- 1. Do Your Keyword Research
- 2. Incorporate the Keywords in Your Site's Content
- 3. Use Specific HTML Tags for On-Page Optimization
- 4. Choose Title Tags Carefully
- 5. Use Meta Descriptions
- 6. Use Meta Keywords
- 7. Pick Meaningful URL Names for Pages
- 8. Incorporate & Optimize Images
- 9. Use Flash with Caution
- 10. Be Aware of JavaScript's Limitations
- Wrap-Up
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3. Use Specific HTML Tags for On-Page Optimization
You can use special HTML tags within your content to add emphasis to your keywords and phrases. Positioning of these tags should make sense and should flow with the content. If you bold or underline "camel rides" every time it appears, that will stand out awkwardly for the reader. And if it seems unnatural to a reader, you can bet that the search engines are going to react the same way.
Following are some HTML tags that you can use to help optimize your page's content.
Header Tags
Header tags are <h1> through <h8>. You should utilize their hierarchical structure logically, just as the search engines interpret and understand it. If you use <h1> for the main headings of your content, the next level of subheadings should be <h2>, and so forth. Including header tags with keywords and phrases adds a certain amount of emphasis.
Here is an example of utilizing a header tag correctly to get the most benefit:
<h1>Camel Rides by Oasis Camels of Cherry Hilly New Jersey</h1>
which is much better than this:
<h1>Welcome </h1> or <h1>About Us</h1>
Emphasis Tags
Emphasis tags include bold <b> or <strong>, italics <i> or <em>, and underline <u>. There is no difference in value, so you can utilize them all to spread emphasis around "organically" within your content. For an excellent example of how to incorporate emphasis tags into content, take a look at how Wikipedia does it.
Anchor Text
The text you use to form the links on your web pages is called anchor text, and it does matter when it comes to optimizing your content for the page. Not only does anchor text help the page it's on, but it also helps the page that the link is pointing to.
Try to avoid building your links with terms such as "click here," "more information," and "home page." These won't help your optimization efforts for any of the linked pages. There are likely hundreds of thousands, if not millions of web sites that do this. You can do much better. The optimal way to form a link is like this:
...check out our information on <a href="http://www.yoursite.com/servicename.html"> Camel Rides for Birthday Parties</a> perfect for making any child’s special day a great memory...
Bulleted and Numbered Lists
Bulleted lists and numbered lists offer an excellent way to put emphasis on content in short, quick bursts. Using keywords and phrases within lists is a way to boost the emphasis you're placing on pieces of your content. As with any of these emphasizing features, only use lists when it makes sense and when they flow naturally with the page's current content.