From bounce-webpronews-84909@listsub.com Tue Sep 26 17:10:24 2000 received: by salzo.cary.nc.us with uucp (FX UUCP) for dave; Tue, 26 Sep 00 20:20:07 EDT Received: from listsub.com [64.23.2.56] by mercury.birdsong.org with smtp (Exim 2.05 #1 (Debian)) for dave51@burtonsys.com id 13e4no-0000zT-00; Tue, 26 Sep 2000 17:10:24 -0700 X-Mailer: Lyris Web Interface Date: Tue, 26 Sep 2000 12:54:32 -0400 Subject: Search Engine Ranking To: From: WebProNews List-Unsubscribe: Reply-To: Message-Id: ==================================================================== WebProNews September 26th, 2000 Issue Search Engine Ranking - 'Avoid Doing It The Hard Way' http://www.WebProNews.com ==================================================================== IN THIS ISSUE: 1.)... Editor's Note 2.)... Today's Feature Article 3.)... Today's Quick Click Specials ==================================================================== ===================================================================== Send us your resume and enter to win a BMW Z3 roadster At ICplanet, it takes just 2 minutes for Independent Consultants, like you, to post your resume. We turn it into a Professional Profile and when you approve it, you're entered for a chance to win a 2001 BMW Z3 roadster 2.5. ICplanet.com is launching a new, cutting-edge project-matching program that can line you up with literally thousands of hiring companies and recruiters. Log onto ICplanet.com and let our SmartSearch Technology match you with top projects. ICplanet.com -- the fastest way for Independent Consultants to get to work. Post your resume now at: http://www.icplanet.com/?src=ientry-e-ic-webpro0926 ==================================================================== ==================================================================== 1.) EDITOR'S NOTE Hi Webmasters, Today's newsletter is by Carl Hruza. Carl has written some excellent articles on search engines and is highly regarded in field. I have learned quite a bit from this intelligent man and I hope that you will too. Take Care, Pete mailto:pete@WebProNews.com ==================================================================== ===================================================================== When They Say They Want to Earn Your Business - They Mean It. !AmazingWebHosting- 300 Meg Business Hosting Package $24.95 REFER someone receive $10.00. For every month they stay with AmazingWebHosting receive an additional $10.00. Refer 50 Customers - Profit $500 Per Month Refer 100 Customers - Profit $1000 Per Month Check Them Out At http://www.amazing-web-hosting.com ===================================================================== ===================================================================== 2.) Search Engine Ranking - 'Avoid Doing It The Hard Way' - There are many ways that you can improve the probability of achieving higher search engine rankings for your web site. For most of us who already operate web sites, it can be a painful and costly process. Applying 'search engine ranking' techniques retrospectively can mean dissecting web pages and trying to add new elements to the page without 'upsetting' the visual appearance of the site. Having your web pages 'picked-apart' by 'search-engineers' is not a pretty sight! For those just considering a new web site, or those considering an overhaul to their existing sites, you have a great opportunity, so don't waste it. Most issues that adversely effect search engine ranking are built-in during the design, and are more difficult, often impossible to remove once the design is complete. If you are fortunate to be at the design stage of planning a web site, or preparing to rework your existing site, then there are a few simple things you should do. Talk with your designer and ask them what steps he or she will implement to ensure your site is 'search engine friendly'. If you pre-arm yourself with a little knowledge of the subject, you can easily gauge from their reaction just how search engine friendly your site will be. Intervene if you think it necessary and take corrective actions before the fundamental design elements are 'locked-in'. ==================================================================== ==================================================================== We match quality sites with quality advertisers. Today's world of online marketing is hectic, wouldn't it be cost effective and easier to have WhatANetwork do the work for you? The answer is yes. This partnership will drive traffic to your site and turn clicks into revenue. Using our TrueTrack proprietary tracking software, you are a login and password away from real time stats. The WhatANetwork staff is anxiously waiting for you to join our team and the many other publishers that have increased site revenue. http://adsfrom.whatanetwork.com/EM100039.asp ==================================================================== ==================================================================== The basic elements you should review are: Include all the important Meta tags on all pages. Keywords, Description and Title tags should be included as a minimum, and each should be set to focus on the content of the specific page, remaining where possible within the 'theme' of the site. Add 'robot instruction' tags indicating which pages should be indexed by the search engines and which should not. If you have pages that detract from the overall theme of the site, use the robot exclusion tag within the opening , to exclude search engines from visiting those pages. Avoid using 'Meta Refresh' tags that automatically direct the viewer to a different page. If you must use 'refresh' set the time to a minimum of 15 seconds, or use the robot exclusion tag described above. Design a navigation structure that allows search engines to crawl the important content pages from the home page. This can be done easily using transparent image files and setting them as hyperlinks. Remember that using Java, Flash software or 'Frames' to facilitate navigation, can often present a 'closed door' to search engines, preventing key areas of your site from being indexed. Use the alt-image attribute and name images descriptively. Some search engines read the alt text and it can help, though marginally. Name pages using keywords. Instead of 'page2.html' use 'american-ginseng.html', if your site is about herbal products! If your site uses 'Frames' there are important techniques to consider. Many search engines cannot navigate through the Framed section of a site, unless the Frames are prepared in a specific way. As a minimum, ensure your designer includes a detailed description about your business, products or services on the 'noframes' page, and ask them to research specific information about Frames and search engines. If the site design uses dynamic content pages as with ASP, consider designing additional pages that use static HTML. Having an 'about us' page in HTML is always a good strategy when using dynamic content or 'active server pages'. If your designer is using Macromedia Flash software, to enhance the visual appearance of the site, make sure that your descriptive text is not created within 'movie' files. This is true for text within any kind of image file, the search engines cannot read it. Consider having two paths through the site 'Flash' and 'non-Flash'. Ensure your site has a good deal of descriptive content. This is the most important aspect for search engines and also for your visitors. Content-rich sites invariably fair much better than those with minimal text content. These are some of the basics to consider when designing or re-designing your web site. Careful design and consideration to the basics is often enough to secure good page rankings with some of the leading engines. If your site design follows the above guidelines, it will be much easier to 'fine-tune' pages at a later stage if necessary. If your site is already online then the above techniques can still be applied retrospectively, though making changes is always more difficult than getting it right the first time. ==================================================================== Carl Hruza - Operates the business Top Web Promotion, providing Web Design and Search Engine Promotion strategies. Email at carl@topwebpromotion.com http://topwebpromotion.com ==================================================================== ==================================================================== QuickClicks Send us your resume and enter to win a BMW Z3 roadster http://www.icplanet.com/?src=ientry-e-ic-webpro0926 When They Say They Want to Earn Your Business - They Mean It. http://www.amazing-web-hosting.com We match quality sites with quality advertisers http://adsfrom.whatanetwork.com/EM100039.asp ==================================================================== Advertise to 500,000+ internet entrepreneurs and more! For ad details & prices, click... mailto:susan@WebProNews.com ==================================================================== We at the Editorial Team would like to thank all our readers for reading WebProNews. We hope you find this information useful. Sincerely, Peter Thiruselvam mailto:pete@WebProNews.com Editor Here are some other great newsletters: http://www.ientry.com/aboutus/signup.html ==================================================================== You are currently subscribed as: *** dave51@burtonsys.com *** ==================================================================== Removing your email address from this list is easy. Simply click the email address below and send: