Guide for Search Engine Optimization

Most Important Do's

• Make the site <title> no more than 40 characters long and place it before any other META elements.
• Include on each page the META KEYWORD, a list of non-repeating keywords no longer than 30 words or word combinations.
• Include on each page the META DESCRIPTION, crafting the website description with no more than 25 words using terms from the keyword list. Many search engines use this description in their search results.
• Include the most important search terms near the top of each page when creating useable, readable, and real content.
• Establish a site hierarchy that an engine can traverse to the depths of the site. Adding a site index on the page submitted to the search engine can help achieve this task.
• Get listed in Yahoo's Directory and Open Directory. Search directories are different than search engines. Choose categories that best describe your business.
• Establish links to your site from domains that already have top ranking. How often others link to your site can raise your position.
• Enlist in paid inclusion programs to index pages that cannot be added to the search database by a normal spider (i.e. dynamically created product pages).
• Monitor your search engine position and make adjustments as needed.
• Customize meta tags for each page on the website. In other words, don't use the same set of meta tags for every webpage.
• Remove the page headers that are generated by WYSWIG page editors and when converting documents to HTML.
• Analyze your log files to find out what search engines are sending traffic your way and for what keywords. Work on those keywords that are slipping or are non-existent.
• Analyze your log files and resubmit to search engines that are NOT sending traffic your way.
• Review and update existing titles, keywords, description, site navigation, links and content on a regular basis. Typically, a stale website is ranked lower than a fresh one.

Most Important Don'ts

• Don't use an automated search submission service or use software to generate the title, keywords, or description. An engine may ignore a submission and could demote or exclude a site if they spot patterns that take advantage of their index. Many search engine submission forms can only be properly filled out manually and may also charge a fee beyond an automated service's fee.
• Don't get obsessed by being in the top in EVERY search engine. It isn't worth the time. Research a particular search engine algorithm and craft your pages for that engine or follow a general set of rules for adequate results in all search engines.
• Don't spam the index by using unacceptable doorway or gateway pages, page re-directs, high refresh rates, and invisible keywords, or spread the site over multiple domain names (to name a few).
• Don't use different URLs that link to the same page. This will effect link popularity and relavancy.
• Don't waste valuable keywords in the site TITLE unless it is likely someone is going to use these search terms.
• Don't use frames (some engines can index these, some can't).
• Don't use Flash for navigation (engines can't follow embedded links; therefore, not indexing the site to the fullest).
• Don't get drawn into big promises like getting listed on 800 search engines for $49. What's too good to be true really is.
• Don't make the site title a long list of keywords.
• Don't spread the site over multiple domain names.
• Don't use your competitor's name in the website title or META tags.
• Don't submit every page of the site. A spider will follow your links to index the entire website.