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These hints and tips are ethical SEO methods intended to help you achieve improved search engine rankings. Search engine optimisation is a complex topic which covers many different aspects of website optimisation. The tips we have outlined here are intended to put you on the right road to getting a better web ranking. The optimisation tips we are suggesting here are all things that you can do for yourself. We have assumed a basic understanding of HTML. The advice contained here is based on our own practical experience. We are convinced that the first steps to an improved search engine ranking are getting the basics right. Get the basics of your pages optimised and you will improve your search engine rankings.

HTML – get it validated.
A higher search engine ranking will be easier to achieve if you make sure your HTML code is correct and does not contain errors. Check your HTML code. Search engine spiders are computer programs. They work to a predefined set of rules. The easier you make it for them to crawl your site the more likely it is that you will get your pages crawled without problems. Make sure you check your code for errors and that it is well formatted.

Frames – does your site use frames?
There are two opposing schools of thought when it comes to frames. On the one hand there are those people who say that frames are to be avoided at all costs if you are trying to improve search engine rankings. The other view says that provided frames are handled correctly they should not hinder a better search engine ranking. As with a lot of things in life the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. The important point to remember if you are using frames is to make sure you use the NOFRAMES tag.

Keywords – take the guesswork out of finding keywords. One of the key aspects in getting a higher search engine ranking is picking the right keywords. When we talk of keywords we mean keyphrases as most people search using phrases not single words. Choosing the right keywords and key phrases is critical to achieving an improved search engine ranking. It’s a good idea to do some brainstorming when choosing your keywords. Try to compile a list of all possible keywords that your potential customers would use to find your product or service. The secret of picking high performance keywords is to aim for those phrases that generate a lot of searches but at the same time have limited competition. Choosing the right keywords is essential in achieving a higher search engine ranking. Wortracker is an excellent programme which you can use to help you select the keywords.

The Title Tag – how to optimize your page title.
When search engine spiders crawl your website they give a lot of weight to your page title. The search engine crawler uses the title to judge what the site is about. You should aim to place your most important keywords at the beginning of your title tag. Remember that the search engines will display your title as part of the search results. Try and make the title attractive to your potential visitors. The Title tag is an essential part of getting a better search engine ranking.

Meta Description Tag
When the search engines return their results it is quite often the contents of the description tag that is displayed on the search engine results page. Use your keywords in the description and make sure it is as appealing as possible. The number of visitors you get will depend to a large extent on how much they are attracted by your description. In other words no point being on page 1 of the search results if nobody clicks on your site.

Meta Keywords Tag
Search engines are putting less and less emphasis on the Meta Keywords tag. The keywords tag has been abused in the past and improved search engine rankings are less likely to be as a result of the keyword tag. Nevertheless it can do your site no harm to enter your top keywords into the Meta Keywords tag.

Body text
Remember that not all search engines use the description tag. This means that the results shown on the search page will be the first few lines of your body text. Try to put your keywords at the beginning of your text and remember to make them as appealing as possible. You are trying to get people to click onto your page rather than your competitors; so give them a reason to visit your site. Try to make use of the heading tags and if possible use some bulleted lists. Place keywords within your text in a natural way and do not spam the engines by cramming your text with keywords.

Alt tag
When you insert an image into your webpage one of the image properties is the Alt tag. In the description of your image mention your keywords. The keywords in your alt tag will not necessarily give you an immediately higher search engine ranking but they will certainly not harm your chances.

We have just skimmed the surface of how to get better search engine rankings. There are many other considerations including, quality links, effective use of sitemaps, directory listings, site structure and content. What we have tried to do here is to put you on the right road to improved search engine rankings. Good luck.

FREE keywords ranking report – tracking your progress.
Get a free keywords ranking report. We are offering you the chance to get a free keywords ranking report. This report will show you your keyword listings in the first 30 positions on Google,MSN and Yahoo. It will also give you details of your listings for the top 5 keywords plus an analysis by URL and keyword. To get your report simply email your name, website address and your top 10 keywords (keyphrases)

Last Updated 14/01/2008