In our first section of this guide we talked about the very preliminary
ethical SEO topics to consider when creating a site such as choosing the domain name, planning out your content and finding the most relevant keywords. In this part, well be looking at optimising the page itself and how to get those keywords working for you without resorting to methods like keyword stuffing.
Tagging
When Google looks at figuring out the relevancy of any given page, its the tags that it takes the most notice of. The two most important tags in any site are the and tags. When writing content within these tags make sure to always stay as relevant as possible and import your keywords whenever you can. Its better to sound natural than to shove a ton of keyword into every title however, so try to use moderation.
Page Content
Heres the point where so many people fall down when it comes to SEO. If you want Google and other search engines to take your site seriously then you have to have good content. If your content is generic or badly written you wont see anywhere near the same SEO results as a site that provides interesting copy. Its not just about SEO either a site with good content will keep users coming back.
When writing content use small heading tags like and wherever possible not only do these split up the content and make it much easier for readers to casually scan the page. Wherever possible, put your keywords within these tags.
When dealing with images, set the alt tag as something relevant and use the title tag as well. Dont just assume Google will recognise a picture of an aeroplane and link that with low cost flights, for example.
Linking Within Your Site
When doing internal linking to connect your pages together on your site, its best to use text links rather than images if you want to make the most of your SEO. Text is much easier for search engines to recognise. You should also create a HTML sitemap and link to it from your main page.
Make sure you dont have any pages that arent linked in to the rest of the site. You can use tools like the Google Broken Link Tool and the w3 validator to make sure your site is functioning well.
These are the very basics of internal linking its a massive topic that deserves its own article, but these basics should be enough to avoid any common SEO pitfalls such as filling your site with images of flash buttons that Google will struggle to recognise.
The Next Stage
Once your site is complete and validated and youre happy with your keyterms and content, the next logical step is to turn to off page promotion. This is something that needs a personal touch. You dont want to look like your spamming or just buying a bulk
link building services it wont bring you relevant traffic but it will certainly serve to harm your reputation.
A good link building campaign between other relevant sites can do wonders however just dont rush into promotion hoping for instant gratification through search results, it wont happen.
There are a huge amount of other steps that can also be taken when it comes to SEO. If youre looking for further areas of research why not look into more advanced content creation methods, linkbaiting, using the power of social networks and twitter or starting a blog from your site. All of these things can work wonders for your online presence and SEO.
