| Search engine optimisation is commonly broken down | | | | up on this and likely penalise your website. It is also |
| in to two main groups - onsite and offsite optimisation. | | | | probable to lead to a high bounce rate. |
| To achieve good rankings, you cannot have one | | | | URLs are a important factor in onsite SEO. It s vital |
| without the other but this article is primarily concerned | | | | that they include keyphrases relating to page content. |
| with onsite optimisation. These are factors that anyone | | | | They should be as short as possible, particularly if your |
| with a basic level of website understanding can | | | | site contains many different levels and sub-sections. |
| manipulate and enhance in an attempt to prove to | | | | Characters and therefore keyphrases near the front |
| search engines that your site is worth visiting. | | | | of URLs are given more importance, so this should be |
| Page titles are one of the more important onsite | | | | considered when designing the architecture of a site. |
| factors in search engine algorithms. They are seen by | | | | Image ALT texts are used as a text equivalent of an |
| search engines as a guide to a pages subject, so | | | | image. They are used by the visually impaired to aid |
| should be keyphrase rich and be specific to the | | | | navigation and can also be read by search engines. I |
| content of the page. This is where good information | | | | do not advocate the use of ALT tag stuffing, which |
| architecture (site layout) will help. Ideally, every topic | | | | would greatly hamper usability for the visually impaired, |
| within your website should have its own page, enabling | | | | but where possible, ALT text should contain |
| you optimise a page for a small set of keyphrases. | | | | keyphrases. |
| Search engines strive to deliver web pages to user | | | | Headings tags can be used to include keyphrase |
| that are directly related to their search term, so the | | | | variations such as pluralisations. They indicate the |
| more specific your web pages are to a search term, | | | | subject of page sections so are viewed by search |
| the more likely you will achieve good rankings. | | | | engines as a good indicator to the keyphrases being |
| Body content should also be defined and related to the | | | | targeted. |
| subject matter. Good copy writing is a skill that will only | | | | All of these above factors are important to onsite |
| come with practise so get going! Make sure that your | | | | optimisation. If time is pressed, I suggest beginning with |
| content reads well, and contains numerous mentions of | | | | the page titles and URLs, as these are given greatest |
| the keyphrases you are optimising for although be | | | | significance in search engine algorithms, but all factors |
| careful, don't make your content unreadable due to | | | | should be considered and optimised if top rankings are |
| frequent mentions of keyphrases. This will only reduce | | | | to be achieved for the most competitive keyphrases. |
| the quality of your website and search engines will pick | | | | |