“website design
essentials & guide to SEO”
Domain name / Title / Description / Keywords / Contents
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SEO Guide
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Plan your web pages structure
and learn how to create your domain name , title , description , keywords
and contents. These key components unite to describe and fulfil the purpose of each unique web page. The resultant planned contents should be informative and meet the needs of your anticipated audience. |
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Examine our proven credentials to verify that this web design DIY tutorial and SEO guide is effective. Use this free know how to build your own website or check out an existing design. Take an early glance at features covered by other web pages in our design guide. Get an idea from links to our fine-tune page what these involve:- |
The function of a website is to contain information. Website design is the skilful creation and display of understandable easily reached knowledge. Before creating and uploading a website design, its essential to take time to plan the information that your website should contain.
The process of planning will identify your purpose. It acts as a statement of intents and a basis for control during development, and allows all participants to understand their part in it.
Examine and decide the reasons why an audience will want to visit your website. Combine these with your objectives, so as to define the purpose of your website and formulate the contents that need to be developed.
Accessibility is a key aspect in planning a meaningful website structure. Assess how many separate web pages are needed to convey and support the main and sub purposes of your website design.
Display information headings within a defined purpose in a visual contents diagram then organise and develop these ideas to suit target audience needs. Eliminate any that fall outside this criterion.
Find out more about the
process of website planning as a necessary initial and ongoing activity to
identify the purpose of a website design and web pages containing relevant
meaningful facts that your expected visitors are searching for.
Effective website design occurs when anticipated keywords or phrases from an end-user web search match the contents of a selected website. Presenting information that search engines are programmed to read, evaluate and judge is called search engine optimisation or SEO.
Use this link to read more
about planning
a website and its structure in SEO mode to ensure that a website design’s web
pages and contents fulfil purpose.
Try to arrange your structure such that users can navigate to any page within 2 clicks from your ‘HOME’ page. Visitors can get impatient and lose interest if the access trail’s too long, or the links don’t work.
Visitors soon learn whether your site is easy to move around and if it has memorable content. Give out this message by putting a noticeable sentence, table, or a link on view on arrival at a page without the need to scroll down.
Are
needed for each separate web page. The
first page that a user will arrive at when entering your site must always be named as index.htm
Every
web host or server insists on this to permit the file to be loaded to them.
For
navigation purposes label it as your ‘home’ page. Give other pages an
appropriate file name. For example: other pages on this site are named as essentials.htm
and fine-tune.htm and contact.htm
Your visitors need to gain easy access or navigate to other pages from this ‘home’ page. Aim to make any page navigable with just one click away from your ‘home’ page.
Although some website design structures may require more, take into account that users can lose interest when the journey to locate information seems too long. Can your structure be modified to contain user impatience?.
Domain name and inbuilt SEO
Age: Domain names can be any age. They don’t have to be of any minimum
age before being indexed, registered and listed in SERPs by the search engines.
In our case the facts are that we registered “independent-financial-planning.co.uk”
in February 2008 and achieved first places in SERPs with Google by end of March
2008.
Similarly,
websitedesign-seoguide was registered in
January 2009, uploaded to the internet in early April 2009 achieving first
places with Google, Yahoo and Altavista by the middle of April 2009.
Embedded
Keywords: An effective inbuilt SEO feature is to create
your domain name using a keyword. This is known as an embedded keyword. For the above sites I used the keyword
phrases of “independent financial planning” and “website design and SEO guide”.
Keywords
embedded in a domain name, are permanent SEO since they’re ever present
in inbound links, as well as internal links between web pages.
You’ll
see from this link to a SERPs analysis example how
the search keywords of website design and SEO guide are
emphasised with bold letters in our selected domain name.
For
consistency, I use an absolute URL for every internal and external
link. This achieves effective linkages as each one contains a keyword
that’s embedded in it.
An
example of an absolute URL is http://www.websitedesign-seoguide.co.uk
or http://www.websitedesign-seoguide.co.uk/essentials.htm
Note
that www.websitedesign-seoguide.co.uk is
not an absolute URL. It must have http:// at the beginning to be an absolute URL. When
exchanging external links you’ll need to tell others what your URL is.
Whilst either http:// or
www will register as a link, they will be attributed to different
sites by search engines.
Domain
Name Development: An established business uses it’s own company name. Combining your
company name and an embedded keyword is even better. If relevant, adding a
location helps too.
Consider
for example a kindergarten. You could call it “kindergarten.co.uk”
or “janeskindergarten.co.uk”. Bring in
the location as say “kindergartenstratford.co.uk”
or “stratford-kindergarten.co.uk”.
Search
engines treat the hyphens as a null value and therefore ignore them. Use this to
your advantage by compiling a unique domain name that contains popular keywords
separated by hyphens.
Domain
Registration: This
is a vital SEO opportunity to include permanent keywords into your website
design by embedding them into your URL. Use this tactic whenever you can – even
if it means abandoning a domain name you’ve already registered. Yes it will
cost more – mine costs £9.50p for 2 years.
In
developing your domain name my tip is to set out up to ten possibilities that
includes a prospective keyword. Here
are two alternatives:-
http://www.kindergarten.co.uk
http://www.stratford-kindergarten.co.uk
Review
and edit with other keywords such as ‘nursery’ and ‘preschool’ to become: http://www.stratford-preschoolnursery.co.uk/
and so on as you develop other alternatives.
When you’ve settled on a preference, check to see if this URL is available and how much you’ll have to pay to own the registration. It’s easy to verify this - I use:- http://www.easyspace.com/
Security Tip Advice Ensure that your domain name is registered to you as the owner. To
check all owners go to http://www.allwhois.com/
Title
A
page title tells your visitors and search engines what each page is about. Your
subsequent web page contents should reflect the stated purpose of this page. Ensure
that every web page has a unique page title and Meta tag. Note that page titles play a major part
in the process of web searches and search engines use them extensively to
respond to user web searches.
Writing your page titles is best done using all
these rules:
1). Ensure that your page titles are simple, brief and
descriptive.
2). Each web page should have unique titles to precisely convey its
purpose.
3). Make it short enough to print as one line at the top of each
page. Say 75 characters all told.
4). Use words in any order. There is no need to make your page titles
into a sentence.
5). Punctuate your page titles if you wish – but never end a
title with a full stop.
6). Use a capital letter to start the first and last word of your
titles and all main words.
7).
Don’t use
all capital letters in your titles.
See
how a search engine uses a page title from this example web search
The secret of writing good titles is to rewrite them again and
again until you’ve exhausted all possibilities. List each attempt in a ‘Word
Doc’ file. Then select the most suitable mix covered by the above 7 rules. In
particular, if your site services are tied to a particular location; eg; kindergarden, tree surgeon, MOT testing –
then include your Town and/or County in the titles.
Meta
Tags
These are search engines instructions in HTML language [ hyper text mark-up language ] that do not appear on your screen. Access via web page edit Menu / View / HTML source.
There are three Meta tags you’ll need to create are for each page title, description and keywords. They should be inserted respectively exactly as follows using your chosen words/ phrases between the inverted commas as indicated:
<head>
<title>create your
unique title and put it here</title>
<meta name=description
content=" insert
the sentence you have chosen to exactly describe your site here ">
<meta name=keywords
content=" insert
words or phrases associated with your page purpose that visitors are likely to
search with ">
</head>
<body
They
are positioned in the <head> section of your HTML
source and should end before the <body
section starts. Use lower case in all words, except as where
described above in the rules about titles.
A web page description is vital ‘meta tag’ information to search
engines that should precisely describe the meaning and purpose of your
contents. It is not visible on screen. Note that page descriptions are used extensively in
the process of web searches and search engines use them to respond to user web searches.
It
needs to accurately describe what your page is about and should contain as many
keywords as possible. Express your description in a logical sentence of 25 to
30 words or up to 200 characters.
A
website design can well have more than one purpose. Take time to pinpoint all your
objectives so that your description, plan and contents include all of them.
This entails full consideration of subject matter to establish boundaries and
headings, together with a degree of detail that’ll satisfy visitor
expectations.
Aim
to make your resulting description, extensive, reasoned and full of key facts.
Avoid claiming to be “the best service” or having “ the lowest prices”.
Instead, provide a summary to exactly describe the meaning and reasoning of
contents for each separate web page.
For
example, our meta tag at http://www.independent-financial-planning.co.uk/
is as follows:
<meta name=description
content=" Guide to the role and benefits of independent financial
advisers who use independent financial planning and unbiased tailor-made
financial advice to ensure you get the right product for your needs ">
[30
words – 197 characters]
The secret of writing good descriptions is to rewrite
your initial description several times and improve it to perfection.
Keep a record of every attempt in a WORD DOC file and compile the most
effective coherent version from these alternatives. From experience I get near
the mark after about 15 to 20 attempts.
I’ve found it useful not to write all attempts on the same day.
Leave it whilst your informative phrases and contents are developing. This way
you’ll avoid “mind block” errors. Give others in your team and/or strangers the
chance to produce a winner.
Also try reversing the order of your wording to unlock other ways
of expressing your descriptions. [use the back end at the beginning instead].
Finally don’t forget your onscreen thesaurus to extend your range of phrases.
Compare an earlier attempt of mine to give you the idea :-
<meta name=description
content=" Ensure
you get the right product for your needs using independent financial advisers
who employ independent financial planning and give unbiased tailor-made
financial advice ">
At first glance, they may seem the same, but there are
differences. I’ve chosen the former as being more informative in conveying the
purpose of the page “Guide to the role and benefits of…”. It’s also less
pushy.
See
how search engines display web search results using a page description
Keywords & how to use them
First and foremost to recap,
all information should be understood first time round. This is particularly so when
using the internet as web surfers do not stay for very long.
Thus, even if your contents
carry the most popular keywords in your sphere, the criterion for success with
the public or search engines alike is dependent upon whether your information
is understood straight away.
Moreover, it must avoid being
vague, hinting at, or alluding to matters that can be misunderstood or give
rise to confusion.
As a result, effective information must convey meaning at first
glance, otherwise the public will move on elsewhere.
At the same time, a search engines classifies whether the extent
that information in each particular web design measures up to it’s stated
purpose, as well as reading and grading the actual meaning of the
contents.
Although the significance of
contents are generally recognised, we’ve noticed that explicit methods of
composition to achieve information that’s understood first time round are few
and far between.
To make matters worse,
alongside this scarcity, is the mistaken belief that using the most popular
keywords will nevertheless propel a website to the top of the charts.
The fact is, it’s not a small
number of keywords that matter most, but essentially it’s the particular way
that the planned surrounding text or contents are composed to express meaning
that really counts and makes all the difference.
Since the website design and
SEO guide you’re reading now is attaining top Google results, we’re able to
explain with authority how this has been achieved so as to shed light on the
function of keywords and how to use them.
In essence, keywords simply
mean important words. The two different types of significant keywords that
we’re drawing attention to effectively combine so as to jointly express
coherent information.
Firstly in particular, there are subject keywords
that directly relate to the purpose of web pages. At the same time these
subject keywords also carry the likelihood of being chosen by a target audience as search
words in order to locate a website.
Secondly, and termed category
general keywords, this supporting group of key everyday important words are
used to
dovetail with the subject to convey a variety of meaning connotations.
Typically these groupings impart:-
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Conclusion |
Contrast |
Continuation |
Emphasis |
Evidence |
Illustration |
Sequence |
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end |
difference |
continuance |
stress |
proof |
example |
series |
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deduction |
compare |
extension |
importance |
indication |
image |
order |
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close |
distinction |
furtherance |
prominence |
confirmation |
instance |
progression |
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finale |
dissimilarity |
persistince |
highlighting |
facts |
case in point |
chain |
Classifying words into alternative types this way, brings out the versatility
of this feature. Consequently, you can not only readily distinguish between
each facet of meaning, but also as a result exert influence so as to put across
particular knowledge.
Thirdly, we’re displaying a table of these categories together
with some general keyword examples plus an indication of when to use them.
Primarily, the usage of general keywords is universally applied to any website
regardless of the subject.
And finally, we have selected and used some particular keyword
examples from the table that merge with and best carry the sense of the table’s
subject keywords that are to express variety and reasoning as well as meaning
in order to convey information.
Above all, we emphasise that only a few subject keywords are
needed to explain the collective sense of any web page. For this reason they’re
never used on their own, otherwise hardly any useful text could be
created.
Instead to a large extent, it can be seen that the bulk of
informative text is compiled and controlled from the application of appropriate
general keywords such as the examples in the Keyword Categories table
below.
Therefore, in keeping with our website design SEO guide DIY
tutorial, we’re able to illustrate the use of keywords by example so as to
compose and refine contents until they turn out to be easily readable,
interesting and understood first time round.
Thus, we’ve set out our categories reference checklist in table
format. It acts for us not only as a composition prompt but also, at the same
time as an invaluable practical tool that we use to inject meaning into our
contents.
Make use of these
Keyword Categories so as to inject optimum meaning
into your contents.
|
Category |
To indicate |
Some general
keywords - those in blue have been used in the text |
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1. Conclusion or to cause an effect |
summing up – for the bottom line |
Therefore; thus; in conclusion; believes; so; so that; consequently; it can be seen
that; as a result; can conclude that, claims that; so as, whereby, whereas, whilst, in order to, |
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2. Continuation |
support for the same conclusion is pending |
And; also; moreover; furthermore; plus; in addition; at the same
time; as well as; equally; besides; what is more; both ..and; equally
important; not only ....but also; together with, without doubt: |
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3. Contrast |
similarities and differences compared |
But; despite; yet; however; alternatively; still;
although; unless; as opposed to, otherwise; not; though; while; nevertheless; by contrast,
notwithstanding; rather; conversely; regardless; in spite of;
on the other hand; contrarily; in contrast; instead; although; to make
matters worse; |
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4. Emphasis |
what is considered important
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First and foremost, I think; above all; essentially; clearly; most of all; typically, especially; primarily; particularly; in large
measure; in particular, indeed; that indicate; to a large extent; emphasise; hardly; |
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5. Evidence |
supporting reasons |
Because; for; since; the reason is that; this is because; to bring this
about; due to, therein, by the same token: |
|
6. Illustration |
an example being given in support of a conclusion |
For example; whereby, for instance; by example; specifically; to illustrate; such as; in the words
of; by way of, To “name”; For “name”; According to “name”;
as “name” says; it’s evident that, demonstrated by, to such an extent, the fact is, |
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7. Sequence |
there being an ordered
structure in the writing |
Firstly, ……; Secondly, …….; Thirdly, …..; Lastly, ….., Next; And finally; On the one
hand; Recently; from the outset; until; |
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Subject matter |
the purpose of a particular web page or part contents |
express, meaning, reasoning, variety, information, |
Indeed, we’re certain that this clear-cut no frills technique has
the power to infuse optimum meaning into your website information.
It can be seen how a diversity of knowledge and significance can
be conveyed by a careful choice of expressive words, whether they’re subject
matter or general keywords, so as to inform visitors what you mean.
By way of definition, we’d say that keywords express common sense.
Clearly, they’re essential for composition, reasoning and comprehension. Thus,
the ability to understand, develop, organise and manipulate words is crucial.
Furthermore, as contents are the function of purpose, search
engines largely determine the extent of website usefulness from the merits of
what your contents say.
Because of this, it’s worthwhile now and then to check that your
contents do measure up to your objectives in every respect together with
meeting the needs of your target audience.
Thus by using a systematic category checklist, such as this,
you’ll be able to focus on and improve aspects of your intentions that may have
otherwise been overlooked.
Indeed, it’s a big advantage to prise out new ways to express
information, as a result you’ll be adding to visitor appeal as well as widening
the variety of useful content.
Whilst, all categories carry some part of a website’s overall
reasoning, aim to ensure in addition that they also fulfil the purpose of a web
page and the meaning written into a page title, page description and onscreen
contents.
Finally, in this practical example about Keywords - and how to use them we
should explain that the subject keyword meta
tag should be composed and inserted for instance
as follows:-
<meta name=keywords
content=" express, meaning, reasoning, variety, information ">
Essentially, in the process, always use a comma “,” so as to
separate each separate word or phrase. If you don’t they’ll be considered to be
all one word.
Terms
should be in plural form where possible. In addition
they ought all be in lower case to enable the search engines to find them
better on your pages.
As you’re striving to develop a keyword framework, to sufficiently describe your contents, so that the right user is connected to them. Read more about how to carry out an effective web search and analyse SERP’s.
Whenever possible, in
conducting a web search, use a phrase or small group of words as opposed to a
single word. The reason is that a word on it’s own is too general for search
engines to pinpoint and therefore likely to be ineffective.
For instance, avoid using the word “advice”, by itself. Instead you’ll get better results if you use “impartial advice on financial products”, or “neutral life insurance guidance”, or even “advice to minimise inheritance tax”.
Examples such as these, not only distinguish and impart useful
information throughout the web page contents, but also guide search engines to
provide relevant user results.
How
many total subject keywords should you
use? I’d say between 4 to 8 is adequate
for each separate web page or file name. Distribute them evenly from top to
bottom since your reasoning should be
consistent throughout.
Note that search engines do check all other paragraphs that
surround each keyword as well as the immediate adjacent text to every keyword
so as to verify that these are relevant to your content.
As a guide, I try to keep separate keyword usage to 3 occasions
per printable page, using each word no more that 4 times on one printable page length.
That’s 12 keyword uses all told on a page of say 500 words.
From the outset, in preparing a keyword list to use, try to put
yourself in the mind of the searcher. Anticipate the words and phrases they’ll
use that are relevant to them and their expectations.
Then, make use of your expertise as the information producer so as
to blend a range of keyword combinations that’ll match and connect with the
needs of this target audience.
I’ve found it invaluable to keep systematic records of all web pages
and preparatory work in WORD DOC files especially those
that include and help control graphics navigation-alternative text as well as
internal links.
Search engines use your meta tag page title, the description meta
tag and your onscreen page contents, not only to understand your reasoning, but
also to verify throughout that the purpose of your website design has been
fulfilled.
Do not span the keywords or search engines will ignore that Meta tag. Spanning is repeating the keyword. An example of spanning is: University of Lincoln, Lincoln University, the University of Lincoln.
Instead use; university, lincoln, lincolnshire, students, undergraduate,
graduate, academics, applications, teaching, research,
And finally, why not try our
DIY tutorial guide by applying some of our general keywords to various
categories from the table to see whether or not it can improve your existing
text.
Unique
web page contents are your most valuable asset. They’ll need to be relevant and
useful to engage your audience with a persuasive and memorable theme. Content
with these qualities puts your visitors at ease and they’ll be inclined to stay
longer.
As
content is the function of purpose, search engines largely determine the extent of website usefulness from the merits
of what your contents say.
The secret of writing good content is to rewrite
everything several times – during which you’ll need to rewrite , cut, rewrite,
cut, rewrite- etc; This attitude
promotes freedom to develop varying alternatives.
Always think of your visitor first when creating any content for your
website. They’re looking for concise, easy to read meaningful and accessible
information. In effect, the same as you’d want when surfing the web.
When creating onscreen content, I don’t concern myself with any
keywords, grammar, spelling, protocol, relevance or the correct sequence of
usage. The most important goal is to get my thoughts down in draft format.
Keywords are the last thing I pay attention to.
Writing contents freely and naturally in this manner achieves more
readable, interesting and informative meaning.
Draft prints put aside for a while work wonders. It’s amazing how
you can ‘go off’ your own masterpiece. Believe it or not, after editing, the
same thing will happens again and again. Just keep going until you get it
right.
After a while the changes become less severe. Instead of deleting
a paragraph or a line, it will drop down to the odd word. This critical process
will also cause new ideas to evolve that you blend into your initial content.
Remember the golden rule is to rewrite, cut, rewrite, cut. No first, second or
third draft is ready to publish.
After some practice you’ll know when the time is right to stop.
Writing web content is very different to dictating a letter to a secretary.
Letters usually get read as they’re in hand. Whereas web content, although it
may be available, it won’t get read unless it’s made noticeable.
As a rule of thumb the usable text on your web pages is about half
that usually taken up in letters. Cut your initial lengths from one line down
to ½ line.
Do this by making the same point another way. Try reversing a
sentence using the back end first. Get shorter word ideas and synonyms from
your onscreen thesaurus. Eliminate text that’s superfluous or
irrelevant to your page reasoning.
Avoid lengthy leads, especially anecdotes. Use facts not opinions.
Cut transitions. Use headings to change the subject instead. Compare your
latest efforts to earlier attempts to reflect the improvements.
Learn to write
As if you’re speaking to someone – as opposed to writing a letter
to your solicitor. I do this by talking to myself, then noting the content for
later. I also use phrases from newspapers, radio, TV or general
conversations.
Writing Tips
Reading from a computer screen changes the way we read so writing for a website design is different than writing for a printed article. Here are some suggestions on how to set about writing your contents.
On line audiences
scan text
Audiences won’t read every word. They glance quickly at what
you’ve written. Use headers to suggest
the content of each paragraph or section. Condense your text as well. Less text
means less ‘scanning’ and more chance of being read.
An audience visits your site to find particular information. Make your
contents noticeable and accessible. Repeat key points in alternative ways on
separate pages. Provide
the opportunity to navigate with graphics alt text as well as hyperlink anchor
text. Users don’t always notice what’s available at a quick glance.
Text Chunks
Chunks or selections of text relate to a single message. They’re
often a single page or a large section within your site. Websites broken up
this way help visitors to find the information they need more easily.
However, you can never be sure that users will see or read your introductions
or transitions that appear on other pages. Users do not always navigate in the
sequence or importance in which your pages were created.
They may not even visit your ‘home’ page’. For instance,
they could they arrive by a link from another internal page. Or even from an
external link and miss some main points. So you’ll need to ensure that each
chunk of text makes sense on its own.
Therefore, be sure that your visitors will know what
the text is, or what it is part of, and where they should look for more
information. In other words:
1). Repeat your
main points from chunk to chunk and on other selected pages.
2). Show links to
related information.
3). Give an idea
about what’s been covered so far especially on other pages – link back where
appropriate.
Write active text
Whenever possible write your text in the present tense. This makes
your writing and the contents more engaging.
Also when writing for the web, give your visitors things to do,
actions to take. For example, when you need to refer to other documents, say “Visit the link
at the bottom of the page to access the complete document,” or “Refer to the
links at the left for specific information,” or say “Contact us if you have further
questions.”
More than providing active text, you are also giving your audience
clear directions and encouraging them to participate in using your website
design.
Contents Presentation
Use black text
That has a white background. Just think of all the books you’ve
read not to mention the newspapers. It’s a tried and tested format that’s stood
the test of time.
The best way to present your text
Use the ‘Align Left’ feature and just let the different words determine
the text width across the page. Aligning from the left is easier to read. We
use this method throughout our website.
Graphics
Keep your graphics and the size of each to a minimum. For example
to give you a point of reference, our page navigation graphics below average
3kb each. Page heading graphics are 10kb. The computer logo is 8kb. All were
scanned at 100dpi. Take
a look at how to navigate using graphics and add alt text as a key SEO feature.
