Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Essentials of SEO - Use Keywords in Your Website's Title

Search Engine Optimization is a very intricate and labor-intensive process requiring great knowledge and experience. There are many keys that factor in to enhancing a site's web presence. One of the top things that search engines look for when deciding which websites are most relevant is the presence and usage of keywords.

When analyzing web content, search engines don't have the capacity to understand full sentences and paragraphs in context. Basically, the search engines look for certain phrases and words within larger blocks of text. While they don't necessarily understand the textual content, 'search bots' can sense the importance of specific phrases and keywords. They do this by looking at where your keywords are used, and how many times. Therefore, it becomes highly valuable to place key words in areas of prominence. For instance, include important phrases in the first sentence of the first paragraph, and continue including these words throughout the page's content. Be sure that every single page within your site includes your target key phrases. Remember, search engines only seek out textual content, and that much of ranking is based on prominent usage of keywords.

The importance of your target search terms is ultimately decided by their placement and repetition. What more conspicuous place to put your keywords, than in the title tag.

One common mistake that many websites make, is having a site name which is completely irrelevant in regards to the content trying to be conveyed. For example, think about a website for an attorney named 'john smith' in Seattle. Some people would naturally tend to make the title simply the name of the company. In this case, 'john smith' would be the name of this attorney's website. With no reference to his location (Seattle), law, attorney, or legal representation, search-bots would deem this site less relevant in those terms. A much better title for this hypothetical site would be: 'Seattle's Attorney: Personal lawyer, Criminal Defense Attorney'. This title indicates location, specialty, and contains prospective search terms. Considering most searchers do not already know the name of the company they are seeking, you must adjust to include valuable search terms in your title. Even if that means renaming your website to contain more key terms and phrases, it does not mean that you have to rename your company.

Over time, the keywords that users search for can evolve and change. So, you must be certain that the search terms you are focusing on are the right ones at the time. Changing and maintaining your title so that it doesn't become outmoded is also very important.

So, just as important as tagging your most valuable keywords, is organically placing those phrases within your site's title. Search Engines will most certainly look at what text is included in your title when determining the overall relevance of your website. Don't forget to use your very best keywords in the most prominent part of the website: the title.

For more tips on Search Engine Optimization, check out Denver SEO

Also, see additional information on Denver Internet Marketing

Article Source: Internet Marketing Information