It is easier today to build a website than it was just a few years ago. Not only is building a website easier but the point and click editing and design tools available make creating a professional looking website simple. However, there is one problem most novice website owners eventually encounter that can be the most frustrating part of owning a website: Targeted Organic Traffic.

Once novice website owners complete their website, getting people to view the website is the next obstacle that must be overcome. Simply building a website and uploading it to the host servers will not magically put the new website in front of the millions of people that surf the Internet everyday. New websites must be optimized in order to receive traffic and in order to get this traffic new website owners must implement proper Search Engine Optimization.

The search engine optimization process begins even before the website is built and designed. Before a website is built, a target market or niche must be chosen and this target market is what the website will be built around. New website builders must first determine the market, then do keyword research to locate the search words for the market that people are placing in the search engines that relate to the website theme.

Keyword research is such an important part of the website building process that if overlooked or not properly done, could make the whole website building process in vain. People that are building their first website are usually excited about their new endeavor and quickly become disillusioned once they realize that there website is receiving little or no traffic.

Search engine optimization is a process that must be learned and is also dynamic and ever changing. What works today may not work three months from now because search engines like Google are always tweaking and changing their algorithms for two very important reasons:

The first reason is to deliver a better product. Google is the behemoth of all search engines with the lion share of searches done on the Internet each day, leaving Yahoo and MSN in their wake. Since Google is the market leader, they pride themselves on delivering the most up to date and relevant information being delivered to their users.

The first reason Google constantly tweaks their algorithms leads to the second reason: Because Google is the market leader among search engines, scammers, spammers and black hats constantly try to game the Google system to reach the top slots on Google to exploit the massive amount of traffic that Google produces each day.

This is why search engine optimization is such a difficult part of the website experience for the novice. Search engine optimization is better learned by trial and error rather than taught as theory in the classroom since SEO is an ever changing process. Utilizing the services of a reputable SEO firm is the best avenue for novice website builders that do not have the time to learn the ropes of SEO. However, it should be noted that proper SEO techniques are not exclusive to SEO firms. On the contrary, SEO concepts and techniques can be learned by anyone that has the time and discipline to do so.


About the Author

Doug Fisher writes about search engine optimization and various other subjects. Please visit his search engine marketing Memphis, SEO blog for more information.

Labels: google, search engines, seo, traffic, web design

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The banner page should clearly indicate what the site is about. Provide a navigation scheme on the first page and stick to it throughout your website. Your logo should be clearly placed above the fold of the page, and the page should clearly state to your visitor EXACTLY what your website is all about. If you fail this, you will lose your visitors faster than anything. Your banner page should be informative, and should call your visitor to action. The banner page is the place where the visitor decides whether it will be worthwhile staying, they will either click on some of your links, or will leave the site. If you have a discount, or if you offer a certain free service in an attempt to make contact with your potential customers, take care to provide the link to this service on your banner page. If you decide to apply some kind of fancy introduction to your first page, take care to offer the possibility for the user to skip the introduction. The link “skip introduction” should be separate from any flash on the page, because you will force the visitor to wait until the whole thing has downloaded. Nothing irritates visitors more and makes them leave faster than being confused or kept waiting.

Structure of navigation
A commercial website is NOT the place to experiment with navigation. We expect to see navigation on the left or the top of the site because we read from left to right and top to bottom. Placing navigation on the right of the page can be a fundamental but fatal flaw. Users are becoming used to advertisements on the right of a page and this can create a strange kind of menu blindness. Remember the cardinal rule, if they are confused or kept waiting they will leave. Make it as obvious as you can when it comes to navigation, don’t be tempted to experiment for the sake of being different.

Your navigation should be consistent on every page of your website, don’t mix and match different menu placement for different situations. Be clear and consistent. While we are on the subject, avoid the need to open menu links in a new browser in a new frame or new window. It is acceptable to open “external links” this way but a frame is always more acceptable. New windows don’t always open fully and can look like pop up ads.

Size of font
Your font size should be large enough so that your text can be read without effort. There are many people who will not take the trouble of reading tiny fonts. If possible, add an option to re size the font on the page. This is a “requirement” on education and government sites, it is seen as discrimination not to do so. To keep your visitors (and keep them happy) the optimal size seems to be 12-13 point. The visitor should be able to read your text easily and without any effort. Creating breaks between paragraphs makes text easier to read and avoids overloading the visitor.

Line length
The length of a line of the type should be comfortable for reading. The optimal line length for printed materials seems to be approximately 10 to 12 words, or 60 to 70 characters. Lines slightly shorter at approximately 40 to 50 characters can be more suitable for longer texts. Long, awkward text looks amateurish and tends to turn the reader off.

Creating emphasis
It is important to create emphasis and, handled with taste and good judgement, it can help direct and inform the reader. When these qualities are missing, or each word is given equal importance then your Web page begins to resemble a battle field and it becomes difficult to read!

Graphics
It is well-known that a picture is worth a thousand words (more like a million). This rule applies to the Internet too. Make your best effort to show clear, attractive photographs of your product. If you offer a service, find a photograph which will describe it better. However, pay attention to the size of the file. Try not to compress your photograph to the point where it ceases to be clear. Also don’t leave the photograph at full quality. That will make the file much too large, and the loading time will increase.

GIF Vs JPEG
Less experienced Web creators mistakenly think that JPG must be better since it optimises pictures and makes them smaller. Well that is half right but if you have pictures or logos with less than 16 or 32 colours why would you need JPG with it’s 16+ million colours? Gif can reduce down to 16 or 32 colours and can also include transparency information if needed. Whilst JPG is generally a safe option, it makes sense to be aware of it’s limitations (reduction of picture definition, lots of colours) and also the benefits of the GIF format. Personally I have never been a big fan of GIFs, but that doesn’t mean that I refuse to use them if the situation warrants it.

Mike A.

Mike runs a Web Design and SEO site in Oxfordshire. Visit his site at The Meeting Junction.

Labels: gif's, images, jpeg's, seo, web design

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