SEO or Search Engine Optimization
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Search engine optimization consists of on-site factors of a webpage including the content, links, images, code, and Meta Tags. The manipulation of these factors can increase your search engine rankings for your target terms.
Content is King
Search engines love content, especially up-to-date information. The words that you use on a page, where on the page they appear, and what tags surround them all have an impact on how search engines rank the page's relevancy for the given term. You can find out the break down of keywords on a given page with our keyword density analyzer.
Links In & Out
There are two types of links on a web page; links that point to pages within your website and ones that point to pages on other sites. Some might ask "Why would you link to an external page". Simple; to help the user. Search engines like to see you are offering the best possible resources for the users search. And since it is unlikely your page has all the information on a given topic, it may be necessary and helpful to link out to other resources. Internal links are also very important. A good linking structure helps search engines index your website and helps user get around. Remember to use keyword focused anchor text for your links; label them. "Click Here" or "More Info" do NOT tell the user what the link points to, so don't use them.
Images and Indexing
Images can not be read by search engines. This is why it is important to use ALT Tags (Alternative Text). These tags describe pictures to search engine spiders and also appear in the place of images if the image is not available. ALT Tags are especially important if the image is a link....again, label your links appropriately.
Coding; Less is More
Getting a little technical, aren't we? OK, just remember this; the less code on a page the better.
Meta & Title Tags
The Title tag appears in the very top "blue" bar on your browser. This tag labels the entire page. The other main Meta Tags are the keyword and description tags. These tags are used less and less by search engines for ranking purposes because they are very easily manipulated and users generally don't see them. In any case, here's the rule: Make sure all Title Tags are unique and contain the page's main term. Want another? OK, keep the Title under 7 words. One more? Make the keyword and description tags unique and relevant to the page they are on as well.