Content Optimization - Keywords and Clarity.
There are several issues with content
where search engine optimization is concerned. One
biggie, and several other supporting strategies.
Create a site with good text content.
This is the NUMBER ONE search engine strategy.
Without good text, no matter what else you do, your
site will fail. If you have to pay for something,
pay for help with this.
Good content is well written,
meaningful, topically oriented, and it reads nicely
both to people, and to search engines. NEVER write
for the search engines. Always write for people.
If you write so that people can
easily understand and enjoy your writing, then it
will almost always already be optimized in the most
important ways.
Search engines see text. They do
not see images. If you create a site with a huge
graphic on the home page, no meta tags, and no text,
and just an image that says "click here", the search
engine will have no way of knowing what your page is
about! An image with text on it is NOT text. The
search engine can only read text that was typed in
directly on the page (or pasted in, etc). So make
sure you have text on the page that tells what the
page is there for.
If you have a huge image, you can
often put a text description below the image, so
that people see the impact of the image, but can
read the text if they scroll down.
Do not use "hidden text". Hidden
text is text that is the same color as the
background, and it is invariably considered to be
black hat seo. Make the text part of the page, or
the search engine will be able to tell that it is
hidden, and you can be penalized for that.
Make it clear in the FIRST
PARAGRAPH, exactly what your site is about. If you
have a headline, make that headline meaningful.
People and search engines both dislike a site that
leaves them guessing.
Use keywords in your text.
Keywords are words that people think of to look for
your site. If your site has a topic that people may
refer to with several different sets of terms, then
you need to use each one on the page in some way. A
well written page will naturally use common terms
anyway, so don't obsess about it. Just explain well,
and it will be good enough!
Do not pack the page with
keywords! Do not misuse them in an unnatural way. Do
not use words that have nothing to do with your site
either. Either tactic can hurt you with the search
engines, and drive off customers. Just write well,
and you won't have to worry about it much!
The Sites you must NEVER Link to:
Getting inbound links is only half
the battle. The other half of the equation in Search
Engine Rank is the quality of the content on your
site. Since many links are reciprocal, and since
more sites are being built with reprintable
articles, this part of the picture has more
relevancy than many people think.
Most site owners think that they'd
never link to a site with a bad reputation. But how
do you know? How can you tell when a site is not
just ok for now, but on the verge of being banned?
And every time you place a reciprocal link on your
site, or post an article by another author, you are
running the risk of having a “bad” link on your
site. If you know how to avoid that, then it
significantly reduces the risk.
Sometimes you cannot tell, but
there are certain types of sites, no matter their
status now, which you know will eventually get
banned. And you can check at any time to see if a
site has already been banned from Google, just do a
net search for “google ban tool” and see what you
come up with.
Some people prefer to use the
Google Toolbar, but I have a thing about toolbars,
because they are almost always used to collect some
kind of surfing data. I just don't like spyware of
any kind, even if it does give me something in
return. I can get that info in other ways, and I do.
Besides checking to insure that a
site has not been banned before you list it on your
site, you'll need to actually LOOK at the site. I
suggest looking at at least two things:
- The home page. It should be
unique. It should not have an open directory
format where anyone can submit anything without
review. And it should not be a classified site.
It should not have anything dishonest, illegal,
or unethical on the pages. And it should not use
“black hat” SEO tactics.
- The Links page. Check to
insure that they are not linking to disreputable
sites. If they are, then they will soon be
banned.
When you post reprintable articles
on your site, it is important that you check the
links in the article and in the Resource Box to
insure that it is not dishonorable also. Do it in
the same way you would check any other site.
These tips are especially
important if you operate an article library where
people can submit content to your site, or if you
operate a directory of any kind. You need to insure
that every link is good quality so that it won't
kill your credibility.
If you have a guestbook, or a
forum, then you also need to be vigilant. I would
not recommend EVER having an unmoderated guestbook
on a site, they just fill up with spam.
Now, once in a while, errors do
occur. And overall, Google is forgiving of a link or
two that is not normally acceptable. After all,
sites do change, and you can't control everything.
But if you don't check the links, then you won't
just have a little error. You'll have a huge problem
that you did not know was coming.
You see, when you allow a
disreputable link onto your site, the person who put
it there will do one of two things: They will either
begin to send you more like it, or they will post
your URL onto the forums and boards of people who
are banned from the search engines. They are
desperate to get links, and usually they are selling
illegal items or dishonest ones, so they will use
ANY means, fair or foul, to get their sites
promoted. If you open the door just once, you'll be
swimming in filth within hours. I cannot begin to
tell you how aggressive they can be if given the
chance.
So screen everything that you
allow to be posted on your site, no matter what its
source. And don't trust anyone until you check them
out. Then, check them out again periodically, to
insure that they have not pulled a switch on you.
When the link is on your site, it
is your reputation on the line. So perform a quick
check, and you'll be glad you did.
Create a site with good text content. This is the NUMBER ONE search engine strategy. Without good text, no matter what else you do, your site will fail. If you have to pay for something, pay for help with this.
Good content is well written, meaningful, topically oriented, and it reads nicely both to people, and to search engines. NEVER write for the search engines. Always write for people.
If you write so that people can easily understand and enjoy your writing, then it will almost always already be optimized in the most important ways.
Search engines see text. They do not see images. If you create a site with a huge graphic on the home page, no meta tags, and no text, and just an image that says "click here", the search engine will have no way of knowing what your page is about! An image with text on it is NOT text. The search engine can only read text that was typed in directly on the page (or pasted in, etc). So make sure you have text on the page that tells what the page is there for.
If you have a huge image, you can often put a text description below the image, so that people see the impact of the image, but can read the text if they scroll down.
Do not use "hidden text". Hidden text is text that is the same color as the background, and it is invariably considered to be black hat seo. Make the text part of the page, or the search engine will be able to tell that it is hidden, and you can be penalized for that.
Make it clear in the FIRST PARAGRAPH, exactly what your site is about. If you have a headline, make that headline meaningful. People and search engines both dislike a site that leaves them guessing.
Use keywords in your text. Keywords are words that people think of to look for your site. If your site has a topic that people may refer to with several different sets of terms, then you need to use each one on the page in some way. A well written page will naturally use common terms anyway, so don't obsess about it. Just explain well, and it will be good enough!
Do not pack the page with keywords! Do not misuse them in an unnatural way. Do not use words that have nothing to do with your site either. Either tactic can hurt you with the search engines, and drive off customers. Just write well, and you won't have to worry about it much!
The Sites you must NEVER Link to:
Getting inbound links is only half the battle. The other half of the equation in Search Engine Rank is the quality of the content on your site. Since many links are reciprocal, and since more sites are being built with reprintable articles, this part of the picture has more relevancy than many people think.
Most site owners think that they'd never link to a site with a bad reputation. But how do you know? How can you tell when a site is not just ok for now, but on the verge of being banned? And every time you place a reciprocal link on your site, or post an article by another author, you are running the risk of having a “bad” link on your site. If you know how to avoid that, then it significantly reduces the risk.
Sometimes you cannot tell, but there are certain types of sites, no matter their status now, which you know will eventually get banned. And you can check at any time to see if a site has already been banned from Google, just do a net search for “google ban tool” and see what you come up with.
Some people prefer to use the Google Toolbar, but I have a thing about toolbars, because they are almost always used to collect some kind of surfing data. I just don't like spyware of any kind, even if it does give me something in return. I can get that info in other ways, and I do.
Besides checking to insure that a site has not been banned before you list it on your site, you'll need to actually LOOK at the site. I suggest looking at at least two things:
- The home page. It should be unique. It should not have an open directory format where anyone can submit anything without review. And it should not be a classified site. It should not have anything dishonest, illegal, or unethical on the pages. And it should not use “black hat” SEO tactics.
- The Links page. Check to insure that they are not linking to disreputable sites. If they are, then they will soon be banned.
When you post reprintable articles on your site, it is important that you check the links in the article and in the Resource Box to insure that it is not dishonorable also. Do it in the same way you would check any other site.
These tips are especially important if you operate an article library where people can submit content to your site, or if you operate a directory of any kind. You need to insure that every link is good quality so that it won't kill your credibility.
If you have a guestbook, or a forum, then you also need to be vigilant. I would not recommend EVER having an unmoderated guestbook on a site, they just fill up with spam.
Now, once in a while, errors do occur. And overall, Google is forgiving of a link or two that is not normally acceptable. After all, sites do change, and you can't control everything. But if you don't check the links, then you won't just have a little error. You'll have a huge problem that you did not know was coming.
You see, when you allow a disreputable link onto your site, the person who put it there will do one of two things: They will either begin to send you more like it, or they will post your URL onto the forums and boards of people who are banned from the search engines. They are desperate to get links, and usually they are selling illegal items or dishonest ones, so they will use ANY means, fair or foul, to get their sites promoted. If you open the door just once, you'll be swimming in filth within hours. I cannot begin to tell you how aggressive they can be if given the chance.
So screen everything that you allow to be posted on your site, no matter what its source. And don't trust anyone until you check them out. Then, check them out again periodically, to insure that they have not pulled a switch on you.
When the link is on your site, it is your reputation on the line. So perform a quick check, and you'll be glad you did.
