On Page Search Engine Optimization	Visited: 1465 3.0/5.0 (4 votes total) Rate: Select 1 - Terrible 2 - Poor 3 - Average 4 - Good 5 - Outstanding
by Sharon Housley December 16, 2009

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) has become a fine science. Tweaking, changing, and measuring is all part of the ongoing optimization process. SEO truly is a process that requires constant monitoring and attention. In order for a website to perform well, its managers and webmasters must adapt their SEO techniques as the search engine algorithms change. Use the following "on-page" optimization techniques to improve your website's search engine ranking...

1. Keywords

In Domain Names Include important keywords in webpage domain names and sub-domain names, which can improve the page ranking for those specific keywords or phrases.

2. Keywords In Meta Tags

Including keywords in the Title and Description Meta Tags for the webpage will also help search engine ranking for that specific keyword or phrase.

3. Keywords In Headers

On Page Including keywords in the H1 and H2 Header tags, and using "bold" to emphasize words deemed important, will also assist search optimization.

4. Quality Of Content

Generating quality content that uses keywords "naturally" in the text will help search engines contextualize your website.

5. Quantity Of Content

The content on a webpage must be a reasonable length. It is recommended that articles contain 400-600 words, and standard text on a webpage should contain a minimum of 250 words.

6. Page Displayed Using HTML

The webpage should use HTML to display the website's content. This will insure that the webpages are easily spidered by the search engines. Avoid using complex scripting or frames, as those features will inhibit the search engine spider's ability to follow links and will limit your SEO benefit.

7. Themed

The content of a website, and the pages within the website, should all be related.

8. No Broken Links

Broken links tell search engines that a website is not current or well-maintained, so be sure to keep your links up-to-date and valid. Remove any links that no longer function properly.

9. Outgoing Links To Good Neighborhoods

Be sure that any outgoing links to external sources are linking only to reputable websites.

10. Domain Extension

When registering a domain name, try to stick with the standard conventions. For example, .com, .edu, .org, and .net are the most desirable. If you are targeting a specific region, regional domains can also be helpful in local searches.

11. Age Of Domain

The domain age can influence its "trustworthiness", and older domains typically gain more favor with search engines.

12. Navigation

The website's navigation can also impact search ranking. Create sub-directories or folders that contain related groupings of pages. This is common with directory structures, and is an architecture that search engines are familiar with and tend to favor.

13. Image ALT Tags

Use keywords in the ALT tag attribute to describe the purpose of any image or graphic located on a webpage.

All "On-Page" optimization factors are under the control of the webmaster. "Off-Page" optimization, on the other hand, is not nearly as easy to control. Read "Optimizing Optimization, Part 2: Off-Page Optimization" for additional details regarding off-page SEO techniques.