Netallianz

By Larry Lam

It is estimated that 80%+ of all website traffic is originated or driven by search engines. In the US, 79% of searchers do not even go to page 2 of search results, and a whopping 42% of searchers click on the No 1 result.

Search engines are important. And being at the top of major engines is just as important!

So how do I improve the ranking of my website in major search engines?

In this article we look at basic principles of Search Engine Optimization you should employ as a minimum when designing your website.

WEBSITE STRUCTURE

While there are many factors involved in search engine algorithms, site structure has always been of fundamental importance. Cleaner structure with minimal coding in between your website content can mean the difference between first page and second page ranking.

Keep your HTML codes clean
When designing your website, avoid using HTML editors which generate excess coding as this will confuse search engine spiders and dilute the importance of your web content. We recommend pure HTML coding but if you need to take any short cuts, Dreamweaver would be a good second option. It generates excess coding but not quite as much as programs such as MS Front Page or Adobe GoLive. Keep your coding clean so that you make it easier for the spiders to find your key content!

Simplify your table structure

Ideally a tableless design would be best for SEO but this is not always possible. So the idea is to lay out your website in such a way that spiders can easily and quickly get to the most important content.

When the spiders visit your site they read through it top to bottom, left to right following the rows and columns. If possible, keep your most important content in the first table cell.

If you have an empty row, don’t worry. The spiders will follow through to the next row or column and read the content there, all the way to the footer of the web page, which is a great place for keyword-rich text links.

Style Sheets
One way to cut down on excess coding is to use CSS style sheets. You can use CSS in many ways from as simple as defining fonts or as advanced as creating tableless design. You can also minimize or eliminate the use of unfriendly Javascripts.

Avoid Flash
Most search engines cannot content embedded in Flash. If you do not need the bells and whistles, kill the Flash.

Meta Tags

Title Tag:
A very important tag. Use the keyword phrase that you are targeting in this tag. Most search engines will display the Title tag when showing the results of a search, so make it read sensibly as well.

Description Tag:
Also an important tag. Make sure your keyword phrase is in this tag also. The description tag is used by many search engines to provide a short description of the web page listed.

Keywords Tag:
Not quite as important as the title and description tags. You can put just about anything in here but to be on the safe side, include a couple of your keyword phrases. Do not overdo it or you may suffer from keyword dilution.

Example: Here’s an example of the Meta Tags you can use for a travel company (eg XYZ company) offering travel and tour packages in Malaysia:
Title: Travel to Malaysia – XYZ Company
Description: XYZ provides travel services and tour packages in Malaysia. We specialize in cheap domestic flights and budget hotels in all major cities including Kuala Lumpur, KL, Penang, Johor Bahru and Kuching.
Keywords: travel in malaysia, cheap hotel packages, cheap flights, Malaysia tour packages

Alt tags
Alt tags help search engines identify the subject matter of your images. For example when you place an alt tag called “petronas twin towers” for your twin towers picture, a surfer on your website will actually see those words when he or she mouse overs the image.

It is good practice to use alt tags for your images but note that some spiders only place weight on those that are contained within links.

H1 Tags
Using H1 tags around your keyword phrase adds weight to it. But do not overdo it, use it where it actually belongs, usually as a header in the first line.

If you follow the above tips, your website should have a good structure that is easy for spiders to crawl through. Your website will be ready for the more advanced optimization techniques to follow.

THE CLP RULE: Content, Links & Patience
Building Quality Content
Aim to build good content for your website, i.e.
# Original content
# Targeted to your audience
# Tell people something they don’t know and want to know
# Tell your story in a unique way that makes it interesting to read

Once you have decided on your core theme and content, you will need to optimize it for search engines using the techniques above.

Make sure that your sentences are keyword rich. Use plenty of your target keyword phrases and aim for 15-20% keyword density. Too much will put you at risk of keyword spamming where you will be penalized by search engines.

And remember, make it easy to read – short paragraphs with natural flowing sentences. No one wants to read a thesis or finely-tuned logic on the web. People are looking for solutions to their problem.

Link Popularity: Think in terms of an election
Your website is running for Mayor. Your competitor websites are all candidates in the election. Links to your website are akin to voters. The more links (ie. votes) you have, the higher your ranking in search engines basically.

Incoming links to your website from other websites tell the search engines how important your website is. The basic assumption is that another website links to you because your website is relevant and important enough.

Over the years, search engines have become smarter in determining link importance. Therefore not all links are equal. You will score more points if the link to your website was from an authority website, or from a page which is relevant/similar to yours and so on. We deal with the topic of Link Popularity in a different article.

How Long Does It Take?
You need to be patient. You cannot launch a website today and expect it to top your keyword phrase in Google tomorrow. If you have an existing website which has been around 2 years or more, then you can fast track your way to the top by re-building your website.

The SEO game is really about staying power, building great content for your website, building lots of quality incoming links and letting things take its course. Competitors will want to trump you all the time.

If you value top ranking in Google and Yahoo, then be prepared to work with a good web design and SEO company over the long term. Don’t settle for someone offering peanuts pricing and promises which are too good to be true.

CAN I PAY FOR HIGH SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS?

NO, not in major search engines. Google, Yahoo and MSN reserve top spot for natural search results. You only get top spot if your website is seen as relevant based on the complex algorithms each engine employs.

However you can pay to get top results for Sponsored Listings. Advertisers pay the search engines to display their ad in the right corner of search results. But this area takes up a smaller portion of the window and fewer people will click on them.

SECRETS TO HIGH SEARCH ENGINE RANKING

In summary:
1. Good website structure and design
2. Using the right words in your website content
3. Having many relevant sites to link to your website from trusted websites
4. Content Content Content, ie. Quality Content, Relevant Content, Fresh Content

Before you start your SEO or web design process, it is wise to decide on which keyword phrase you wish to target and rank well for. More information on keyword targeting here.

About the Author
Larry Lam is a Web Consultant with Netallianz.com, a leading Web Design and SEO firm in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Larry is a consultant to many businesses in Malaysia and is involved in implementing web design and website marketing solutions.