hagai
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Jun 23, 2009, 7:30 AM
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Little things that make a big difference in SEO
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By Hagai Maidenberg - CTO - RetirementHomes.com
The title of my piece, Little things that make a big difference in SEO, refers to mistakes that I frequently notice on retirement websites and how I would correct them. Naturally, senior housing websites are not the only offenders, but in my day to day surfing, I visit many residual retirement websites and often notice SEO faux pas.
Frames
First under no circumstances should a website use frames! Not frames not inline frames … just forget frames altogether. What do you need them for? It is just as easy to build the site without frames as it is with them. Just use a table or if you’re adventurous and want further brownie points from Google, try your hand at CSS.
Title Tags
I’m constantly amazed at the countless title tags that are improperly implemented.
Don’t let HTML scare you away; you or your webmaster can easily get the hang of it and learn this simple code.
Look for this simple title tag: <title></title> tag at the top of your html file. The title tag is critical because: It tells your visitors and search engines what your webpage is about.
Too often the title of a retirement home website is “Retirement Home” or “Name of Retirement Home”. This simplification is impractical when trying to rank high on search engines; the title should include a clear description of the retirement residence’s focus and the name of the residence, in that order.
For example an independent living specific residence called ‘palm garden estates’ should have the following title tag:
<title>Independent Living & Retirement Residence – Palm Garden Estates</title>
ie: <title>Keyword phrase 1 & Keyword phrase 2 – Retirement Residence Name</title>
I added some keywords such as ‘independent living and ‘retirement residence’. People will search for ALL of these terms on Google to find this fictitious retirement residence. Key point: the title tag is what search engines display as the ‘title’ of each search result. Make it clear so that when users read the title of your search result that they know your site has all the information that they are searching for.
Important: Every single page should have a UNIQUE title.
Meta Description
Here’s another HTML strategy – the Meta description tag. I have set it up for you in a step-by-step method. Be persistent with the application of this code and you will pick it up in no time.
The Meta description tag is displayed on search engine results as the basic representation of your site.
Using the example retirement residence above, your description should be something like this:
<meta name="description" content="Independent and active retirement at Palm Garden Estates located in California has helped thousands of seniors develop an active lifestyle in a caring environment and experience independence. ">
The Meta description tag should be between 25-30 words.
The explanation for this example is as follows:
Place your keywords and a clear definition of your site’s offering at the front; utilize similar keywords and a more detailed explanation for your Meta description tag; set up a users’ option to click to your site for more information when your listing is found on search engine results.
Search Engine Friendly Text
I’ve seen countless retirement websites that don’t have a single word of text on their homepage. A flashy intro or images and links are all they have on their homepage. This is a HUGE mistake. Your homepage is where you want to introduce yourself to both your visitors and search engines.
I suggest that you include:
. at least a paragraph of text introducing your retirement residence
. the type of services and amenities offered, description of your setting (urban, rural, gated …)
. feel free to throw in some keywords here and repeat the important ones
. be aggressive, if you want to go after the term ‘retirement residence’ and repeat it three to four times in the first paragraph
Beware! Repeat keywords too much and you run into the risk of saturating your content.
Note that the sentence ‘Palm Garden Estates Independent Living is the finest Independent Living residence in California’ contains two instances of the keyword/keyphrase ‘Independent Living’ and 1 instance of ‘ Independent Living residence.
Alt tags
One last lesson in HTML and I’m through. I hope you haven’t found it to be a tough go. Remember, return to this article for several re-reads, and you will be very proficient.
Just a little familiarity with HTML language will go a long way in elevating your position on the search engines. Becoming familiar with the use of alt tags definitely will provide you with the advantage of being seen by internet users and search engines.
Every image has an alt tag. <img src=”URL/alumni.gif” alt=”description of image”>.
Since search engines cannot read what your image says it is wise to include an alt tag for every image. If your site uses images for your navigation you should definitely use the alt tag to briefly and clearly describe what that image will link to. Also, when users mouse over images, the alt description is displayed to help them.
SEO is not a science since no search engine publishes their algorithm for search results. It is BOTH an art and science. It takes trial and error and checking your placement on search engines before and after each change. Remember the changes are not going to be instant. So make your optimizations and start tracking for two to four weeks. If the trend is going upwards then keep working, if your going down on the results then undo your changes and try something new.
If at first you don’t succeed . . .
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Hagai Maidenberg is the Chief Technology Officer of RetirementHomes.com
and is the driving force behind its cutting edge technology, online market direction, and commitment to push the envelope.
Hagai has updated the RetirementHomes.com website giving it endless potential.
He holds a Honours B.SC. from the University of Toronto, with an Information Systems Specialist Degree.
(This post was edited by hagai on Jul 13, 2009, 9:21 AM)
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