Optimize for Search Engines, Yes, Definitely.
But don't make these Common Errors.

It's really not all that hard to get indexed by the major search engines. After all, that is their job, they're supposed to do that.

Getting indexed - that's the easy part.

Anyone who has been working online for more than a month has already heard that the hard part is getting a good ranking. Most likely you've heard it from several people who want to sell you their "Search Engine Optimization Service".... most likely their pitch was illustrated with some 'horror stories' of websites that didn't use them, and pie-in-the-sky promises of fame & riches to come...

Don't fall into that trap. Unless you have a website with 600+ pages and several thousand products, you don't need them to do your SEO for you. Most that I have seen are lacking in moderation... you write them a big fat check and they will do whatever it takes to get you a good ranking. Yep. That lasts about a week, then Google figures out that you cheated and bans you - maybe forever.

You can do it yourself. It's really not difficult, it's just tedious. I'm going to assume that you've read at least a few articles or e-books about "How to optimize your website", so I won't get into that, exactly.

This article is about some of the mistakes I've seen webmasters make... hopefully you can avoid them and get better ranking for it.

A quick definition of "Search Engine Optimization": Designing and writing your website so that your HTML code and the displayed content is well organized and easy for users and search engine spiders to read and use.

Common Optimization Errors

Common Error 1: Over-using keyword(s)
  Commonly called "Keyword Stuffing". Sometimes the temptation is strong to just keep putting keywords in every place they might fit. Don't make the mistake of too much repetition. Mention your "strategic search term" several times throughout the page, but don't force it into places where it wouldn't come up in a natural sentence.
  The same goes for the page <title> tags.
  Limit your page titles to about 70 characters, including spaces & punctuation. Also, use keywords in the title only if they are appropriate to the page content.

Common Error 2: Not using <title> tags effectively.
  Don't just title your page "Toys" or "Music"... this is Prime SEO Real Estate, don't waste it! Always include a few keywords that reflect the page content within your title tags.

Common Error 3: Concentrating on the wrong keywords.
  For many websites, a one-word search term might bring in more traffic, but a specific search term or phrase is far more likely to bring in buyers.
  For example, someone may search for 'coffee' and visit your website, they may even buy something... but someone searching for a 'Home Coffee Bean Grinder' is already sold - they just want to find it and get it.

Common Error 4: Using frames in your design.
  Frames most often just confuse SE Spiders, resulting in inaccurate or incomplete indexing. Don't use them unless your website caters only to a small group and you don't want, or need, to attract visitors from search engines.

Common Error 5: Placing your content too far down in the HTML code.
  Long scripts, excessive layout code, unnecessary graphics and other things can "push" your actual content way down the page... then a spider comes along and has to go through all that just to get to your content.
  Avoid that by using an external CSS to control most of your style and layout, by eliminating unnecessary graphics, and by setting up your layout so that your keyword-bearing content is "up-page" from other items.

Common Error 6: Using Graphic Page Headers.
  Especially Large Graphics. The top of your page is your "Prime" area... If you want a cool graphic in your header, place it as a background and use header tags to place your text - and of course your headers will contain your keyword(s), followed by a short description with "supporting keywords" appropriate for that page.

Common Error 7: Not having a focused incoming link-building strategy.
  Link exchanges with thousands of unrelated sites in a huge, poorly designed (as in: not user-friendly) "Resources" section is no longer a good idea. Avoid doing that. Instead, look for and trade links with good, high-quality websites that have something in common with yours.
  If your website is a hobby site focusing on aquariums, trade links with pet-supply websites, public aquarium websites, other hobby websites, etc. Do it in a "Directory of Related Websites" section that is a benefit to your visitors - not something that was obviously created only to improve your website ranking.
  Also: "One-way" non-reciprocal links are very important, but they are a hundred times harder to get. You can improve your chances of getting other webmasters to link to your website by making it in their own interest to do so. Good, relevant content that is regularly updated can attract some, a free service or a free e-book will attract others.

Common Error 8: Using a content-management (database) program that makes long URLs
  Long page URLs with session IDs and parameters that produce many question marks and equal signs often keep spiders from indexing your pages completely.
  Hundreds of pages and thousands of products make manual database management unthinkable, but consider making 'secondary' entry pages for each category and sub-category in your inventory, and optimize them as best as you can.

Common Error 9: Using Flash.
  Flash can let you do some amazing things with your webpages... but the internet just isn't really ready for a merchant site that makes use of it. Wait until we get 'net-wide broadband infrastructure, faster computers and more flexible SE spiders. Then you'll see what flash can do.
  For now, on a personal site, Flash can be great - provided all your visitors have broadband or a lot of patience.

Whatever else you do: Don't try to 'trick' Search Engines into giving you a better ranking.
  Some tricks may work - but never for long.... and the penalty for getting caught is removal from the index, perhaps forever.
  Note: Be very careful if you decide to hire someone to optimize your website for you... get lots of references and read the fine print carefully. Some of them do far more damage than good.

You can do it. Good website design often just means paying attention to the little details - and optimizing your pages so they do well in the search engines is just one of those little details that make a big impact.

By Tim Brown © 2006. About the author: Tim is the webmaster at http://BLT-Web.com, where webmasters can find free tools, advice, tips and other useful resources designed to help them build a successful website.

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