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- Preliminary:
- The following assumes that you already have your domain name. If not, see our warnings on choosing a Domain Name (the website address like: www.bewarne.com).
- If you have heard talk of "tricks to fool the search engines", forget it.
- If you wish to understand why the following steps are necessary, see our information on "How Search Engines Rank Your Site".
- Before Designing a Website
- Choose three keyword phrases and about five less important (or more specific) phrases. These keywords need to be used throughout your site and can even be used as file names for pages & graphics (like "dog.html" & "dog.jpg" if your site was about dogs). Also whenever relevant, use the keywords in "alt" tags for your images. Choose keywords that people are actually asking for --- don't guess.
- Decide to create specific internal pages that discuss the subject of some of your keyword phrases.
- Make sure that your designer knows you want a site which will work with every browser (are you willing to turn away 10% of the people who want to do business with you? Or even 5%?), that is NOT in frames (which makes for search engines promotion problems), and which doesn't "rely" on Flash or other formats the search engines cannot read. You can use Flash for "extras", of course.
- Make arrangements to include a link page in your site. And your promotion would benefit from a FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) page as well (if that is relevant). And consider a site search..
- While Creating your Site
- Use your main keyword phrase in any header in your text and all three of your main phrases in the text of your home page, in the alt tags of your images (where appropriate) and if possible make text links (at the bottom of your home page and other pages) to inside pages using those keyword phrases and any of the other ones you've been able to make pages for.
- Before Going Live
- Create Titles that use your keyword phrases and Meta tags (description & keyword) for every page (each different and applying to the material on that page).
- Make sure all material your company sends out (and advertising it buys) includes your website address (url) and an email address.
- After Going Live
- Submit the site to the major search engines and directories
- If you want, a week or so later, you can do a mass submission to a hundred or more minor "search engines" using a mass submission tool (wait at least a week before and after doing this). Don't bother with Free For All Pages. They won't help at all, although they will get you a lot of spam.
- You do not have to submit internal pages to any search engine any longer.
- Email the websites that you put up links to on your links page. See if they will reciprocate with a link back to you that includes your main keyword phrase.
- Pay attention to your web site statistics & reports after about six weeks. Then every few months do a Web Position report on your site using the three most important keywords you have chosen.
- And then after two months, and about every few months thereafter:
- Check to see where you are in the main search engines and directories. If you aren't where you want to be fiddle with things. But beware that you will not know how Google will finally deal with your site for nine months to a year.
- Obviously after you go live, you must check your email every day and get back to your viewers immediately --- the web speeds things up and requires instant responses.
- Recommended but not Required
- Find and consider joining some Newsgroups, Message Boards and Chat groups that discuss the field your business is in. Do not obviously promote your site but use a signature file which includes your keywords and a link to your site. And if someone asks a question that you answer on your site, give a short answer and link to the more complete answer on your site.
- The above takes time and the experience to know how to do the different things mentioned --- but experience comes by doing.
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