Inbound Links

Whenever another website links to your website, it gives search engines vital clues about your website:  Is the site reputable (e.g. does it cross-link, is it a paid link?)?  Is it similar to your site? Does it have a good Page Rank (e.g. does it have any web cred)?

Typically, the more inbound links the better.  However, the better the reputation of the links, the more similar it is to your site, and the better the Page Rank will all be factored into determining your website’s credibility and relevance.

Links from Similar Sites

By building links from similar sites (find them by searching for keywords that you are using) it tells search engines that your competition and your community find you a good resource.  It means they respect you and are giving you “props.”  (e.g. give props to the Wookie means you have a powerful, hairy beast swinging steal pipes, or shooting laser guns, and that is always a good thing for the good guys.)

Inbound Anchor Text

When possible, using keywords in the anchor text (i.e. the text that is in the actual link, for example:  website optimization), tells search engines that you site is about.*  This is extraordinarily helpful.

Inbound Links from Reputable Sites

If we think logically about what we trust as individuals you will get a good sense about what search engines trust as websites.  And although most people don’t trust the government, they do trust that government websites (.gov) will have at least some information that they need.  Thus, a link from a .gov site is often a much better link that a .com or .info site.  As well, .org and .edu sites are also very valuable links.

Page Rank, Where you Should be

Page Rank is a good indicator of overall reputation.  Typically 0-2 (out of 10) Page Rank is common for new sites, sites that are old but rarely used, sites that have small following, or sites that are fabulous but have very few inbound links.  3-5 Page Rank is often signifies a website that is doing pretty well for itself.  This is typically the range most website should fall into and be satisfied with their reputation.  Anything over a 6 is often a very credible website from a national organization (Colleges, news agencies, very active non-profits) or from people who really spend a lot of time building links.

NOTE: My pagerank is a 2/10.  Mainly because it is an old domain name that I used for a previous business and only recently have repurposed for website optimization.

*Note: a preposition (such as “about” often is) must modify and object to be a preposition.  Therefore, about, in the previous sentence is not a preposition and therefore can be used at the end of sentence.  It is then modifying is and is then an adverb.

• Title Tag: Very Important.  Short and sweet.
• Keywords Meta Tag.  10 or so keywords is all you should use.  Best keywords first.
• Meta Descriptions: often used for search engine excerpts.

Since search engines cannot understand images yet they use the “alt” tag (<alt>) descriptions to categorize any images that they might find.  When you hover over an image, or click on the properties of a photo you will see the “alt” description pop-up.  Empty or missing alt tags are a wasted gift.  Use them, and use them wisely.

• Use keywords in the description.
• Shorter is more powerful, but long descriptions are OK.
• Sign up for Google Webmaster Tools and make sure that you are allowing Google to index your images on your website so they appear in the search engines results.

See Also: keywords

A bit more info: here, and here.

BAD SEO: Cross Linking

A cross link is a link to another website who is linking to a third website who is then linking back to you.  This is different than a “reciprocal link” or “link exchange.”

• I rub your back, you rub her back, she rubs my back might work for a massage circle, but on the internet… well, it has been abused and is often an indicator of link abuse.
• Valid or not, it can count against you.
• Build legitimate inbound links from similar websites.
• Do not buy, sell, or trade links unless you know you that it is legitimate.
• Just say “No” to bad links, drugs, increasing your child’s allowance, and ABC gum.

Bad SEO: Small links

Small links are links that are smaller than the text surrounding them or smaller than a visitor could read without any additional effort.

• If you can’t see it, your visitor can’t see it. But Google is ALL- Seeing. It knows you are hiding a link. You will be caught (eventually).
• Bad idea. It makes Google angry.
• Sad idea. It makes Google’s heart full of sorrow.

SEO Tips: keyword stuffing is bad

Keyword stuffing is adding as many keywords, or keywords in really high densities into a page as possible to try to trick or fool a search engine into believing the webpage is something that it is not, or that it is more relevant than it really its.

SEO TIPS Keywords at the start of a document.

In journalism, the first paragraph is the one that grabs you. On a website, the

same is true. It is only logical that search engines would give the beginning keywords more respect.

• Remember, coding counts. If your text is all over, what is coded first is often “seen” first.
• Be IMPRESSIVE quickly.

• Important, Young Grasshopper, like the proper amount of head on a beer.
• Be Concise. Use your most important keywords first.
• Rule of Thumb: H1 = 1 – 2 keywords. H2 = 2-3 keywords, H3 = 3-4 keywords… simple in theory.

See Also: Keywords in your URL