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Page Optimization Strategies
By Kimberly Bock | March 27, 2008
Page Optimization for SE’s AND Your Readers
Your pages need to be optimized for both the search engines as well as for your readers.
If you are only optimizing for the search engines, it’s likely that the material that you are introducing to your readers hold little appeal. Without appeal, why should they return when there are so many other places they can go?
Page Optimization Strategies
- Make sure to use keywords in your page title as I have done with this post. I am hoping to target “Page Optimization”.
You can optimize your page for more than one word or phrase.
Example:
- “Learning SEO Basics”
- “SEO Basics”
- If you are trying to push for branding your site title, then you can use it’s title with each post. If you choose to do so, it is best to use this title at the end of each post as opposed to the beginning of the post title.
Personally, I think it looks tacky and spammy as hell.
- The length of your titles matter. More visible to SE’s and increased reader appeal.
- Using a META description tag is one of the best ways to capture the attention of a reader.
150 characters or less (including spaces) is suggested so the full description is visible in SERP’s.
Create a compelling description of the page content. Maybe even adding a catch phrase like “10% on first order!” etc. This description will be visible beneath your page link in the SERP’s.
META description tags look like this:
<meta name=”description” content=”Page optimization that will win the attention of search engines and readers alike.”>
Helpful SEO Plugin for Wordpress:
If you are a Wordpress user, the “All in One SEO Pack” is a great tool that will allow you to easily create page titles, META description tags and META keyword tags. Easy install.
PS: META keyword tags are useless. Don’t even waste your time with that option once installed.
- Make sure to use H1 for your page header. Search engines love it. It fortifies your page title.
- Use H2 or H3 for your subheadings as they also will speak loudly to the search engines as well as adding greater usability for your reader.
Use these tags, if possible, ever couple of paragraphs. Do not overuse. Use your best judgement.
Examples of these tags:
Each of these tags have a start tag and an end tag…
<H1> (start tag) </H1> (end tag)
<H2> (start tag) </H2> (end tag)
<H3> (start tag) </H3> (end tag)
Bullet your lists as opposed to adding one item beneath another or separating by commas. This is eye candy for your readers.
Gently apply page optimization strategies without interfering with reader appeal. The reader should always come first.
Until later, have fun learning SEO!
Topics: SEO/SEM Training |
March 27th, 2008 at 6:07 pm
Great points, Kimberly.
It is possible to write for people and search engines, though unfortunately there are a lot of web pages that fail at one or the other.
Love the description of bulleted lists as eye candy for your readers.
March 28th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
Thanks Bill. I neglect the SE piece on my own blog..so I know you’re right. (eek)
April 1st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
I like wpSEO for Wordpress plugin SEO optimization. I think it works better and has more features. I know All in One SEOPack is more popular but you should try wpSEO - more people should know about it.
April 1st, 2008 at 10:47 pm
Hmm..It’s something that I hadn’t known about. Maybe I’ll check it out and review later. Thanks for the tip.