SEO for Google

With the recent Google data center updates in the last couple of months, many people find their websites no longer have the high SERPs they had enjoyed prior to the latest Google update.

Just a small heads up, as I type this, Google is in the process of yet another major update.

“Holy Search Engine Optimization” some of my readers and RSS subscribers might be thinking. What shall I do now?

Have no fear, there are some common starting points that if you apply these to all of your sites, you should be able to see the listings you once did as the norm.

  • Proper naming structure
  • Name your page titles with your keywords if possible
  • Always have a sitemap
  • Always include a robots.txt file
  • If you must use a re-direct, be sure it’s server side, not with a meta refresh tag
  • Don’t use hidden text
  • Make sure your keyword phrase is included in your H1 tags
  • Don’t optimize for more than 2 keywords per page
  • Use text links where possible
  • In any image, be sure to use the alt tag (describe the image, don’t use keywords).
  • Use hyphens, not underscores when you name a page file
  • Make sure your site has an error handling page
  • Create a Google Sitemap and submit it to them (This is in addition to a typical sitemap)
  • Offload all your JavaScript and CSS code (make it all off page).
  • Don’t forget about meta tags

Be sure to follow these simple guidelines and you won’t need to worry too much anytime Google has an update.

July 31, 2007 · Filed Under Google/SEO, Search, Technology

Comments

2 Responses to “SEO for Google”

  1. Justin Kistner on July 31st, 2007 4:51 pm

    Great tips, Sean! Do you have a preference for the meta tags? Like how many should one use?

  2. Sean on July 31st, 2007 5:00 pm

    Hi Justin,

    Actually I do have preferences for all the things I’ve covered in this post, but you’ll need to wait for the follow up article coming in the next day or two :)

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