| There's been much fuss lately as to the need for | | | | that gets added in with the use of popular |
| Search Engine Optimization of the right kind; some | | | | "WYSIWYG" page editing software. |
| will tell you that to be effective SEO has to be | | | | To see what a search engine spider bot "sees" |
| "organic"; others will swear by the power of using | | | | when it visits a web page, go to the View button |
| the right software, coincidentally, their software. | | | | on your browser toolbar. Move your cursor down |
| Then there are those who say that if you find | | | | to Source (PageSource in Mozilla Firefox), and left |
| the right "niche market", the world will beat a path | | | | click. What you are looking at is what Backrub |
| to your door and leave their money when they | | | | (Google), Sidewinder (Infoseek), T-Rex (Lycos), |
| get there. I even spoke with a fellow yesterday | | | | Gulliver (Northern Lights), and all the others "look" |
| who claimed that if you only launched new sites | | | | at when they spider a site. They read it the same |
| when the moon was full... well, that's a whole | | | | way you do, from top to bottom. Notice how |
| other story. | | | | much code and formatting are at the top of the |
| Where there is less conjecture is in the dire | | | | page and scroll down to find the content (this |
| consequences possible as a result of using the | | | | article). Taking all of the code and paring it down |
| wrong kind of optimization. Horror stories abound | | | | to just what's needed and then finding ways to |
| of the million dollar investments that have simply | | | | trim that is part of what good SEO is about. Try |
| gone down the drain when Google and the rest | | | | this on other sites you visit and you will soon |
| decided that the optimizers had cheated in their | | | | understand the situation. |
| enthusiastic rush for the top. The early techniques | | | | OK, time out! I tried not to mention specific |
| of getting a website to the top of the search | | | | software in this article but, hey! Have you ever |
| engine results (link farms, cross linking, doorway | | | | wondered why Microsoft doesn't use FrontPage |
| pages, keyword stuffing, and all the rest) have | | | | to create pages on -- even the pages that deal |
| slowly been made ineffectual by the steadily rising | | | | with the FrontPage software? Perhaps, they're |
| sophistication of the search engine | | | | trying to tell us something. I've spent literally |
| administrators,(and the algorithms they employ to | | | | months of my life removing and rewriting the |
| keep the race fair and assure relevant search | | | | loopy code and nonessential tags that have been |
| results). | | | | produced by FrontPage editors. From an |
| So what is good SEO? | | | | optimization standpoint using FrontPage to |
| We could, perhaps, define SEO by function; we | | | | produce a website is akin to shooting yourself in |
| could talk about the actions which bring about the | | | | both feet before you start to run a marathon. If |
| optimization. First there's research, hour upon hour | | | | Microsoft doesn't use it, why should you? |
| of research must be performed for each account. | | | | Now that that's out of the way . . . |
| With such items as industry research (what's the | | | | After the code bloat removal process, good SEO |
| competition up to?), keyword research (how big is | | | | will address getting all pages on the site to |
| the market for this product/service?), competition | | | | validate to the professional standards set by the |
| research (how many others are already vying for | | | | W3C. Validation is simply a process of ensuring |
| this market?), marketing research (who else has | | | | that the right coding elements are used and used |
| already done this before and what did they | | | | correctly. This isn't a good guy - bad guy question |
| discover that I better know about too?) Many | | | | or even a matter of not breaking the rules, it's |
| hours, days, and sometimes weeks can be spent | | | | about being accessible to everyone who uses the |
| getting a clear visualization of a plan before the | | | | web. There is a growing number of the blind and |
| actual project can ever begin. | | | | visually impaired who use Voice Readers or |
| To even start a website without the proper | | | | text-to-speech software which "speak" the text |
| research is a guarantee that: | | | | on the web page. Many of the old tricks and |
| | | | shortcuts that web designers used in the past |
| 1. nobody will ever link to your site (World's Worst | | | | don't work with these or any of the growing |
| Web Sites, excluded); | | | | number of other software designed to make a |
| 2. nobody, except maybe your mother, will likely | | | | level playing field of the Internet. While many |
| see your website; | | | | validation issues are not a big problem in and of |
| 3. your investment and business venture will | | | | themselves, if you find it on one page, it will likely |
| fail-miserably; | | | | run all through the site (and can take many hours |
| 4. you will never be found in the major search | | | | of head scratching and work to clean up |
| engines; and | | | | affectively). |
| 5. your results will match your research (0=0). | | | | META what? |
| We could approach the question of SEO from the | | | | Everyone has heard about meta tags, alt and title |
| perspective of form. Every site is constructed | | | | tags, and making them all search engine-friendly, |
| differently, designed differently, laid out differently, | | | | but there are few sites that actually use them to |
| has a unique way with which it interacts with | | | | full advantage. There's so much already written |
| visitors, and targets those visitors differently. | | | | that I hate to add to the plethora of information, |
| These are all factors that are considered during | | | | (real and misinformation) on the subject, but I will |
| the research performed prior to laying out a | | | | say that the purpose of the "alt" tag is to provide |
| raison d'être for optimization. Architect Louis | | | | an "alternative" to a graphic and not, as widely |
| Sullivan, argued that a building's purpose should | | | | believed, to go on and on about what a superior |
| determine its design, stating emphatically that | | | | product you have or how wonderful your |
| "Form follows function." Shortly after, his student, | | | | business is. |
| Frank Lloyd Wright argued, "Form and function | | | | <img alt="picture of DoDo bird"> Nuff said! |
| should be one, joined in a spiritual union." Although | | | | What You Do - Where You Do It - Who You Are |
| Sullivan and Wright were speaking of architecture | | | | There are varying opinions about what should and |
| as it relates to concrete and steel buildings, there's | | | | shouldn't be included in a title tag. What is agreed |
| an architecture which goes into the design of a | | | | upon is that all of the major search engines give |
| website that, when done well, echoes Wright's | | | | the content of the title tag significant weight in |
| observation very nicely. | | | | determining what the page is all about. It's my |
| Good SEO will see to the writing or rewriting of | | | | practice to only write a title after everything else |
| the content on each page to effectively work in | | | | on the page has been written, and then with an |
| all targeted keyword phrases. A professional | | | | eye to using at least two (better 3) of the |
| web-copywriter will be able to take the SEO | | | | keyword phrases that apply to the page. Unless |
| recommendations for keyword usage and | | | | you're "GE" or "Maxwell House," or intend to |
| incorporate them into existing content in a way | | | | spend the kind of money they spent getting to |
| that reads naturally (i.e. does not look like you | | | | be a well known brand, there is simply no reason |
| jammed keywords here and there) and has the | | | | to place your company name in the title tag. Save |
| ability to convert your visitors into paying | | | | it for the terms that people will use to find your |
| customers. This is no small order and if it is not | | | | services/products. I know, you wanted mama to |
| performed well, the site will remain just another | | | | see your company name right up there in the |
| pretty page that nobody ever sees. Or, worse | | | | Title Bar. It's ok with me, but it will cost you. |
| yet, your site will attract lots of visitors but they | | | | We Don't Need No Stinking Map |
| will become confused by the copy and fly off to | | | | Site maps help both search engines and visitors |
| the next site without ever taking the desired | | | | quickly and easily get to the information that is |
| actions (sign up, buy, make contact). | | | | important. It's amazing how simple a matter the |
| Another function of SEO, and one not often | | | | design and implementation of a usable site map is, |
| spoken of, is cleaning up all extraneous code on | | | | and how many websites either don't have one, or |
| the pages. Code bloat removal, as it's so poetically | | | | have an incomplete or obscure site map - an |
| referred to, is an art form in itself. It requires a | | | | even worse scenario. If you're not sure you need |
| thorough understanding of html along with all the | | | | one, build one anyway. Trust me on this one. If I |
| rest of the coding and scripting languages which | | | | come to your site and can't find what I'm looking |
| make up a modern web page, as well as the | | | | for, I'll look for a site map. If I can't find a site |
| ability to move it to a separate file and importing | | | | map, I'll look somewhere else. Oh yeah, that's |
| it, when feasible, or trimming it to it's bare | | | | how 95% of website visitors are. Get a site map. |
| essentials without changing the look and/or | | | | The robots.txt file is useful to communicate with |
| function of the page itself. Eliminating page code | | | | the search engine spiders about content they |
| bloat can be an incredibly arduous task. Moving | | | | should or should not index. This allows the "bot" to |
| styles and JavaScripts is only part of the puzzle. | | | | focus its time on the good stuff and not the |
| Many times, a page has to be almost completely | | | | irrelevant portions of your site. |
| rebuilt due to the excess amount of junk code | | | | |