In this article I show you how to improve your search engine rankings using 27 quick search engine optimization tips.

  1. Increase your site's link popularity by increasing your internal and incoming links.
    • Internal links - Cross link all your sites and important pages within each site. This will maximize the PageRank of all your pages within each web site.
    • Incoming links that you control - Create several small web sites related to your main site. Each site should only consist of a few pages. Then cross link them all together using the most important keywords. Don't forget to include links back to the main site.
    • Incoming links that you don't control:
      • Ask sites that link to your competitors to link to your site. To find out which sites are linking to your competitors, visit a search engine and enter, "link:" followed by the competitors' domain name.

        For example:
        link:www.yourcompetitor.com
      • Exchange links with sites listed in the same category as yours in the major web directories, such as the Yahoo! Directory and the Open Directory.
      • Find sites that accept site submissions. Visit your favorite search engine and search for:
        "add url" "your keywords"
        Also try searching for the actual submission page using its page name.

        For example:
        addurl.html, addsite.html, addlink.html, etc.
  2. Include a TITLE tag as the first META tag, directly after the HEAD tag.

    For example:
    <HTML>
    <HEAD>
    <TITLE>Mike's Marketing Software Tools Reviews</TITLE>
    ...
  3. Try to avoid stop words in your TITLE tag. Stop words (a, an, and, but, he, her, his, i, in, it, of, on, or, she, the, etc.) are common words and characters ignored by some search engines to enhance the speed and relevancy of their search results.
  4. Include a META DESCRIPTION tag, directly after the TITLE tag. Include the most important keyword phrase for the web page as close to the beginning of the description as possible.

    For example:
  5. <HTML>
    <HEAD>
    <TITLE>Mike's Marketing Software Tools Reviews</TITLE>
    <META NAME="description" CONTENT="Mike's Marketing Tools is the leading review site for the very best internet marketing tools for web marketers and webmasters.">
    ...
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  6. If you use a META REFRESH tag, make sure it is set to refresh after 30 seconds.
    <META HTTP-EQUIV="refresh" CONTENT="30; URL=http://www.mikes-marketing-tools.com">
    Some search engines consider pages that refreshes under 30 seconds as spam. I recommend using a JavaScript redirect tag, if you require a quicker page refresh.

    For example:

    Step 1 - Paste this code into the HEAD section of your HTML document. Change the 3000 to whatever number you like. 1000 represents 1 (one) second.
    <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript"><!--
    function redirect () {setTimeout("change()",3000);}
    function change () {window.location.href="http://www.mikes-marketing-tools.com";}
    //--></SCRIPT>
    Step 2 - Insert the onLoad event handler into your BODY tag, so that the JavaScript code is executed when the page loads.
    <BODY onLoad="redirect()">
  7. Remove all other meta tags (author, date, etc.), unless you're sure they are absolutely necessary. The only meta tags I ever use are the META DESCRIPTION and occasionally the META REFRESH tag.
  8. Include a site map with links to all your pages. This will help search engines find and index all your pages.
    • Limit the number of links on a web page to 50.
    • If you have more than 50 links, limit your links to your most important pages.
    • Include text on the page as some search engines, such as AltaVista, have been known to kick out links only pages.

  9. Use one or more header tags in your main page body and include your most important keyword phrase/s.
    • Use large header tags, such as <H1> and <H2>.
    • Use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to alter the appearance of the header tags to fit the look and feel of your site. For more information read this CSS tutorial.

  10. Check the first couple of lines of the first paragraph to see if it's appropriate to be used as a description of your page. Many search engines utilize the first couple of sentences of the body text as the search results description, instead of the contents of the META DESCRIPTION tag.
  11. Try to achieve an overall keyword density of 1-2%.
  12. Try to achieve a minimum word count of 300 and a maximum of 750 words on each page.
  13. Register a domain name with the exact keyword phrase you wish to target, using hyphens to separate the keywords.

    For example, if the keyword phrase is "search engine rankings," then register:
    search-engine-rankings.com
    If the domain you want is unavailable, either try a different extension, such as .NET, .INFO, or .US, or add a keyword to the end (preferential) or beginning of the domain.
  14. Name directories after your keyword phrases, using hyphens or underscores to separate the keywords.

    For example, if an important keyword phrases is, "search engine rankings," name your directory:
    www.yoursite.com/search-engine-rankings/ or...
    www.yoursite.com/search_engine_rankings/
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  15. Name web pages after your most important keyword phrase. Separate the keywords using hyphens or underscores.

    For example, if the keyword phrase is "search engine rankings," then name the page:
    search-engine-rankings.html or...
    search_engine_rankings.html
  16. Name your graphic files after keyword phrases. Again, separate the keywords using hyphens or underscores.

    For example:
    <IMG SRC="search-engines-rankings.gif">
  17. Include an ALT (alternative text) atrribute in image tags. Include the most important keyword phrases.

    For example:
    <IMG SRC="search-engines-rankings.gif" ALT="search engine rankings.">
  18. If you use an image map, include HTML links, as some search engines do not follow image map links. Plus image maps do not offer search engines any link text to index. So, try to avoid the use of image maps as they do not help with your search engine optimization efforts.
  19. Use the longer or plural version of a keyword, where possible. Word stemming is a concept used by some search engines to return search results that include keywords that extend beyond what you searched for.

    For example, a search with the keyword "engine" might return results for, "engines," "engineers," and "engineering." If someone searches for the longer version of a word and your page only uses the short version, then your page will be excluded from the list of possible results.
  20. Sprinkle a few uncommon keywords and synonyms in your main body text. Less popular keywords have less competition in the search engines. So your web page is has a greater chance of being listed amongst the top results.
  21. Do not repeat keywords or keyword phrases over and over again on a web page, as this would be considered as spam by search engines.
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  23. Keep your pages as close to the root domain as possible. Do not set up more than 3 directory levels.

    For example:
    www.yoursite.com/index.html (1st level - excellent)
    www.yoursite.com/html/index.html (2nd level - Good)
    www.yoursite.com/html/marketing/index.html (3rd level - OK)
    www.yoursite.com/html/marketing/search/index.html (Too many levels down - search engines will find it difficult to find and index pages this far down)
  24. If you have a persistent (on most or all of your pages) navigation bar at the side of each page, your table is almost certainly set up in such a way that it pushes your page's body text down the HTML document. Search engines give prominence to keywords nearer the beginning of a HTML document. So, design your HTML table so that the navigation bar is placed after your main body text.
  25. Move Javascript code to a separate file, or the end of the HTML document after your closing BODY or HTML tag. Yes, this technique actually works!

    Follow these instructions to move the JavaScript code to a separate file and link to the file from the HTML document. Then place the following code in between the HEAD section:
    <HEAD>
    <SCRIPT LANGUAGE="JavaScript" SRC="file-name.js"></SCRIPT>
    </HEAD>
    This procedure also reduces your file size, and therefore your download time. In addition, it allows you to reuse the code on other pages by simply link to the JavaScript file. Both of these techniques will move your important body text nearer to the top of the HTML document.
  26. Although not always practical, you may like to try naming your cascading style sheet tags after keywords.

    For example:
    .search {
    color: #ff0000;
    }
  27. Use Robots.txt files instead of Robots meta tags, as some search engine robots do not recognize the tag.
  28. Do not use font size one (1) text as the default text size. Many search engines consider tiny text to be spam. It's OK to use some font size one text.
  29. Do not participate in link farms or link exchange programs. Search engines consider link farms and link exchange programs as spam, as they have only one purpose - to artificially inflate a site's link popularity, by exchanging links with other participants.

    Do not confuse link farms and link exchange programs with reciprocal linking. Reciprocal linking is the exchange of links with individual sites, and is certainly an accepted technique for improving your site's link popularity.

There you have it. My 27 quick search engine optimization tips to improving your search engine rankings.

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Directory Submission

Part 1 -  How to register with Yahoo
Part 2 -  How to register with LookSmart
Part 3 -  How to register with Open Directory
Part 4 -  How to register with Overture
Part 5 -  Summary

Directory Submission Is Complicated

Automated services make search engine submission a snap, but directory submission is more difficult - and takes longer. Human editors review each submission for quality and content before accepting it into the directory. The volume of new site submissions is so huge that they can afford to be selective. Increase the chances they'll choose you by submitting a first-rate site and following submission guidelines exactly.

Select The Proper Category

You must submit your site to the proper category and sub-category to have it reviewed by the proper editor! Directory editors are overloaded with submissions: they won't do your job for you and research the proper category for your site. Inappropriate submissions are much more likely to be rejected instead of forwarded to another editor.

You may also increase your chances if you submit to the regional portion of a directory. For instance, imagine that you own a real estate agency in Alabama and want to submit your Web site to Yahoo. In the main directory portion - Business and Economy/Real Estate - there are 343 sites listed already. However, if you look at the regional portion of the directory - Regional/US States/Alabama/Real Estate - there are 11 sites listed. In general, editors are more willing to accept sites into categories that have relatively few listings.

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How To Register with Yahoo 

Yahoo is the largest and most popular directory. It is also one of the most difficult to get into, so read the instructions carefully at Yahoo's site and follow them exactly:

http://help.yahoo.com/help/url/

You have two choices at Yahoo: free or paid submission. When you use the free option, you submit your site to Yahoo and wait (and wait, and wait some more) for a Yahoo editor to evaluate it. In fact, Yahoo's backlog is so large that the directory doesn't guarantee that anyone will ever look at your site.

The paid submission option costs $299 and does guarantee that an editor will review your site within 48 hours. It does not guarantee that your site will be accepted! However, Yahoo does report a much higher acceptance rate from its paid submissions because - in general - higher quality sites are willing to use this option.

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How To Register with LookSmart 

LookSmart was the first directory to stop accepting free submissions from commercial sites. Nonprofit sites can still submit for free (if they are valid, tax-exempt organizations), but LookSmart doesn't promise to evaluate the site within a certain time period.

Like Yahoo, LookSmart guarantees a look, but not a listing. You have two paid submission choices with LookSmart:

  • Express Submit: $299 - Guaranteed site review in 24 hours
  • Basic Submit: $149 - Guaranteed site review within 8 weeks.
LookSmart provides a complete explanation of its submission process at:
http://submit.looksmart.com/info.jhtml?synd=US&chan=lshomepg

Although many people are unfamiliar with LookSmart, it is an important directory to be in. LookSmart powers the search directories of many leading portals including Excite, AltaVista, and MSN. This means if your site is not included in the LookSmart database, you won't show up in directory searches at these other engines.

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How To Register With The Open Directory Project (ODP) 

You may never have heard of the Open Directory Project, commonly referred to as ODP, but it provides supplemental results for some of the Web's top search services including AOL Search, AltaVista, DirectHit, Google, HotBot, Lycos, and Netscape Search.

The Open Directory Project's motto is "Humans Do It Better." Their goal is to produce the most comprehensive Web directory available by using a huge number of volunteer editors to evaluate submitted Web sites.

Submit your site for free to the ODP after reading the instructions:

http://dmoz.org/add.html

If the category that you're submitting to doesn't already have an editor (there will be a "Become An Editor" link at the top of the page), then consider donating some of your time as a volunteer editor.

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How To Register With Overture 

Overture, formerly called GoTo, is a "pay for placement" search engine in which top placement in search results is given to the highest bidder. It is being included in the Directory Submission area because top bidders on Overture get high visibility placement (usually in the form of Sponsored Links) on the top of Yahoo and other directories partnered with Overture.

There are two ways to get listed with Overture. First, to get the best results, you can bid on a set of keywords, and pay based on the number of people that find your Web site by searching for those keywords. For example, a top bid for a given keyword might be $0.25. If 10 people find your site by searching in Overture for that keyword, you would pay $2.50. Payment is based on clicks, so you don't pay unless someone actually clicks on a link to find your site through Overture. This is the best way to get traffic from Overture.

To learn more about Overture's paid placement, visit this link:

https://signup.overture.com/s/p/esf?promoCode=U2022D&s=efs

The second way to get listed in Overture is to submit to a common base database provided by a company called Inktomi. The easiest way to do this is to submit to Hotbot. So, while your site may not be at the top of Overture's search results, you can get listed in the engine simply by submitting to any Inktomi search engine. Search Engine Starter submits to several search engines powered by Inktomi, so using the tool should get you included in the basic Overture database.

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Summary 

Submitting to Directories is more time consuming than submitting to search engines. You have to keep in mind that directories are edited by humans, not computer programs. So, how your site looks to a human and having good content is especially important. Of course, since there are so many interrelationships between directories and search engines, you still have to optimize your page for good search engine placement. Be sure to run your pages through Page Primer before submitting to a directory.

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Domain Name Selection Tips
Your domain name is your company's address on the Web and is how customers find your business online. When you pick your domain name, keep the following tips in mind:

  • Domain names can only use letters, numbers, and hyphens ("-"). Spaces and other symbols are not allowed, and domains cannot begin or end with a hyphen. Domain names are not case sensitive. They can be between 2 and 63 total characters, not including the domain extension.
  • People who do not know your domain name may try to guess what it is based on your company name (e.g. www.yourcompanyname.com), so it is in your interest to choose a domain that is as close to your company name as possible. If your web site is based around a specific brand or subset of your products, you may prefer to choose a domain name based on that brand or product.
  • Try to register the .com version of your name first. When people look for your site on the web, they are likely to first try your company name with the .com suffix. If .com is taken then consider using .net, .org (for noncommercial), .us, info, or .biz.
  • Keep your domain name short, but not too short. Shorter names can be easier to remember, but only up to a point. Be careful not to abbreviate your name so much that it becomes unrecognizable. If you must use abbreviations, focus on the one or two words in your company name that have the most impact, and work your abbreviations around those words. For example, Carlton's Sporting Goods might choose www.carltons-sports.com or www.carltons.com.

  • Choose a domain that is easy to say, understand, remember, and spell. For example, you may not want to select www.scents.com because that could be confused with www.cents.com or www.sense.com when said over the phone or radio. Also, be careful with the use of hyphens and numbers, as they can make domain names harder to type and recall. You don't want to lose potential customers because your domain name is difficult to use. Test out potential names with friends before making your final selection.

  • Consider registering other similar names. If you're registering a .com address for your business, consider registering the .net and .biz extensions as well to keep them out of the hands of competitors. You may also want to consider securing similar-looking addresses that contain alternate spellings of your name or common typos. For example, Carlton's Sporting Goods, might register additional domains like www.carltonsportinggood.com, www.carlton-sport.com, and so on. You can register additional domain names at www.domainbuyitnow.com. With the www.domainbuyitnow.com service, you can use web forwarding to redirect traffic from these other urls to your main site.

    What Do .net, .org, .us, .biz, or .info mean?

    When you select a domain name, you can choose from several different extensions. These extensions can help indicate the type of business or service you are providing online or your geographical location. Different extensions may also have different domain names available in inventory. For example, newer extensions such as .biz may have more available names than the more mature .com extension.

    Here are definitions of the extensions you can choose from:

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  • .com represents the word "commercial," and it is an unrestricted global domain name extension. Many businesses prefer a .com domain name because it is a highly recognized symbol for having a business presence on the Internet. But, the number of available .com domain names is shrinking as more and more businesses go online.
  • .net represents the word "network," and is an unrestricted global domain name extension most commonly used by Internet service providers, Web-hosting companies, or other businesses that are directly involved in the infrastructure of the Internet. Additionally, some businesses choose domain names with a .net extension for their intranet web sites.
  • .org represents the word "organization," and is an unrestricted global domain name extension that is primarily used for non-commercial sites. However, many commercial entities register the .org extensions corresponding to their .com domain names in order to protect their brands.
  • .biz is a restricted-use global domain name extension used for business web sites. As a relatively new type of domain, .biz offers a company the opportunity to get the domain name it really wants and enhance its presence on the Web with a domain name that means business.
  • .info is an unrestricted domain name extension that creates an opportunity to reach a worldwide audience with information about your business and ideas. .info is growing in popularity, but still has many great names available.
  • .us is a restricted-use country code that may be used by any individual or organization with residence in the US or its territories, including foreign organizations that do business in the US.
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      The Value of PageRank

      Definitions:
      PR = PageRank
      SERP = search engine results page
      SEO = Search Engine Optimization
      SEOs = Search Engine Optimization Professionals

      Google SEO

      Most SEOs and analysts agree that PageRank (PR) toolbar is at most a rough indication of true PR and most assume that the Google is dependent on external links. This is a carryover from the past when PR was either totally or almost totally dependent on linking. AS SEOs and webmasters become aware that linking does not equate to high or higher PR they conclude that PR no longer has any value.

      I frequently read posts at various forums lamenting the loss of PageRank during Google PR updates. Most often webmasters and SEOs attribute the loss of PR to insufficient linking.

      A Typical Responses

      While useful content is good to have and much better for your users, there is not denying that the big three search engines all place significant weight on the number of links pointing to your site in their ranking algo's. PR, while visually appealing, really has nothing to do with the way you rank. Most of the people who have posted in this thread so far have been spot on.

      How Much Value Do Search Engines Place on Links?

      • MSN probably places the least emphasis and is actively striving to improve search results based on semantics, content and other non-link factors.
      • Yahoo appears undecided and in an identity crisis resulting in erratic SERPs.
      • Google still places significant value on linking, but in an effort to eliminate artificial linking, Google has shifted focus from the link itself to a host of factors associated with linking.
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      Is Linking the Only Factor That Influences PageRank?

      On the Google Technology Page, Google states:

      PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value....

      Could "an indicator" mean that it is one of several indicators?

      Many SEOs do not think so. In a recent article "Google PageRank Update Analysis" By Dave Davies at www.sitepronews.com. Under the heading: "What Do I Do - My PageRank Dropped?" Davies states,

      ...Now, if you've noticed that everyone around you has stayed the same or increased in PageRank try to remember this, there's nothing you can do about where you're currently positioned in regards to PageRank and it will probably be another 3 months before Google updates the public PageRank again so ... start building some good quality (high relevancy, solid PageRank) links. Work towards an increase in the next update.

      The last sentence is at the center of my disappointment with both Google and many SEOs. During each Google update, Google changes its alogos but does not share these changes with us. Unless you work for Google there is no way to know for sure where and how they have shifted emphasis are currently measuring PR.

      Davies along with many other good SEOs are never-the-less blinded by Google's perceived emphasis on links. I am sure most SEOs believe in the value of such things as good design architecture, and fresh content, yet like Davis they chant the matra of links, links, links, without thought of the possibility of improving PR with anything else besides links. Experimentally, such a position does not hold up. I am aware of several sites that improved in PR during the last Google PR undate without any effort to obtain links. All of them had good site organization and content. Could the drop in PageRank from sites with many links be because their content has become stale or other factors not tended to? The implication is that links play a lesser role in PR than we have been led to believe.

      It should be obvious to anyone who has examined SERPs and PR that they are not equivalent and one does not predict the other. Still PR is an indication of how the Google views web sites.

      Many SEOs are not able to let go of the idea that PR is somehow dependent on linking. Notwithstanding their objections, if PageRank and SERPs are not the same then it follows that PR is influenced by factors other than links. With the assumption, that there are other factors, we need to ask three questions.

      1. what factors influence PR
      2. how does PR relate to SERPs
      3. does PR have any SEO value
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      What Factors Influence PR

      There are likely at least 2 sets of factors, that directly influence PR. Each appears to play a role neiher appears to have a monopoly. There is probably some threshold level that each set of factors must reach. Until I can come up more descriptive categories I have labeled them:

      1. organization factors
      2. linking factors

      Organizational Factors

      1. Design architecture: Search engines are limited in what they can analyze. When the HTML to content ratio is high the site is at a disadvantage because the SE must make its way through the HTML. Xhtml and CSS, around since 1999, provide the best ratio.
      2. Content: Again think search engine limitations. What can a SE reasonably examine in content? Things like number of words, grammar, is the sentence semantically correct, spelling, etc.
      3. Navigation: A search engine like any other user must be able to find your content. There is so much written on navigation that it should need no explantation here.
      4. Congruence: This is a harder to explain. A site should have a theme that has support both within the page and between the pages.
        1. Within Page: Title, meta description, h1 tags, h2 tags, etc must be saying the same thing in a hierarchal manner. (part of design architecture)
        1. Between pages, also has to do with internal linking. The web pages need to support each other. For example a page on Oceanfront Condos should have a logical connection to the page it links from.

      Linking Factors

      The emphasis is on factors meaning more than just the existence of the link. Google's recent patent and TrustRank lends weight to the argument that value is directly proportional to:

      • where the link comes from
      • how it was obtained – natural, paid, artificial
      • content on the page it comes from –none, relevant, non-relevant
      • type of web site it comes – related vs unrelated
      • descriptive anchor text

        Yahoo Keyword Selector Tool
        Keyword Selector Tool

        Not sure what search terms to bid on?
        Enter a term related to your site and we will show you:
        Related searches that include your term
        How many times that term was searched on last month
        Get suggestions for you keyword by clicking on link above:  (may take up to 30 seconds)

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        Submit to GOOGLE
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