SlideShare une entreprise Scribd logo
1  sur  3
Télécharger pour lire hors ligne
Easy SEO Tips For A Novice Webmaster
fitcom.co /2013/12/23/easy-seo-tips-f or-a-novice-webmaster/

SEO is constantly evolving. Search engines often change their quality guidelines and rankings fluctuate on a whim. But
even as the search landscape moves, some search engine optimiz ation practices have stood the test of time.
There is no magic bullet for success in the online world. However, by focusing on basic SEO tips, you may be able to
outrank your competition.
The following are nine easy SEO practices that can help a novice webmaster:
1) Updat e Your Sit e Frequent ly
As Google describes on a page giving advice to webmasters:
One of the most important steps in improving your site’s ranking in Google search results is to ensure that it contains
plenty of rich information that includes relevant keywords. Sites that are updated on a consistent basis will automatically
contain more information and more keywords than static sites. The single most important SEO tip is to ensure that your
site has frequent updates with relevant, useful content.
Updating a website can be easy for any webmaster who utiliz es a blog or content management software. A blog,
updated regularly, is the best way for a site owner to provide users with timely content and increase search engine
rankings.
2) Incorporat e Mixed Media
Both Google and Bing have multiple versions of their standard search engines. As an example, the Bing Video search
engine provides entirely different results than the standard text- based search algorithm.
Novice webmasters should develop a content strategy which incorporates mixed media. Images, videos, infographics,
or audio files are all different ways of presenting information. These mixed media files, tagged appropriately, have the
opportunity to rank own their own in addition to helping the text page rank in the normal search engines.
3) Don’t St uf f Your Pages
Users and search engines dislike pages which are stuffed with keywords. Such pages, frequently described as over-
optimiz ed by SEOs, are not useful to readers and are no longer ranked highly be search algorithms.
Rather than focusing on packing a page with a keywords, have your content producers write naturally and create content
more interesting to humans. The administrator of a sports website generated a 12% increase in search rankings just by
reducing the number of times a specific keyword appeared on each page. Competent writers, photographers, or
videographers will be able to convey the relevant keywords for their topic without needing to resort to a densely stuffed
page.
4) Add a Sit emap
A sitemap is a specific file which provides an organiz ed list of every page on your website. Sitemaps are generally
aimed at search engines even if they can be used by humans. Creating a sitemap is a simple way of getting search
engines to crawl a site and they can be very effective in improving rankings.
One sports website saw a 212% increase in traffic just by including a sitemap. Since the site has multiple layers of
navigation and hundreds of pages several levels away from the homepage, a sitemap made it easier for Bing and
Google to identify these deep pages.
5) Include Keywords in Your URLs
All site owners have options when it comes to URLs for new pages. Those who use a content management system such
as WordPress can even select between pre- set URL options.
Whenever possible, sites should include keywords in the URL rather than arbitrary numbers or characters. One
prominent search website considers keywords in the URL to be a crucial ranking factor.
6) Writ e How Users Search
Ultimately, search engines want to provide useful results to end users. But since search engines are machines, taking
the specific user query and matching it against millions of webpages can be difficult.
According to Hawaii SEO firm Argon Marketing, “make the search engines’ job easier by writing your content in a way
that matches how users search for your terms.”
Having content that is precisely relevant to the exact terms users are typing makes it easier for search engines to rank
your pages for more queries.
7) Use Image and Video Descript ions
Incorporating mixed media in your pages is beneficial for rankings only if search engines can tell that the media relates
to relevant keywords. Thankfully, web standards make it easy to attach an “alt” or “title” tag to media files as metadata.
This information allows computers to learn more about the media file and also provides information to users who cannot
see the visual media.
Brief text descriptions of a picture or video also help algorithms identify the content of mixed media. Additional
information about media files not only help rankings of those files, but also benefit the ranking of the underlying page as
well.
8) Ut iliz e Int ernal Links
Written content offers an easy way to improve search rankings for pages throughout the entire site. Including internal
links–i.e. links to other pages within the same website–provides large SEO benefits for very little effort.
Whenever a new piece of content references or is relevant to a previous item, be sure to include a hyperlink to the old
content. Done consistently, this pattern of internal linking will spread Page Rank throughout the site and encourage users
to dig deeper into your archives for more information.
9) Track Your Progress
Finally, novice webmasters should take the step of adding analytics or keyword tracking tools to a website. By definition,
search engine optimiz ation is reliant upon the results from search queries. Without tracking the ranks of those queries or
the number of visitors referred by search engines, site owners have no way of identifying if SEO efforts have borne any
fruit.
Many free analytical tools are available for websites of all siz es. Setting up a comprehensive package of analytics
takes less than a few hours even for the newest webmaster. By tracking the progress of your website you can adjust
resources as needed and thus improve the efficiency of your SEO campaign.
By Nolan Kido
This article was written by Nolan Kido. Nolan works in the technology industry in Honolulu, Hawaii.
FiTCoM

Contenu connexe

Dernier

Leverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage Cost
Leverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage CostLeverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage Cost
Leverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage CostZilliz
 
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR Systems
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR SystemsHuman Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR Systems
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR SystemsMark Billinghurst
 
"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan
"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan
"ML in Production",Oleksandr BaganFwdays
 
Story boards and shot lists for my a level piece
Story boards and shot lists for my a level pieceStory boards and shot lists for my a level piece
Story boards and shot lists for my a level piececharlottematthew16
 
CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):
CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):
CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):comworks
 
Connect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck Presentation
Connect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck PresentationConnect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck Presentation
Connect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck PresentationSlibray Presentation
 
Take control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test Suite
Take control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test SuiteTake control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test Suite
Take control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test SuiteDianaGray10
 
"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack
"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack
"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek SchlawackFwdays
 
DSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine Tuning
DSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine TuningDSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine Tuning
DSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine TuningLars Bell
 
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!Commit University
 
Search Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdf
Search Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdfSearch Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdf
Search Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdfRankYa
 
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project SetupStreamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project SetupFlorian Wilhelm
 
"LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks...
"LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks..."LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks...
"LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks...Fwdays
 
Unraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdf
Unraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdfUnraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdf
Unraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdfAlex Barbosa Coqueiro
 
How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.
How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.
How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.Curtis Poe
 
WordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your Brand
WordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your BrandWordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your Brand
WordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your Brandgvaughan
 
Powerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time Clash
Powerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time ClashPowerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time Clash
Powerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time Clashcharlottematthew16
 
Advanced Computer Architecture – An Introduction
Advanced Computer Architecture – An IntroductionAdvanced Computer Architecture – An Introduction
Advanced Computer Architecture – An IntroductionDilum Bandara
 
Unleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding Club
Unleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding ClubUnleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding Club
Unleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding ClubKalema Edgar
 

Dernier (20)

Leverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage Cost
Leverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage CostLeverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage Cost
Leverage Zilliz Serverless - Up to 50X Saving for Your Vector Storage Cost
 
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR Systems
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR SystemsHuman Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR Systems
Human Factors of XR: Using Human Factors to Design XR Systems
 
"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan
"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan
"ML in Production",Oleksandr Bagan
 
Story boards and shot lists for my a level piece
Story boards and shot lists for my a level pieceStory boards and shot lists for my a level piece
Story boards and shot lists for my a level piece
 
CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):
CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):
CloudStudio User manual (basic edition):
 
Connect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck Presentation
Connect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck PresentationConnect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck Presentation
Connect Wave/ connectwave Pitch Deck Presentation
 
Take control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test Suite
Take control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test SuiteTake control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test Suite
Take control of your SAP testing with UiPath Test Suite
 
"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack
"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack
"Subclassing and Composition – A Pythonic Tour of Trade-Offs", Hynek Schlawack
 
DSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine Tuning
DSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine TuningDSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine Tuning
DSPy a system for AI to Write Prompts and Do Fine Tuning
 
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!
Nell’iperspazio con Rocket: il Framework Web di Rust!
 
Search Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdf
Search Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdfSearch Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdf
Search Engine Optimization SEO PDF for 2024.pdf
 
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project SetupStreamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
 
"LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks...
"LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks..."LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks...
"LLMs for Python Engineers: Advanced Data Analysis and Semantic Kernel",Oleks...
 
Unraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdf
Unraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdfUnraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdf
Unraveling Multimodality with Large Language Models.pdf
 
How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.
How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.
How AI, OpenAI, and ChatGPT impact business and software.
 
WordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your Brand
WordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your BrandWordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your Brand
WordPress Websites for Engineers: Elevate Your Brand
 
Powerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time Clash
Powerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time ClashPowerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time Clash
Powerpoint exploring the locations used in television show Time Clash
 
Advanced Computer Architecture – An Introduction
Advanced Computer Architecture – An IntroductionAdvanced Computer Architecture – An Introduction
Advanced Computer Architecture – An Introduction
 
Unleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding Club
Unleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding ClubUnleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding Club
Unleash Your Potential - Namagunga Girls Coding Club
 
E-Vehicle_Hacking_by_Parul Sharma_null_owasp.pptx
E-Vehicle_Hacking_by_Parul Sharma_null_owasp.pptxE-Vehicle_Hacking_by_Parul Sharma_null_owasp.pptx
E-Vehicle_Hacking_by_Parul Sharma_null_owasp.pptx
 

En vedette

Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPTEverything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPTExpeed Software
 
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsProduct Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsPixeldarts
 
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthHow Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthThinkNow
 
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfAI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfmarketingartwork
 
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024Neil Kimberley
 
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)contently
 
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024Albert Qian
 
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie InsightsSocial Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie InsightsKurio // The Social Media Age(ncy)
 
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Search Engine Journal
 
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summarySpeakerHub
 
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd Clark Boyd
 
Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next Tessa Mero
 
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search IntentGoogle's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search IntentLily Ray
 
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity -  Best PracticesTime Management & Productivity -  Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity - Best PracticesVit Horky
 
The six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project managementThe six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project managementMindGenius
 
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...RachelPearson36
 
Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...
Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...
Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...Applitools
 

En vedette (20)

Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPTEverything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
Everything You Need To Know About ChatGPT
 
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage EngineeringsProduct Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
Product Design Trends in 2024 | Teenage Engineerings
 
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental HealthHow Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
How Race, Age and Gender Shape Attitudes Towards Mental Health
 
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdfAI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
AI Trends in Creative Operations 2024 by Artwork Flow.pdf
 
Skeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Culture CodeSkeleton Culture Code
Skeleton Culture Code
 
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
PEPSICO Presentation to CAGNY Conference Feb 2024
 
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
Content Methodology: A Best Practices Report (Webinar)
 
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
How to Prepare For a Successful Job Search for 2024
 
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie InsightsSocial Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
Social Media Marketing Trends 2024 // The Global Indie Insights
 
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
Trends In Paid Search: Navigating The Digital Landscape In 2024
 
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
5 Public speaking tips from TED - Visualized summary
 
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
ChatGPT and the Future of Work - Clark Boyd
 
Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next Getting into the tech field. what next
Getting into the tech field. what next
 
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search IntentGoogle's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
Google's Just Not That Into You: Understanding Core Updates & Search Intent
 
How to have difficult conversations
How to have difficult conversations How to have difficult conversations
How to have difficult conversations
 
Introduction to Data Science
Introduction to Data ScienceIntroduction to Data Science
Introduction to Data Science
 
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity -  Best PracticesTime Management & Productivity -  Best Practices
Time Management & Productivity - Best Practices
 
The six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project managementThe six step guide to practical project management
The six step guide to practical project management
 
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
Beginners Guide to TikTok for Search - Rachel Pearson - We are Tilt __ Bright...
 
Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...
Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...
Unlocking the Power of ChatGPT and AI in Testing - A Real-World Look, present...
 

Easy SEO Tips For A Novice Webmaster

  • 1. Easy SEO Tips For A Novice Webmaster fitcom.co /2013/12/23/easy-seo-tips-f or-a-novice-webmaster/ SEO is constantly evolving. Search engines often change their quality guidelines and rankings fluctuate on a whim. But even as the search landscape moves, some search engine optimiz ation practices have stood the test of time. There is no magic bullet for success in the online world. However, by focusing on basic SEO tips, you may be able to outrank your competition. The following are nine easy SEO practices that can help a novice webmaster: 1) Updat e Your Sit e Frequent ly As Google describes on a page giving advice to webmasters: One of the most important steps in improving your site’s ranking in Google search results is to ensure that it contains plenty of rich information that includes relevant keywords. Sites that are updated on a consistent basis will automatically contain more information and more keywords than static sites. The single most important SEO tip is to ensure that your site has frequent updates with relevant, useful content. Updating a website can be easy for any webmaster who utiliz es a blog or content management software. A blog, updated regularly, is the best way for a site owner to provide users with timely content and increase search engine rankings. 2) Incorporat e Mixed Media Both Google and Bing have multiple versions of their standard search engines. As an example, the Bing Video search engine provides entirely different results than the standard text- based search algorithm. Novice webmasters should develop a content strategy which incorporates mixed media. Images, videos, infographics, or audio files are all different ways of presenting information. These mixed media files, tagged appropriately, have the opportunity to rank own their own in addition to helping the text page rank in the normal search engines. 3) Don’t St uf f Your Pages Users and search engines dislike pages which are stuffed with keywords. Such pages, frequently described as over-
  • 2. optimiz ed by SEOs, are not useful to readers and are no longer ranked highly be search algorithms. Rather than focusing on packing a page with a keywords, have your content producers write naturally and create content more interesting to humans. The administrator of a sports website generated a 12% increase in search rankings just by reducing the number of times a specific keyword appeared on each page. Competent writers, photographers, or videographers will be able to convey the relevant keywords for their topic without needing to resort to a densely stuffed page. 4) Add a Sit emap A sitemap is a specific file which provides an organiz ed list of every page on your website. Sitemaps are generally aimed at search engines even if they can be used by humans. Creating a sitemap is a simple way of getting search engines to crawl a site and they can be very effective in improving rankings. One sports website saw a 212% increase in traffic just by including a sitemap. Since the site has multiple layers of navigation and hundreds of pages several levels away from the homepage, a sitemap made it easier for Bing and Google to identify these deep pages. 5) Include Keywords in Your URLs All site owners have options when it comes to URLs for new pages. Those who use a content management system such as WordPress can even select between pre- set URL options. Whenever possible, sites should include keywords in the URL rather than arbitrary numbers or characters. One prominent search website considers keywords in the URL to be a crucial ranking factor. 6) Writ e How Users Search Ultimately, search engines want to provide useful results to end users. But since search engines are machines, taking the specific user query and matching it against millions of webpages can be difficult. According to Hawaii SEO firm Argon Marketing, “make the search engines’ job easier by writing your content in a way that matches how users search for your terms.” Having content that is precisely relevant to the exact terms users are typing makes it easier for search engines to rank your pages for more queries. 7) Use Image and Video Descript ions Incorporating mixed media in your pages is beneficial for rankings only if search engines can tell that the media relates to relevant keywords. Thankfully, web standards make it easy to attach an “alt” or “title” tag to media files as metadata. This information allows computers to learn more about the media file and also provides information to users who cannot see the visual media. Brief text descriptions of a picture or video also help algorithms identify the content of mixed media. Additional information about media files not only help rankings of those files, but also benefit the ranking of the underlying page as well. 8) Ut iliz e Int ernal Links Written content offers an easy way to improve search rankings for pages throughout the entire site. Including internal links–i.e. links to other pages within the same website–provides large SEO benefits for very little effort. Whenever a new piece of content references or is relevant to a previous item, be sure to include a hyperlink to the old content. Done consistently, this pattern of internal linking will spread Page Rank throughout the site and encourage users to dig deeper into your archives for more information. 9) Track Your Progress Finally, novice webmasters should take the step of adding analytics or keyword tracking tools to a website. By definition,
  • 3. search engine optimiz ation is reliant upon the results from search queries. Without tracking the ranks of those queries or the number of visitors referred by search engines, site owners have no way of identifying if SEO efforts have borne any fruit. Many free analytical tools are available for websites of all siz es. Setting up a comprehensive package of analytics takes less than a few hours even for the newest webmaster. By tracking the progress of your website you can adjust resources as needed and thus improve the efficiency of your SEO campaign. By Nolan Kido This article was written by Nolan Kido. Nolan works in the technology industry in Honolulu, Hawaii. FiTCoM