Instant Gratification and Search Engine Rankings

Preparing for Search Engine Optimization

You are probably tired of reading what many do wrong in optimizing their site for search engines and are applauding that we have finally reached the point of discussion on how to do it right! So, here we go.

First and foremost, have your web site professionally designed if you are not a professional web site designer. Just as you wouldn't want to buy your groceries from the back of a pickup truck with a home painted sign, Internet buyers are far more apt to purchase from a professionally designed site. Yes, just about anyone can create a web site, but it takes a lot of training and a talent to do web site design well. When you go to the trouble of optimizing your site for receiving traffic, the last thing you want is for your hard earned arrivals to leave because they can't figure out your navigation system or because your twirling "doo dads" are driving them batty.

When choosing your web site designer, choose someone who will also assist you with content creation if you lack the time or ability to provide well written content.

Make sure your web site designer knows something about meta data (tags, descriptions and page titles) and search engines. If they promise to complete this feature, make sure you not only approve the outward web site design, but also look behind the scenes at the source data. This source data is what the search engines will see. Search engines aren't impressed by design. Many search engines now verify meta data with page content.

Short home pages (the first page of a site) not requiring scrolling are all the rage. These pages provide a terrific cover to a web site. However, if your site is not going to use doorway pages (something we will discuss later), you may need a home page that does require scrolling for several reasons.

Your home page needs to capture your audience, quickly. Tell your visitor right up front why they are at the right site to purchase your product or service. Guessing games like "see if you can pick out what I sell in paragraph 5" don't go over well for busy professionals needing a product or service.

Make sure your product or service is concisely described (I suggest saving the "used car salesmen hype" for used car salesmen) in the first paragraph of your opening page. Then hyperlink to full details about the product or service on another page.

Now check your source meta data. Do the key words, page titles and key descriptions match with the words an ordinary consumer would use to search for your product? If not, do not bother to move to the next step until this step is done well.

Are all your Alt tags completed? Do these alt tags also utilize your key words and descriptions?

Spell check your content. Poor grammar and spelling tell the consumer a lot about your perchance for detail and your professionalism. As stated previously, if you do not write well, hire some one who does. There are many grammar services out there. My personal favorite is WebGrammar at http://www.webgrammar.com by Judy Vohland.

Check the hyperlinks on your site to ensure they are correct and do not lead the visitor to dead ends. All hyperlinks leading off your site should open a new browser window so that your visitor does not get carried away, never to return. [ed: this is still disagreed upon in the Web development world.]

Next Page: Final Step Prior to Submission

This article originally appeared in the November 9, 2000 edition of the WebReference Update Newsletter.