subject: Six Steps to Google Heaven for your Website [print this page] Six Steps to Google Heaven for your Website
We all want our web pages to be listed in the top results for Google, but how do you do it? Ask this question of most search engine experts, and you will probably get a very long answer. It is not an exact science, because we are all trying to guess what how Google ranks sites.
However, six simple steps you can take will improve your site for Google and help boost you in the rankings.
Step One: Are you using your title tags properly?
Google reads these tags when it looks at your site and it uses this information to decide what each of your pages is about. You should make sure that you have a different title tag for every page, and that each title describes your page using the keywords for that page. Avoid titles like Home Page etc.
Step Two: Use description meta tags.
Search engines read this tag in the same way they read the title tag, and they use the information to decide what your pages are about. So use a different one for each page and include the keywords to that page.
Be aware that Google usually displays both the title tag and the description tag when it lists your pages in its search results. So make sure they are enticing to click on!
Step Three: Think about your internal linking.
Make sure you have a good linking structure within your site that enables Google to follow as it crawls.
Linking text within the main content of your web pages to other pages in your site is a good way to help Google. Do not just rely on your menus to help Google find its way around.
Check for broken links in your site. There are many programs, many free, that will check your site and report any broken links.
Step Four: Use different keywords for each of your pages.
Google indexes pages, not websites, so you do not need to use the same keyword on every page to optimize for that keyword.
Target each page with a single keyword, and make sure you use that word throughout the page. I mentioned using it in title and description tags earlier. You should also try to use your keywords in some of the headings on your site. Make sure you are using the H1 and H2 codes for headings.
You should also use the keyword for the page as the linking text from other pages.
Step Five: Less is not always good.
Make sure you have a content rich site. By that, I mean lots of words!
Make sure your words are relevant for the topic of your web page. Do not forget that your web page needs to be readable by your human visitor, not just Google.
Images are fine to break up a page and convey meaning to your human visitor, but Google does not see them. If you do use images, make sure you use the alt tag. Google will read these and use the words to help index the web page. However, make sure the alt tag describes the picture. Do not just stuff it with keywords. Using the alt tag is important for addressing web site accessibility, which is now a legal requirement in many countries.
Step Six: Play it straight.
Do not try to trick Google. Avoid techniques like cloaking, keyword stuffing, hidden text, or any of the other tricks meant to fool Google, because I can assure you they will not work. They are unethical and frankly, unnecessary. If you have a site with a good link structure and full of relevant content, Google will reward you.
I hope you follow through on all of these steps. In themselves they will not get you top ranking, but if you do not follow them, you have no chance of a good ranking at all.
Please feel free to comment on any of my articles. I welcome the feeback be it negative or positive.
