| Issue
6 // October
2006 |
Search Engine
Optimisation
In Issue 1, we concentrated on ways you
could make sure your visitors keep coming
back. In Issue 2, we took a step back and
chatted about how to go about registering
the domain name of your choice. In Issue
3, we discussed Email and URL forwarding..
which you can use when you're not quite
ready with your website but you'd like to
use your new domain name in your email address.
In Issue (4), we took a look at the options
for creating your website and in the last
edition (5), I took you through the steps
involved with web hosting.
The next logical step is Search Engine
Optimisation (SEO).
Once you’ve built a website
you’ll surely want to attract and
keep as many visitors as possible.
In a perfect world, your site would appear
in the top 3-5 results in a Google search.
There are many ways to increase your chances
of getting there. Some you can do yourself
(more on this next month) and others will
require an expert – lucky for you,
we’ve got the experts!
Search Engine Optimisation is the process
of ensuring your site meets the criteria
set by Google to give it an ‘important’
rating. It involves a complex set of rules
regarding things like:
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•
Site structure
• Page titles
• File names
• The text of navigational
links
• Links or resources page
• ALT tags
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Before we get started on some SEO Tips,
you should download the Google toolbar if
you don’t already have it. It’s
a quick and easy way to do a Google search
directly from your Internet Explorer toolbar
– no need to go to Google first. But
that’s not all you get! The Google
toolbar has a PageRank feature which displays
a rank of the current site’s importance.
It’s a great way to test how relevant
Google deems your own site to be.
You also get a popup blocker, spell checker,
language translator and some other nifty
features. Want it right now? Of course
you do:
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1. Go
to www.google.com
2. Along the top of the search box,
click More
3. Click the ‘Download
Google Toolbar’
4. Click Run in
the box that pops up, and Run
again if prompted
5. Click to select Google
Australia
6. Click to make Google your default
search engine
7. Click to Close
all Internet Explorer windows automatically.
8. Click Agree
and Continue
9. Click to Enable advanced
features
10. Click Finish
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To check the PageRank of the site you’re
currently viewing by hovering your mouse
over the PageRank function on the Google
toolbar.
SEO Do’s and Don’ts
DO Provide quality content for search engines
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• |
Ensure
your home page has at least 150
words of relevant, descriptive text
about your products and services.
Include your keywords. |
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• |
Provide as much useful content
as possible on your site.
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• |
Search engines view a 50 page
site as more ‘important’
than a 5 page site. Create a fact
sheets and expand your existing
content.
|
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• |
Create
a news section – it’s
a great way to have a continual
stream of new, relevant content.
Archive the articles even if they
may seem out of date – search
engines will love you! |
DO Provide quality content to entice links
from other sites
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• |
The
more links from other sites you
have, the more ‘relevant’
Google classifies your site. |
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• |
Useful, educational content will
always entice other relevant sites
to link to you.
|
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• |
Create content that will inspire
popular sites within your industry
to link to you.
|
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• |
Sites
with .edu or .gov domains are especially
relevant. |
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• |
Sites with a good PageRank
are especially relevant. |
DO NOT
swap links with sites that are very general
unless they are a major portal with a
high PageRank. Your links must be relevant
to your content/industry.
DO NOT exceed more than
50 links on your Links/Resources Page.
The more links you have, the less ‘points’
Google awards you.
DO NOT sign up for Free
For All Link Pages. Google will penalise
your site if it is linked with unsavoury
ones – you could be banned from
appearing on Google at all!
DO NOT try tricks like
hiding keywords on your page in the same
colour as your background. Google is clever
enough to see this and penalise you.
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In both Microsoft Word
and Internet Explorer, Ctrl + F will bring
up the FIND box. Type in a word or words
to find and press Enter to jump directly
to that location.
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there a fail-safe
way to print from the Internet? I always
seem to get pages and pages printing out
when I just want one simple paragraph.
... Andrew, Melbourne via email.
Sure is Andrew! Next time, try selecting
the paragraph you want by clicking and
dragging over it. Then choose File, Print
and make sure you click in the ‘Selection’
box before pressing Enter. Only your selected
text will print.
HOT TIP: If that doesn’t
work because you’re still getting
advertisements printing with your selection,
use Ctrl + C to copy the selection, then
go to Word and use Ctrl + V to paste it.
THEN, delete the bits you don’t
need and Ctrl + P for Print.... Enjoy.
Xx Mega
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ALL PRICES
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A - Z of Keyboard Shortcuts - Give me an
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