Search Engine Optimization

I have put together the following information to offer web site owners/web masters effective tips to optimize their sites to achieve high search engine placement. I am not an SEO expert and don't market myself as one. I do have a lot of experience creating sites that rank highly, however, and I know what are the bext practices.

One thing I do know is using semantic and valid xhtml code while separating content from presentation using CSS will go a long way in assisting your site with Search Engine Optimization.

What is Search Engine Optimization?

Optimizing your web site through a variety of techniques to help the positioning of your site in the various search engines.

One major, but often overlooked way to optimize your site is through the structure of the html code itself. This is sometimes referred to as on-page SEO.

You can optimize your code by making sure your web page has:

• Meta tags with key words and a description of your site
• Descriptive page titles with key words.
• Header tags (h1, h2, h3 etc.) that are text and not images, with flowery decriptions.
• keyword density on all pages relating to the theme of your page and site.

You can also increase your sites search positioning through techniques outside of the structure of the web page and this is often referred to as off-page SEO.

Some ways of improving your search engine ranking through off page SEO are:

• Link Exchange program.
• Listing in free directories such as , DMOZ , and , Google and paid submission services such as Yahoo .
• You can also purchase paid advertising (often referred to as PPC or pay per click) through such services as Google AdWords and Overture . You have to be carefull with these services, though, as the clicks can add up fast and cost lots of money. It's very tricky to determine if these service are a good return on investment.

Some definite Donts if you want to achieve high search engine rankings are :

• Don't code your site entirely with flash.
• Don't use a lot of javascript since search engines don't read JS content.
• DO NOT use frames to buld your site.
• Don't use tables to build the structure for your site. Nested tables aren't good for accessibility or the search engines.

In addition, other ways to market your website are through print (business cards, brochures, newsletters etc.), promotional materials (pens, tee shirts, bumper stickers) , RSS feeds, and newsletters.