If you are looking to create a website that you are going to use to promote your business so that it might
appear higher in search engine listings, then there are some pointers you will want to follow and some
common pitfalls you will want to avoid. Here are just a few of them….
Avoid framesets where possible
First of all, you should avoid using frames. Frames can overcomplicate the development of your website
because although you can adjust your text and images to sit within them, this can take an awfully long time
so if you can avoid it and spend your time doing something more productive, then you should. Additionally,
frameset websites can actually confuse search engines.
Flash can affect readability
Using Flash is never a good idea either because even though it looks great, it can impact the user experience
and can impact how high your website ranks, or whether it will rank at all. If your users’ PC does not support
this application they will not be able to read your text properly or access your website fully. Realistically,
what is the point in spending a great deal of time developing a website that looks great if a large segment of
your target audience cannot access it.
Writing title tags
When you write your title tags, think of using titles that accurately describe the content within them. Think of
phrases that one might use when searching for a website like yours and try to use a similar phrase as this will
help the search engine recognise your site ad rank it accordingly.
Keep your tags relevant and short
Although you should write detailed title tags, you should not have them too long. Limit yourself to a reasonable
number of characters and place a comma between each phrase. If one of your pages has less content than the
others then reflect this in the length of the title tag.
Keep your text visible so people can find it
When you are deciding where to place the text within the content of the website, think about visibility. You will
want to ensure that your text can be seen so place it near to the top of the page and don’t overcrowd it with lots
of imagery.
Designing your page headers
When you are designing your page headers you might be tempted to use graphics but it is always best to avoid
this and go for text instead. Use some of the keywords you think people might use in their searches when writing
the headers too.
Use phrases for your keywords
When thinking of the keywords you are going to use remember that people seldom search under one term but
often type in a phrase of several words. Think of using these phrases rather than just one word so that you only
appear in relevant search engine listings.
Build links into your content to increase traffic
Link building is very important for your website so add in links to other websites that are relevant to your own
and encourage others to do the same for you. This will increase traffic to both sites.
Although keyword usage is incredibly important, your text should sound natural and you should keep in mind
how often you use each phrase. Check that the text still makes sense.
Avoid overly long URLs
Avoid creating long URLs as these can affect how well your site is ranked, if at all, and also what listings a search
engine will rank your site in. If possible, work with your web developer to avoid them.
