Search engine facts Search Engine Optimization FAQ  » What are search engines and how do they work ?  » How search engines rank sites ?  » What are Meta Tags and why are they so important ?  » What Meta tags should I add to my Website ?  » What Keywords should I use ?   What are Search Engines and how do they work ? The term "search engine" is often used generically to describe both true search engines and directories. They are not the same. Search engines, such as AllTheWeb, Google, Excite or AltaVista, create their listings automatically. Search engines spider the web to find new sites. The spider returns to each site on a regular basis, such as every month or two, to look for changes. Then people search through what they have found. Page titles, keywords, body text, your code and other elements all play a role in determining your site's position and displayed result. Directories such as Yahoo, DMOZ.org and Looksmart depend on humans for their listings. You submit a short description to the directory for your entire site, or editors write one for sites they review. A search looks for matches only in the descriptions submitted. Directories include far fewer sites than search engines and some of them (Yahoo, Looksmart and NBCi) are unlikely to list you unless you pay a fee for each directory. How do search engines rank sites? Whenever you use a search engine, you're asking the search engine to sort through the millions of Web sites it has indexed, and try to find those sites that are related to your search words. Once the relevant sites are selected, the search engine will then rank these sites in order of relevancy - using a formula that varies for each search engine. As a Website owner, there's a lot that you can do to improve the chances that a search engine will recommend your site. One of the areas to focus on is Meta tags. What are Meta Tags and why are they so important ? The importance of Meta tags for your web site can't be emphasized enough. A search engine doesn't read through your page to index you site - it usually uses keywords and short phrases. What Meta tags should I add to my Website ? 1. Title: The title is probably the most important part of your site to evaluate, as it is the most frequently searched component by search engines, and should state exactly what your site is about, without use of any superlatives. To get high rankings, the title must include your most important keywords. Example of a Title: "Dave's Interior Designs - Decorating the Inside of England's Homes".   2. Keywords: The Meta Tag Keywords should be those words or phrases that you think people will use when trying to look for a site like yours on search engines. Incorporating keywords in your site's body text - To rank high on search results your Website must have a focus and the text should emphasize it. Incorporate many Meta tags within your site's first paragraphs (50 words) and repeat them throughout the text. The right keywords for your Website should be specific enough to describe your Website's interest, yet general enough for potential customers to use as search phrase in the search engines.   3. Description: Your Web site description should be around 20 words summary of the content of your site. This description should contain some of the keywords and be sure to avoid marketing language. Example of Description: "A full service provider of interior design services - decorating, painting, furniture, and color schemes for your house". What Keywords should I use ? If you are not sure about what words best describe your site, look at it from the user's perspective. How would they find your site ? What search words make sense ? The keywords you choose will dictate the success of your web site promotion. It is unrealistic that a young and unrecognized web site can compete on rankings with popular destinations on generic key words such as "computers" or "travel". Make sure that your keywords are not too general. General keywords will bring up thousands of listings to searchers and your site is unlikely to be on top. The fact is that people don't usually use a single word, such as "software" or "dentist" to find what they want in search engines. Users are more likely to search for something more specific like "Accounting Software for Small Business", or "Dentists in Washington DC". You have a much higher chance on ranking high on specific keywords related to your site. If you would like to rank high on search engines, avoid excessive keyword repetition (no more than 3 repetitions). Also, note the practice of keyword derivatives. For example, if you developed a Website concerning mutual funds, you might use keywords like invest, invests, investment, and investor. Finally, be sure to include your domain name, company name, and product's name in the keywords. TIP: Always include at least 10 keywords or phrases that are most relevant to your site (starting from the most important ones) but not more than 25.   Back to top Please feel free to email us - seo@lindengrove.net   Images and content are copyright to Lindengrove Consultants Ltd 2003 Site designed by Lindengrove Consultants Ltd