The New Rules for SEO

Remember the days when keywords in your web content were the key to being found online? Search engine optimization (SEO) is a whole different game than it was back in the early days of Internet business. If you want to succeed online, you’ll need to learn the new rules for SEO.

We’ve put together a list of things you can do to optimize your websites for Internet searches. If your website doesn’t measure up, it may be time to implement at least a few of them.

1.    Make Links Easy for Search Engine Spiders to Follow: Search engine spiders, those clever “bugs” that crawl the web in search of new content, don’t like links that make them work. If you have multiple pages on your site, include at least one link to them that doesn’t require the user to fill in the blanks.
2.    Avoid URL Sprawl: Search engine spiders tend to ignore links that are too long and complicated. For example, use www.nosejobs.com/smallernose instead of www.nosejobs.com/876547668899&@#smallernose&*((abc.
3.    Write Content That Makes Sense: Web content should make sense to your readers! If you aren’t comfortable writing in the language of your target audience, it pays to hire someone who is. One component of search engine ranking is how long Web users stay on your site. Poorly written copy won’t hold their interest long.
4.    Proof Your Web Page Copy: Broken links and misspelled copy don’t project a professional image and will kill your search engine ranking. If the spiders hit a brick wall when navigating your links, you can bet your web page won’t be on page one.
5.    Don’t Lie with Your Links: Web links that redirect to completely unrelated content are a “no-no” in SEO. That’s an old trick used by blackhat Internet marketers, and it simply doesn’t work under today’s SEO rules.
6.    Forget Keyword Stuffing: The old days of filling the top of your blog with nonsensical text stuffed with keywords is also over. Search engine spiders are too smart to fall for that, and Web users will quickly click away.
7.    Focus on Useful Content: Speaking of keywords, they’re still important, but only in the context of valuable content your readers can actually use. One more content tip: rather than repeating your primary keywords over and over, use synonyms.
8.    Use Relevant Title Tags: Is the title in your site’s search engine result irrelevant, or does the reader know immediately what’s inside? When building web pages, be sure to use title tags that relate to what’s actually on your website.
9.    Keep Track of Your Site: Nothing’s more devastating to your search engine ranking than being dropped because your site’s been hacked. Check your site often to make sure internal links are still connected to your content and not some hacker’s website. If this happens to you, you’ll need to apply to be reinstated on the major search engines once your site is repaired and republished.

You can have a great website that receives plenty of attention on the search engines, if you pay attention to the new rules of SEO. Implement one or two of these ideas if you’re not getting the ranking you want. Keep track of increases in click through rates and tweak your content until the search engine spiders approve. All you have to gain is more interest online, and more opportunities to sell.

Leave a Reply