Website Optimization and Linking Tips

1. Titles & Meta-Tags
2. Site Content & Keywords
3. Site Structure
4. Landing Pages – Content and keyword rich.
5. Links Page – Why do we need it?
6. Why link to your site?
7. How to find links?
8. Good Links – Who links to us?
9. Bad Links – Who we link too.

1. Titles and Meta-Tags

Titles & Content are the most important part of Optimization. If you don’t have the keywords in the titles of your pages you won’t come up on the search engines. Having them in the content of your site isn’t enough.

Optimization: Manipulation of your site for the search engines through titles, meta-tags, content, site structure and the URL string.

Note: Type in any keyword on the search engines and all the listings are actually titles of web sites.

Meta-Tags aren’t as important as they use to be, but it doesn’t hurt to have them on your pages.

2. Site Content

Your site content should be an always changing, keyword enriched, body of information. A web site that has had the same information on it for 6 months will not keep very good rank on the engines.

3. Site Structure

It is important to have good site structure, so all the pages of your web site are indexed by the engines.

A. Every page on the site should be linked to the home page.
B. HTML links are the best and can be done so they compliment the design, or are even hidden.
C. Filename or the URL string should be simple and short with the file name reflecting the keywords targeted.

Example: webdesign.htm – is perfect for the web design keyword and would make a good landing page.

Overall Optimization: The keywords you are targeting should be used in the titles, file names, text links and overall page content through out the site.

4. Landing Pages – Content and Keyword Rich

These are marketed pages designed for the search engines. They are not pages a person would navigate to by the home page. Each page is set up for individual marketed keywords, so if someone types in “Web Design” on a search engine, they would land on this page that is designed and optimized for that market. This is a very powerful direct marketing, with one click you get what you want.

5. Links Page – Why do we need it?

We need a links page in order to exchange links with other sites. This page will not be viewed by potential customers. This page is for search engines only. Without this page linking is very difficult. This page needs to be updated at any time and in real time.

A. No more than 50 links per page, so we will need multiple pages.
B. Break up the links into helpful categories.
C. Have the link exchange information on this page, so it is easy for other marketers to find.

6. Why Link to your site?

The web site that has the most/strongest links to it with the correct Anchor Text will be #1 on that search term.

Anchor Text: One website links to another and looks like this:

Colorado Graphics: Denver Web Design and Marketing Firm

The keywords are the Anchor Text and the whole thing is a link string.

7. How to find links?

A. Type this into Google/MSN/Yahoo (may vary)

link: www.coloradographics.com

This will show you all the web sites that link to Colorado Graphics and from this a competitor can follow my steps and exchange links with the sites.

Note: Pick a site that already gets good listing on the search engines and you know there links are good.

B. Type this into Google/MSN/Yahoo

“Web Designers”, “Add Your Url”

This will show you every site with these 2 keyword strings, and use this to find a site to exchange links with. Once we find a link candidate we research the look of the site and the # of link’s they have and the placement of there site on the engines. We can replace “Web Designers” with other industry keywords.

8. Good Links – Who links to us?

All links to our site are good, from anyone. The sites we link too are the only way to hurt our placement. Here are the best links:

A. Sites with related content, but no competition.
B. Sites with a lot of links themselves.
C. Sites with good placement on the search engines or with a good Google Page Rank.
D. New sites with strong content.

Google Page Rank or (PR): is how google views your website mainly based on back links to your site. Also based on information/content, updates to the site, and overall performance structure of the site. Our Google rank is 4/10. This is ok considering most web sites will exchange links with a rank of 4/10 or higher.

9. Bad Links – Who we link too.

There are 4 types of bad links we won't exchange with.

A. P0rn0graph1c– Speaks for itself (SEE I don't even want to say it)
B. Gambling – Same
C. Spammed links sites – These are 1 page site directories.
D. New sites with little or no links to it. (based on good/bad content)

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For more information please contact Steve Fagaly at www.coloradographics.com

Written by,

Steve Fagaly