|
|
The Importance of Correct HTML Syntax in Search Engine Positoning
There is a lot of competition to get good spots in the search engines. Proper html syntax and a clean code will help toward better positoning.
With website design mostly done with wysiwig editors now, there seems to be a lot of reliance on these tools without realising that they are far less than perfect. Software like frontpage tend to produce a fairly complicated html code and we as users just assume that because it is software generated there won't be any problems with it.
Nothing could be further from the truth. Wysiwig software is very often unable to properly integrate additional code e.g. affiliates links, adsense code, shopping cart codes etc. The more complicated the page, the higher the chance of there being a problem with html.
It is quite surprising how many sites there are out there with html problems. Just run a few competitors pages through the a validator and you will see. Today's browsers are extremely tolerant and will still display a page properly that has all sorts of problems. But it is a different story with robots. They like it simple and easy and will generally take the path of least resistance -- almost human, aren't they ?
So let's say we have two competing sites, both are suitable for the top spot and the search engine has a tough time deciding who to put first. There is a very high chance that the validated site with proper syntax will be the winner. Validation of the html on your site alone will certainly not secure you a high rating, but as with so many other things it will help and might even be the contributing factor to get you across the line.
Also a very important point for webpages using SSI, PHP etc. It is sometimes difficult to validate code offline as there are many small bits that are put together by the server. So you really don't know what you will get in the end. Be sure you validate all of these pages and do it with an online tool. My favorite html validator is validator.org
And a case to the point: I recently installed a datafeed code for an affiliate site. There was one error in the product display, two tr and td tags where the wrong way around. And as each page listed over 20 products the errors of course accumulated...
It will only cost you a bit of your time to validate and maybe a lot of time to fix all the problems, but believe me it's worth it!
Go and validate!
Peter Gautschi is webmaster and owner of http://www.webtoolsbox.com, a site that offers free tools and advice to webmasters. He specializes in helping health sites to reach their full potential.
Why Fear? Now Change Your Filenames Without Disturbing Search Engines/Visitors And Rank Well
By now, you know that to rank well in the Search Engines, you need to have the keyword in your URL's directory name and filename, if not in the domain name as well.
Everything You Wanted To Know About Google -- But Were Afraid To Search For!
(A Reflective look at the little search engine that soared!)
When to NOT Hire a SEO and Why
When you get an e-mail from SEO Company with content similar to this:
10 Minutes to Your Google Sitemap
Google's calling your name...
How To Get Listed in Yahoo!
Getting listed in Yahoo! (The Very Top Search Engine/Index) is a lot like getting a date with the most beautiful girl in high school - often all you have to do is ask PROPERLY. I can make that statement because I have NEVER submitted a site to Yahoo! that wasn't listed. I've read a lot about how difficult it is getting listed, and how frustrating it is - so maybe I am just very lucky. Then again, if you follow the same steps that have ALWAYS worked for me, there is no reason to believe that they won't work for you too. So I wanted to share with you in four short steps how to get listed.
Search Engine Optimization: Get the Low-down
Been hearing the words Search Engine Optimization lately? I know I have. But what is it, you wonder? Well, that's what I'm here to talk to you about.
Google?s Siren Call ? Is It Crashing Your Search Engine Marketing?
It's difficult to dispute the rational behind the rant since Google continues to outpace its rivals in popularity with an 89% "strongly positive experience" rating from an opinion poll of U.S. Adult Internet Users conducted by eMarketer in early 2005. Google certainly achieves mass exposure and logically it's fair to attribute a first position ranking to gaining access to the masses.
The Hottest Tip On Getting A Web Site Listed Quickly by Yahoo, Inktomi, MSN, FAST and AltaVista
Every webmaster knows that the free search engines are a major source of traffic.
Why Does The Link Page Have A PR Zero?
For beginners, link exchange campaigns can be a minefield of problems. For example, here is a question I was asked:
What Is Search Engine Optimization And Why Do I Need It?
Purchasing web design service is confusing with all of the different buzz words floating around. In an earlier article I discussed the differences between custom web design and web design based on templates. Another service being pushed by many web developers is search engine optimization (SEO). It has become a huge field in the last few years despite the fact that many purchasers of web development services are not clear on what it is or why they need to consider it in the making of their site.
Designing a Better System for Search Engines
Designing a Better System for Search Engines and Information Distribution, information and knowledge are power. Having run out of things to study today, I thought about Researching and Research. Here are some observations on R and R. If you owned a body shop that would be remove and replace. For many Americans it is rest and relaxation, but for Wash Guys it is now researching Research (ing) and/or (ers). I believe that Search engines are getting better as that business model continues to perform before, during and after the Internet Bubble. However I believe they can do better.
Search Engine Ranking - What Works Now
The methods employed to increase your search engine rankings may seem like rocket science to you, so you have probably avoided dealing with this issue. I am here to tell you - the time has come to face your website! A high search engine ranking for your website is so essential that if you have the slightest desire to actually succeed in your business, there is no way you can continue to avoid this issue.
Linking for Traffic not Positioning!
With more and more experts and search engine enthusiastsclaiming the right way and the wrong way to handle linkswapping, link exchanging or reciprocal linking!
Why You Need a SEO Maintenance Plan
A search engine optimization maintenance service plan will ensure that your site will continue to increase in its rankings, attract more visitors and make more sales. It's not enough to simply design your web site, have it optimized for the search engines and expect it to continually rank well. If left alone, you may soon lose the business your web site initially generated.
7 Simple Steps to Spy on Your Online Competition and Acheive a High Page Rank
My Grandfather ran a small Grocery Store and when you would ask him a Question about his Business he would laugh and reply does Macy's Tell Gimbel's. (At the Time Gimbel's was a major Competitor of Macy's in the New York Department Store Market.) Well if Macy's were on the Internet back then they could be telling Gimbel's a lot. If Gimbel's knew which tool's to use and what steps to take to 'spy' on Macy's.
Fixed Point of Reference
According to author Frank Peretti, "A fixed point of reference for human beings is always something that is found outside themselves. It has to be something to which we can always come back. If we try to haul our point of reference around with us, we have lost it because it has been moved and we can never refer back to it." He tells a story of being in a dark room with only a chair. As long as the chair stays put, it can be used as a point of reference. If it gets picked up and carried around, it no longer serves that function, because it isn't where it used to be.
Are You A Google Junkie
Google this, Google that, Google Google Google.......
Basics to Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization popularly known as SEO.
Google Tests Expanded Search To Include Printed Works
Google Labs is currently testing Google Print, which returns results from within scanned printed books along with Google's standard web search results. The searcher doesn't have to do anything special - the printed work results are already included in the Google database. Searchers have the option of narrowing their search by including, for example, the word "book" in their search terms. For example, a search on "home repair" might return a variety of web sites, online merchants, etc., while changing the search to "home repair book" will help filter the results to include more material scanned directly from books.
The Need of Popularity
In very simple words, the link popularity of your site means the amount of links coming to you from another sites. Every major search engine heavily weighs the link popularity of sites when ranking sites. Some engines even claims they won't index sites that don't have at least one link pointing to them from another site. Why they are doing that ? Just because zero popularity means that nobody has an interest related to your site content. Since nobody is interested, why search engines should consider it ? From their point of view zero popularity is a time wasting. Under the above circumstances, the link popularity of your site becomes very important to you, especially if you aim to earn traffic by indexing your site in search engines directories. Let's see what you can do in order to increase the link popularity of your site. First of all you should concentrate on finding sites having a similar content to yours. This is the most important point of your campaign because all those links incoming from sites with similar theme will reinforce the credibility of your site. Then you should act on the following three ways: Link exchanging. Contact the owners asking for a link exchange.