Search engine optimisation explained

Introduction to Search Engine Optimisation - Part 1

The aim of this article is to try to demystify all aspects of SEO

Some SEO companies will attempt to shroud SEO practices in mystery making it close to impossible for website owners to make an informed decision.

SEO can be a real minefield for a website owner attempting to get their site ranked. Choose the wrong option and you could well end up with an unethical SEO firm and a website banned from Google.

A big part of avoiding such unscrupulous companies is for the potential client to be informed as to what SEO actually is and what the best practices are.

In this article I will cover the SEO work to be done on the website itself, known as on-page or on-site optimisation.

On-page Optimisation is the work done to a website so that it is relevant to search engines. Below is a summary of the most important webpage elements to be optimised.

1. Title Tag

The very first tag that is shown and indexed is the title tag. As such it should be short but sufficiently descriptive that user will click through to your website. But the title tag also needs to be relevant to search engines so make sure that you include any keywords you want to rank for.

2. Meta Tags

The meta description tag should include a brief description of your website and which services you provide. It should definitely have your chosen keywords embedded.

The meta keywords tags should be made up of a list of relevant keywords to your website. Try to use phrases of two or more words as one word phrases are usually too generic.

3. Header Tags

The H1 tag should include the keyword you want to rank for. H2 and H3 tags are a good way to divide the various sections of a page, making it easier to read for both humans and search bots.

4. Strong Tag

The strong tag should be used once for each keyword you want to rank for.

5. Anchor Tags

Having a clear navigation on your site can help both users and search engines find all your content. Also try to avoid anchor text like "read more" and use more descriptive text. Using keywords as anchor text is helpful.

6. Content

The content of a website needs to appeal to users whilst remaining relevant to search engines. Try to make your content natural to read and not written with only search bots in mind.

Include keywords you want to rank for as well as synonyms and related keywords. This will ensure your content sounds natural to users.

7. Images

Ensure all images have relevant alt text, search engines rely on the alt attribute of an image when crawling a page.

You will have noticed I suggest the inclusion of keywords in most of the above points. Please do not stuff the webpage with your chosen keywords as this will most probably result in your page being ignored by search engines.

Another tactic to avoid is hidden elements in your page stuffed with keywords, this is seen as unethical by search engines and a blatant attempt at manipulating the search algorithm.

I hope the information I have provided in this article goes some way towards explaining on-page SEO.

In part 2 I will write about off-page SEO.

Visit my UK search marketing company website for more information on the various aspects of SEO and Search Marketing.

If you need any SEO work be sure to check out seo specialists London.