Posted by admin on November 26, 2007 under Web Accessibility, Web Design | 
A well structured web site will offer access to all visitors, including the ability to easily access information throughout each page. By offering quicklinks to sections of the page, visitors using alternative browsers such as a Screen Reader or a text based browser can easily get to the meat of your page.
We recommend a minimum of three key sections on each web page. They include:
- your main navigation
- your main content
- your secondary navigation
This navigation can be most easily achieved through the use of an unordered list and CSS. Here is an excellent article on skip navigation by renowned accessibility expert Jim Thatcher.
Once you have the list in place at the top of the page, you’ll need to place anchors through the page and the final step is to choose how to style these links and then you’re done. Make sure to read our Web Site Basics article with 25 items that create a solid foundation to your web site.
Posted by weslinda on June 20, 2007 under Web Design |
While many people discount the work that can be put into Meta Keywords, from a basic standpoint, I would include this tag with 3-4 keywords from your site.
There is a general concensus in the industry that the major search engines no longer use the Meta Keyword tag as a part of their ranking algorythm, but I feel it should be included for quality versus ranking.
Add it in, make it on topic, but don’t spend weeks and weeks trying to decide whether you have written the perfect meta keywords tag.
To summarize, keep it short and sweet, 3-4 keywords, and call it a day. Keep it on topic, and page specific.
Read the complete article on 25 things your web site should contain as we continue through this overview of what makes a solid foundation for your web site.
Posted by weslinda on June 6, 2007 under SEO / SEM |
This is the third article in our series on 25 pieces to a solid web site. Today, we’ll be discussing the Meta Description tag. While many people in the web design and search optimization world have misused this tag, it can be a great tool to improve a pages ranking in the search engines and once seen, it can be a great way to increase click through to a page from a search engine’s results page.
First, lets look at where in your page the meta description tag should go and if there is a particular order you should follow in your code with the description. I prefer to work on importance and flow of the page on where to place this tag in your code. While some may say it isn’t critical where it goes, I prefer to place this as the second tag inside your head section. First is your title tag and then the meta description and finally the meta keywords tag before you add any additional meta tags that your page requires.
Now that we know where the tag should be placed within your code, lets look at what information the tag should contain, and how much information should be in tag. Besides your Title Tag, I would share that the Meta Description is one of if not the most important tag on the page that you have full control over.
Your meta description tag should really do two things.
- Incorporate Keywords specific to the page
- Written to convince potential searchers to visit the page
Incorporating Keywords Specific To The Page
Each page of your web site has a specific purpose with specific information you are providing to your visitors. The page will have 2-4 main keywords that it is focusing on and those should be incorporated into your meta description tag. They should not be placed in the tag just to be included but they should be placed in a way the tag flows, is easy to read and is convincing to most visitors.
Written To Convince Potential Visitors
Your meta descriptions tags should be written with care as they are typically used by the major search engines along with your title tag as the link and description they return for users to see. You’ll want to ensure that your descriptions are well written, concise and have a bit of a promotional flare so they will encourage people to click and visit your web site.
Meta Description Resources:
Posted by weslinda on June 5, 2007 under SEO / SEM |
The Title Tag of your web page is one of the most important pieces that can directly affect how well your page is optimized for the search engines. Out of any attribute or section of your page, the title tag deserves the most time.
The title tag needs to be three things.
- Specific to the page.
- Short and concise.
- Include on page keywords.
Specific To The Page
Each and every page on your web site should have a unique title attribute. The tag should be written specific to the content on the specific page. The title tag is typically used by search engines as the link text in the results and is the first opportunity for your web page to convince someone to visit. Time should be taken when writing these tags and never overestimate it’s value.
Short and Concise
In my opinion, and in the opinion of many SEO experts, you want to keep your title to under 70 or characters which forces you to only use words that are important to the page and the visitor. Clean, clear, short and concise is the best option for all titles. Make sure not to stuff this tag full of keywords that you feel need to be there. Simple and effective is the optimal way.
Include On Page Keywords
The final piece is to include the main keywords from the page, in the title. If the page is on pink widgets, then your title should say that, not something about blue widgets.
To summarize, your title should be specific and unique to the page, short and concise and include the keywords of the page. A well written title can go a long way to improving the quality of a page. Make sure to focus on this and take your time to do this well.
Resources On Title Tags
Check out the other 25 items that make a great foundation for your web site.
