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[I207]In Site Search Engine

by Debbie Everson, Deb

Search Engine optimization (SEO) is a cumulative result of a number of factors which basically can be summarized into two categories: On page optimization and off page optimization factors. One of the key factors pertaining to on page optimization is making sure that your website structure is search engine friendly so that search engines can properly spider and index your site. Two most important things in this regard to be remembered as a rule of thumb are:

1) The links in the site must be true hyperlinks that can be picked up properly by the search engines: Hyperlinks generally tend to serve two purposes: First it helps the search engine to properly spider the site and second helping to increase the page rank of your site. For example if you have 80 sub pages and all of them contains a link back to the home page of your site then in the eyes of Google you receive 80 votes for your website, which facilitates in increasing your overall Page Rank. Often people tend to disregard this fact and use "non-standard" hyperlinks. "Non-standard" hyperlinks are javascr'pt generated hyperlinks or hyperlinks embedded within flash files. The simple fact is that javascr'pt and flash is NOT search engine friendly and this factor is a major hindrance to SEO. Google is pretty much the only engine that is able to pick up links within javascr'pt or flash code; however it is unclear whether Google places any VALUE on the links it finds in this manner. At present either Yahoo or MSN does not have this ability. So, be absolutely sure that your links are true hyperlinks ("true" hyperlinks are hyperlinks coded with the normal "href" tags), if you want to get your site indexed and follow proper SEO techniques.

2) All main pages or first pages, within the site are reachable within 2-3 clicks from the homepage: Ideally, you want your visitors and the search engines to be able to reach any main page within your site preferably within a maximum of 2-3 clicks. The more clicks it takes to reach a page, the less chance there is that the search engines will index that page. It is for this reason, that site maps have become so popular. By utilizing a sitemap, you are able to link from your homepage to a page that lists all or most of the links to the various pages of your site. The search engines (and visitors) are then able to get to virtually any page of your site within just a couple of clicks. However it is important to remember that site maps are not a total fix for bad navigational structure within a site.

Tip 1: Proper selection of domain name and layout

The domain name of your is of great significance. Search bots give special importance to the site name besides that the visitors can also get a rough idea of what they can expect when they look at the domain name. The layout of the site also has to be done with great care. The site should have a perfect linking structure and can have all the main links directly from the homepage.

Tip 2: Creating a directory structure

All sites except small ones will have a directory structure. You have to plan a directory structure before building the site at the same time bear in mind that the directories that lie too deep are very difficult to scan. Proper care should be taken for naming of directories; it should be named on the basis of the content.

Tip 3: Remove frames

Search bots find it difficult to search the sites that use frames. So it is always good not to use frames. In case your website use frames be sure to make use of no frames tags so that the search bots can crawl the sites and get requited information easily. This will definitely help in improving the ranking.

Tip 4: Make use of external CSS style sheets

Making use of external style sheets is considered as a great idea because it reduces the overall complexity of the site. This ensures efficient crawling by search engines. So make sure to include CSS files in your site. If possible making use of CSS tables would be a better idea than traditional tables.

Tip 5: Forming and naming of files

The names of the file can be based on title tags which is normally the most important keyword. This also helps in better search engine position of those keywords.

Tip 6: Hosting of the site

Selecting a hosting provider who offers 99% uptime guarantee ensures that your site will be reachable to spiders all times. Also make sure that you're your web hosting server supports the ‘If-Modified-Since-HTTP header'.

Tip 7: Proper balancing of graphics and content

The search bots can see only plain HTML code. So it is very important to reduce using too much graphics on your site. So always try to maintain a proper balance between graphics and content.

Tip 8: Keep a view on content and links

Do not keep too much links on a single page. It is always better to limit the number of links on a single page to fifty. It is advisable to keep the content on a single page between 200 to 1500 words.

Article Source : Pg. 16

About Author

Both Debbie Everson & Mehul are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

Debbie Everson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Site Promotion, SEO Search Engine Optimization and Painting. Do you know where your website ranks on Google, Yahoo & MSN? To find out, download your Free Keyword Rankings Report. Call 866-885-6263 or Chat Live with a Senior SEO Consultant about your SEO project.. Debbie Everson's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.

Mehul has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Site Promotion and Computers and The Internet. . Mehul's top article generates over 14800 views. to your Favourites.