Quick SEO tips
Beware of web design companies that don’t explain how they optimize their code for search engines! Can you imagine building a home in the middle of the woods with no road leading to it? Every week we get calls from companies that want us to design and market their business online. Far too many times their websites are programmed and designed in a way that prevents web crawlers from correctly indexing the website. In other words, web crawlers have no idea what the website is about or worse yet, don’t even know it exists. Your web design may provide a highly interactive user experience, but if you can’t be found by search engines what’s the point? Some people may want to live in solitude away from inquisitive eyes, but we believe most of you want people to see your beautiful home.
The worse websites to optimize are sites designed completely using Flash. Web crawlers still prefer HTML, versus images, Flash or other scripts. Search engines such as Google & Bing are getting better at extracting information from Flash web design sites, nevertheless, it remains difficult for them. We are not saying that Flash components cannot be incorporated on your website. The proper way to use Flash is to first create the website in HTML and then build in Flash components for movies, buttons and banners. Stay away from websites completely built in Flash!!!
In order for the web crawlers to properly index a website these programming principles must be followed. In the SEO (search engine optimization) world this is referred to as on-page optimization.
- Include a Title Tag – includes one of the key phrases you are targeting – this must be unique for each web page.
- Include a H1 Tag Keywords – Heading title text on the web page – includes one of the key phrases or a related key phrase you are targeting
- Ensure that keyword rich text is placed high in source code
- Use Meta description – this must be a call to action or a marketing statement
- Use Image keyword optimization
- Program URLs with the targeted key phrase
Google even lays out the rules for web programmers. Why then do a majority of web design companies not follow these rules? This clearly demonstrates carelessness and is beyond our comprehension.
You can find Google’s web design guidelines here – Google web-master central
If you are looking for a web design company and are located in Montreal, Sherbrooke, Ottawa/Gatineau area or Northern New England we will be happy to come and meet with you.
You can always fill out our web form and we will have one of our web design/Internet marketing consultants call you within four hours.