Proven Search Engine Optimization Methods
August 21, 2009 by Michael Fleischner
Filed under Advanced SEO Tips
The practice of SEO can often seem complicated and larger than life. But the truth about SEO is that it is really comprised of two general areas. These areas are on-page optimization and off-page optimization. Successful web sites understand the differences between these two areas and apply the right techniques for each.
In order to be successful with your search engine optimization efforts long term, you should always start with on page optimization techniques. On page optimization refers to everything that has to do with your actual web site and web pages from a search engine optimization perspective. This includes factors like web site age, URL, Meta tags, on page links, etc. It’s important that you start with on page optimization because it guarantees that your pages will be fully recognized by search engines.
The place to start when thinking about on-page optimization is with URLs and the overall structure of your web site. The reason we want to start here is because the URL is one of the most visible aspects of a web site. However, I would caution you about putting too much emphasis on the domain name as that is only part of the on-page optimization game. It definitely helps with Yahoo and other search engines but not as much with Google.
One of the best ways to include a keyword in your URL is with the help of sub-domains. Using a sub-domain strategy is not only effective, but simple to implement. Essentially what you are doing is placing your keyword before your domain name. This can often be set up by a programmer or your host. An example of a sub-domain that includes your keyword phrase would look something this: keyword.yoursite.com where keyword is the keyword you are trying to optimize for and yoursite refers to your domain name.
Keeping the sub-domain strategy in mind, you can also implement another URL strategy that is equally as effective. Although it’s been debated in search engine optimization circles, I’ve implemented both a sub-domain strategy as well as the following strategy and they are equally effective. Instead of implementing a subdomain simply create a page that includes your keyword as part of the url. For example: yoursite.com/yourkeyword where your key word is the actual keyword or keyword phrase you are trying to optimize for.
Once you’ve figured out your URL strategy, the next step is to focus on other on-page factors. Although there are more than can be mentioned in this brief article that you should be paying attention to, there are a couple that I believe are more important that others. Page load times and W3C validated code are vital to your web site’s search rankings. Make sure your code is well written and your web pages load quickly.
Only after you have given your onpage optimization a review from all angles is it time to focus on off-page optimization. Essentially you want to make sure that you’ve build that strong foundation for your web site that you can easily build upon. If your foundation is set up properly, you can build upon it for the long term. Off-page optimization is the practice of building links to your web site and focusing on other referrals from authority web sites.
Start with on-page optimization to build a strong foundation to your web site. Once you have the proper domain structure and address other on page optimization factors, you’ll be in a good position to roll out your link building strategy. As you develop more inbound links, your search engine results will improve.
Possibly Related Posts:
