personal sites. Visit http://www.godaddy.com to reserve your domain name.
Choose a Web hosting firm carefully
Be conscious of the level of service you host your business Web site with. Many low cost and free hosting services offer a variety of resources, but down time (time when your site in not accessible) may be problematic. Load time can also be effected if the server your site resides on is overcrowded.
Use text links in addition to image links
Many Web surfers may turn off the graphics to help sites load faster. If no text links are available for navigation, visitors may leave. Many search engines follow only text links when processing a Web site registration.
Be Patient!
Many search engines require up to 6 weeks to process an incoming registration or re-registration. Many sites frown upon re-registration too frequently, as this is seen as spamming.
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