eduVoyage Website development service: Committed to web standards.

Be Known to Search Engines

Optimizing a site for search engines starts at the code, or language, which builds your site, which, for optimal search engine optimization, must be web standards compliant. All the major search engines - such as Google (which further to its own search site also feeds other significant search sites such as AOL.com) - use spiders and bots to grab, read, and index information from web pages. If your site is web standards compliant, search engines will be able to read and index your web pages. In order for the search engines to do this, however, you must let the search engines know where your pages are.

The standard view is that links pointing to your site equals inclusion in search engines, and the more links the better. Links are undoubtedly important, but when tricks become fashionable they normally backfire. There has even been some, somewhat dubious speculation that links from 'bad' sites could have a negative long-term effect on your site’s ranking (for the record, as long as you don't point back you should be alright). Search engines are continuously developing ways of identifying and penalising bad practice and arrangements in bad faith. In short, links, like content, should be high-quality. Whilst 'bad' links to your site are unlikely to cause any harm, they’re not going to be helpful either.

There are currently three major search engines: Google, Yahoo!, and MSN. Significantly, you can now let Google know about all your site's pages by submitting a sitemap at www.google.com/webmasters/sitemaps/login.

• Be Known to the Search Engines
• Use the Right Keywords Effectively
• List Your Site With Trusted and Niche Directories
• Generate Content
• Return to SEO Home