On Site Optimization Techniques – Day 20

Search Engine Optimization starts with your On Site Optimization techniques. Things on your website that you have control over will make or break your search engine rankings. Things like content, domain name choice, directory structure, internal link structure, anchor text of internal links, etc. Other things that affect your search engine ranking placement is your Pagerank and the anchor text of external links (as well as the PR of those links).

In this section of our SEO tutorial we will broadly introduce the ideas of on site optimization techniques and how you can correctly optimize it for optimal search engine rankings.

Web Site Directory Structure

Natural is king of website directory structure. What do I mean by that? The structure of your websitess directory should be human friendly. For example, organizing a website with static keyword rich URL’s will have better results then a site that has numbers after it. Ex. http://www.example.com/keyword.htm (Good) versus http://www.example.com/?p=132 (Bad). Not only will someone not be able to remember it, if they choose, but search engines won’t weight the website as high as if it had the keyword as the static page. So whenever possible structure your website to be friendly for search engines, and boost your rankings at the same time. Also try and keep the structure smaller, I advise at most to have no more than 7 folders deep. Ex. example.com/web1/web2/web3/web4/web5/web6/web7/bad.html. Don’t create websites that have such a deep structure, it isn’t benefiting you in any way.

Website Rules

Creating a website is only the first step to becoming successful on the internet, a lot comes down to how you have situated yourselves with major search engines. Search engines are built around algorithms in which help bring the most relevant results to the readers. As a result search engines have created rules so that their website crawlers can better determine which website’s are more relevant for a certain topic.

Keyword Spamming/Stuffing

Most webmasters may understand how to use and implement META tags although if they don’t follow these strict guidelines they may find themselves banned from Google and the other major search engines. Most people abide by the rules and don’t partake in keyword stuffing, although some may not know any better. Google defines keyword stuffing as “the practice of loading a webpage with keywords in an attempt to manipulate a site’s ranking in Google’s search results. Filling pages with keyword results in a negative user experience, and can harm your site’s rankings.” What exactly constitutes keyword stuffing?

How to avoid Keyword Stuffing Ban:

• META Title Tag: No more than 10 keywords

• META Description Tag filled with keywords: Meta description tags should be filled with a useful description. As that’s what will show up in the search engine for your website’s page, if you fill this with keywords people won’t want to click on your link via the search engine.

• ALT Tags: This is a huge one that most people abuse, do not go and fill your ALT tags with keywords. We recently came across an example of someone ‘keyword stuffing’ image ALT tags so much that he was banned from Google. Don’t let this happen to you! Use descriptions that are in the form of a sentence, they can include one or two keywords though not 20.

• Body Text: Do not keyword stuff at all in the body text, this even means hidden. Trying to be sneaky doesn’t work with Google and you will be banned. We just had a new client that dealt with this before signing up for our services. Having hidden keywords is a huge violation, as well as keeping them visible! Google and readers like natural content. Use a natural content approach to adding keywords that have relevancy to that page!

When In Doubt!

When in doubt under optimize! We really can’t emphasize that enough! People tend to get overzealous with their on page search engine optimization techniques. Google wants natural content, and coding. Search engines have evolved from what they used to be when you could keyword spam and benefit from it. Those days have passed and using such methods will result in negative effects either now or in the future.

Correct URL Structure Tips

This is completely dependent on each and every website, some will be able to implement this strategy and others simply will not be able to. It depends on if you feel that you are savvy enough to complete the task, or have just started your website. Search engines have worked to improve their ability to crawl and index dynamic sites, although URL structure currently remains an obstacle for many websites.

By implementing a few simple URL structure practices you can avoid any and all indexing issues. The best practices for URL structure include limiting the ‘length’ of the domain folders. Limiting the number of name/value pairs or creating a completely new dynamic URL for your website, and infusing important keywords and relevant phrases.

Proper URL Optimization Techniques:

• Domain Name Length Limitations

Your maximum character limit is 63 characters plus your TLD
Ex. http://www.thisisaverylongandpoordomainnamereallyitisbecauseitisover63characters.com **BAD**
Ex. http://www.rankpay.com **GOOD**

• File/Folder Name Limitations

Keep your limitations folder size limitations to 7 or less
Ex. http://www.rankpay.com/info/12/resources/jklolw/oranges/kittens/frank/ **BAD**

Ex. http://partners.rankpay.com/blog/ **GOOD**

• URL Length Limitations

Overall maximum character limit – 2083 characters in IE, longer for other browsers
What exactly does this mean? Quite simply follow the tips above and you won’t have a problem

• Folder/File Names

Separate words using a hyphen (-) or underscore (_) so that they can be read as separate words.
Ex. http://www.example.com/thisisanexample **BAD**

Ex. http://www.example.com/this-is-an-example **GOOD**

Keep in mind the rules stated above and keep your overall length small, don’t have over seven folders after your domain URL. Search engines frown upon this type of activity. Remember to use conventional words/keywords in your folders/file names. If a keyword that you are trying to target is magazine advertisement consider using a folder setup structure like this.

Ex. http://www.example.com/magazine-advertisement/

• Overall URL Structure

Limit the number of directory levels from the domain name to the actual file, avoid as many folders in the process as possible.

Limit the length of your URL as much as possible, avoid unnecessary characters and words.

Use Keywords and real phrases inside of your url, avoid shortened, acronymed, or meaningless words and characters

Avoid session id’s and other parameters in your URL (examples below)

Rewrite your dynamic URL’s into clean and static URL’s whenever possible

Examples of optimized URL’s

• Domain Naming

Bad: “eaxampleaz.ws

Better: “www.OrangeJuice.com”

Best: www.MyKeyword.com

• Folder/Directory Naming:

Bad: “/iz/eo/”

Better: “content/franks-guide/”

Best: “/my-keyword/”

• File Naming

Bad: “prod.jsp?=v=05&w=55&r=512&y=3333&z=1333”

Better: “productlist_913331.php”

Best: “my_product_keyword.php”

• Overall URL Structure

Bad: “https://franksguide.ws/iz/do/da/prod.jsp?= v=05&w=55”

Better: “http://orangejuice.com/content/franks-guide/productlist_913331.php”

Best: http://www.MyKeyword.com/my_product_keyword.php

Keep in mind that search engines are designed to benefit humans and human interaction. If your website has some crazy un related domain name, and a very extensive domain structure filled with numbers and letters is it easy for a ‘human’ to remember them? Obviously not. Although if you simplify the structure and allow it to be memorable with a related/keyword orientated domain structure then search engines will recognize that and you can benefit from it.

[tags]on site optimization techniques, onsite optimization techniques, seo onsite techniques, search engine optimization onsite techniques[/tags]