SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION - INTRODUCTION

Contents:

• Search Engine Optimisation.
• Search Engine Optimisation - Introduction and Body Text.
• Search Engine Optimisation - Meaningful Sub-Headings and Emphasis.
• Search Engine Optimisation - TITLE and META TAGS.
• Search Engine Optimisation - ALT TEXT, off the page factors and summary.

There is much talk about search engine algorithms (the closely-guarded 'recipes' that search engines use to decide how to rank the results of a given search).

However, the CRITICAL element is not PR(A) = (1-d) + d (PR(T1)/C(T1) + ... + PR(Tn)/C(Tn)) .

. it's the written word - yahoo, say all of us!

Yes, folks, it's our writing that again makes the difference during search engine optimisation activity. And, although a specialist search engine optimiser will add to and modify our works, we can minimise these adjustments while, at the same time, actually making our copy better for readers.

This chapter will take you through the key search engine optimisation rules that apply to the main search engines.

BODY TEXT AND SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMISATION

Search engines just love the words we weave within the body text of web pages and nothing has a stronger influence on positioning.

From a search engine optimisation perspective, an ideal target is some 300-500 words per page and keyword phrases (those word combinations most likely to be used by people searching for the kind of information you are publishing) used consistently throughout your body text will boost rankings.

And, once again, it's the initial material (the lead statement - the first two-to-three paragraphs and especially the first 150-250 characters) which is most important for search engine optimisation.

Of course, if those relevant phrases are important for search engines, they must be important for readers, too. So where else should they be than near the beginning? Doh! We're starting to see a theme here!

In addition, as with good content practice in general, when possible the targeted key phrases should appear at the start or near the start of paragraphs.

< TIP>

Target phrases, not single words

Please note, your search engine optimisation emphasis should be placed on phrases, not single words.

For example, when I searched on Google (uk) for 'marketing', I was presented with millions of results covering a wide range of marketing-related information sources. But I was really looking for 'web marketing guide'. By refining my search, I was then able to select from a smaller list of more relevant results.

That's what all searchers do and what we should bear in mind when writing.

At a Jupiter Ad Forum in New York, Ted Meisel, CEO of Overture, shared his view on search engine keyword length data. He indicated that, based on Overture internal data, the percentage of search words in a search query is getting longer:

• 1-word queries:    19%
• 2-word queries:    23%
• 3-word queries:    24%
• 4-word queries:    15%
• 5-word queries:    19%

The above data indicates 58 per cent of searchers are entering three keywords or more.

< / TIP>

And, on many fronts, good practice for search engine optimisation is good practice for readers, too. For example, how often have you seen links like:

• Click here for information about MediaCo's services.

Hello, what kind of services?

Better would be something like:

• Online marketing services provided by MediaCo - useful information.

And, yes, when it comes to links, many search engines consider the text in and around hyperlinks to be more important which is why I've presented the key words in the above sentence as the hyperlink.

Contents:

• Search Engine Optimisation.
• Search Engine Optimisation - Introduction and Body Text.
• Search Engine Optimisation - Meaningful Sub-Headings and Emphasis.
• Search Engine Optimisation - TITLE and META TAGS.
• Search Engine Optimisation - ALT TEXT, off the page factors and summary