Tips on How to Use Header Tag

Posted by Syed Hyder Ali on March 8, 2010

Header Tag:

  • Search engines give more weight to the keywords present in header tag.
  • You can use header tag from H1 to H6.
  • Try to use the title tag keywords again in H1 tag. Don’t just put the title tag as it is in H1 tag.
  • Use only one H1 header per page
  • If sub-headings are there then use H2, H3 … tags. Again use next level of keywords in this header tags.
  • Since search engine reads the text from top left hand side to bottom right hand side, make sure that H1 tag is placed towards top left side of the page.

Formatting Text:

  • By formatting the keywords in the content with bold, italic and underline, you can emphasis the keywords which are beneficial for Search Engine Optimization and also the visitors.
  • Do not highlight a particular keyword more than once per page.
  • Do not overload the page with formatted text. If you do so it will be focused more for search engine and less for the readers. Remember you are making a website for your prospects.
  • Use bulleted list to break the content and make it easier to read.

Do not use huge paragraphs as users may find it bore to read.

Download: 33 ways to get your message to your target audiences

Here is the list of 33 ways to get your message to your target audiences. The list includes both online and on-field methods.

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Category Categories: Search Engine Optimization  |  Tag Tags: , , , , , , , , ,  |  Comments 2 Comments »

Tips on effective use of Hyperlinks

Posted by Syed Hyder Ali on March 8, 2010

Text Based Navigation:

  • Text and CSS combination is preferred for website navigation.
  • Since search engines will read only the text and if links are placed to an image then search engine can’t read the text in the images. In this way you will be losing keywords which are present in the link. And the links with anchor text become important.

Relevant URL vs. Absolute URL

There is no such proven method that suggests relevant or absolute url but the preferred method is to use absolute URL (http://www.domainname.com/)

Usually a URL can be called using different methods. Like,

Option A: http://www.domainname.com

Option B: http://www.domainname.com/ (with a forward slash at the end)

Option C: http://www.domainname.com/index.hml (including the filename at the end)

Option D: http://domainname.com (without using “www”)

Option E: http://site.domainname.com/ (using a sub-domain)

For a search engine all the above 5 urls are different. Assuming that you got 100 hits to your domain using all the options mentioned above and each option got you 20 hits. Link value gets distributed as shown in the below graph.

All hits are coming to the same page but with slight change in the URL, it divided the real link juice into 5 parts. So when you are trying to promote your website, always use only one format.

Similarly, in the files when we use relative paths like:

  • ../filename
  • /root/filename
  • http://www.domainname.com/

It may drain your real efforts.

Video: Use Hyphen (-) to filter Google search results

If you use Google search engine to find solutions for all of your problems then watch this video on how to use hyphen to filter your search results.

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Category Categories: Search Engine Optimization  |  Tag Tags: , , , , , , ,  |  Comments No Comments »

Importance of Inbound Links for a Website

Posted by Syed Hyder Ali on March 8, 2010

In Off-Page optimization, inbound links are the most important factor for your website to get displayed in search engine results page.

Benefits:

  1. If you are getting inbound links from relevant sites then you have probability to get more relevant traffic to your websites.
  2. Based on number of quality inbound links you are getting, the more you have chances to be visible in search result page bringing more traffic to your website.

How Search Engine Evaluation Inbound Links?

Google follows a simple logic of evaluating website based on the inbound links. Let’s assume that you have written a book and it‘s available in library. The library is full of books on various subjects.  You made an attractive book cover and placed the book in the library. Since you are not well known to the visitors, you will get a couple of users in a week.

Similarly it happens in case of websites. Your website is well designed with good content and is SEO compatible but you get very few visitors.

Let’s go back to Library. There is a very famous writer called “Mr. A”. His books are also available in the library. You got a reference of your book title in his books. Now all his readers will see the reference note in his book and visit your book also.

Assume that there is another book similar to yours – Lets name them “Book A” and “Book B”. “Book A” gets references from 40 other writers who are not so popular. “Book B” gets reference from 4 very popular authors. So definitely anyone will trust on “Book B” because well known personalities are talking about “Book B”. Similarly search engines will evaluate how many links your website is getting and what is the quality of those links. Based on this your link will be displayed in SERP.

Note: Search engine also considers other factors like domain age, content, etc.

Conclusion is; getting 40 links from low PR websites is much better than getting links from 4 websites with good PR value.

This is how inbound links are evaluated by search engines to rate a website.

Follow these instructions while bringing any inbound link to your website:

  1. You have placed your URL on a site called “website A” using direct URL. That is, <a href=” http://www.domainame.com/”>http://www.domainame.com/</a>. This means, the “website A” is saying search engine that they just know you but what exactly you do they don’t know. Putting a simple URL will decrease the value of your inbound link.
  2. Similarly you have placed your URL on a site called “website A” using anchor text. That is, <a href=”http://www.domainname.com/”>SEO Training</a>. This means, the “website A” is saying Google that they know you and you provide SEO Training. With simple anchor text the value of inbound link increases.

If you are getting an inbound link in the above mentioned form from a well known website then the value of that link will be to the maximum extent. Eg: A specialist of your industry talking about you and your services will make a good impact in the market.

Note: If you provide SEO Training then bringing an inbound link from a website related to your industry is better than bringing an inbound link from Metal Manufacturer website.

Precaution:

  1. There are services which provide you 100’s of links. If you want to go for that then make sure to get quality links from them. It’s better if you won’t go for them.
  2. Make sure that the inbound links you are getting are not having “no follow” attribute in the anchor tag.

Download: 10 Tips to Build Inbound Links

Here are simple ideas through which you can generate quality inbound links for your website.

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Category Categories: Search Engine Optimization  |  Tag Tags: , , , , ,  |  Comments 4 Comments »

41 SEO Tips for a website

Posted by Syed Hyder Ali on March 8, 2010

Here is a checklist which you can evaluate against your web pages to make sure you have implemented all the elements required for SEO.

  1. Use keywords in Title tag.
  2. Use keywords in URL (filenames).
  3. Monitor keyword density to prevent the page from getting spammed.
  4. Use keywords in anchor text (<a href=”#”>Keyword1</a>).
  5. Use Keywords in Header tag (<H1> to  <H6>).
  6. Position keywords at the beginning of paragraph.
  7. Use keywords in image “alt” tag.
  8. Use keywords in Meta Description tag.
  9. Use keyword phrases.
  10. Use LSI Keywords.
  11. Use keywords misspelling but only in Meta Keyword tag.
  12. Do not stuff too many keywords.
  13. Links from outside should have keyword as anchor text rather than a simple URL (<a href=”#”>Keyword1</a>).
  14. Get Inbound Links from good page ranked websites rather than from low PR websites.
  15. Get Links from similar products/content websites. It gives more value.
  16. If possible get inbound links from .gov and .edu. Such links has high value.
  17. Linking pages with other pages of the website.
  18. The text before and after the anchor tag also matters.
  19. Get links from directories like DMOZ and Yahoo.
  20. Inbound link is of less value if it is reciprocal.
  21. Use keywords in anchor name (if you have to use any anchor name that is <a name=”keyword”>.
  22. Do not get too many links from same IP.
  23. Do not place too many outbound links on your website.
  24. Do not use duplicate content.
  25. Update your website regularly.
  26. Format your keywords with Bold, Italic and Underline.
  27. Low file size: Do not overload the pages with graphics.
  28. Coding: Make sure all HTML tags are used properly and formatted correctly.
  29. Do not use Black Hat SEO. Click here for more info
  30. Do not use images for providing links. It’s better to use text links.
  31. Avoid using Frames.
  32. Use alternative text if you are using Flash objects.
  33. Regularly check your server log to find any broken links or 404 errors.
  34. Use Sitemap (sitemap.xml).
  35. Do not burry the files in deep folder. One or two level folders are advisory.
  36. Have your own domain rather than having a sub-domain on others domain. Eg: blog.wordpress.com.
  37. Use Hyphens in URLs.
  38. Do not use lengthy URLs.
  39. Use 301 and 302 Redirect.
  40. Validate your pages with HTML validation tools.
  41. If you are creating multiple language websites. Then, specify language in the Meta tag.

To download the above list in PDF format, use the link given below.

Download: 41 SEO Tips for a Website

Here is a checklist which you can evaluate against your web pages to make sure you have implemented all the elements required for SEO.

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Category Categories: Search Engine Optimization  |  Tag Tags: , , , ,  |  Comments 7 Comments »

Tips on How to Use Keywords in Filenames

Posted by Syed Hyder Ali on March 8, 2010
  • In your website pages always use keywords in the filenames.
  • Do not use space in between filenames.
  • Use hyphen (-) or underscore (_) in between the filenames. Hyphen is preferred because;
    • Google treats hyphen as a delimiter that is “internet-marketing” is treated as “internet marketing”
    • Whereas a filename with underscore “internet_marketing” will be treated as “internet_marketing” only.
  • Instead of naming a page as product.html, use a keyword related to that product. Eg: css-validator-tool.html
  • Do not overload the filenames with too much of keywords. Eg: do-you-want-to-make-money-online-with-simple-11-steps.html
  • Use only lowercase in the filenames & folder name as some servers or CMS may be case sensitive.
  • Do not place all the files at root level but make a folder at root level and place the web pages in it. Use good keywords for the folder name.
  • If you are creating sub-domains then use short keywords rather than a lengthy one.

Lowercase vs. uppercase filename:

For example we will consider a page like http://www.domainname.com/products-services.html. While promoting the page I used the link as http://www.domainname.com/Products-Services.html.

I just changed the “P” and “S” to uppercase in the URL. If you visit both the URLs, you may be able to view the same page but search engines will treat them as two different pages. You will also get into duplicate content issue as search engine considers it as two pages. In addition the traffic which is coming to that page will be divided. That is total visits to the page is 200 but 100 visits using first URL and 100 visit using second URL.

Optimizing Images:

  • Use keywords in filename of images but make sure that filename should represent the image because in Google image search, it will pull the images which Google finds while crawling the web page content. Eg: if the image is of your company logo then name it as “companyname-logo.jpg” rather than saying “tennis-ball.jpg” which is your product name.
  • Always use ALT attribute to describe the image. Do not forget to use keyword phrases.
  • Use Title attribute but do not use exact text which is used in ALT attribute. Use some different keyword phrases.

Download: 41 SEO Tips for a Website

Here is a checklist which you can evaluate against your web pages to make sure you have implemented all the elements required for SEO.

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