You are here: Home > What is SEO? > Steps To Optimize Your Website
Here are the steps to optimizing your website:
  • Choose Home Page Keywords and Theme (up to 10 keywords)
  • Choose keywords with search volume that describe the content on your page
  • Use keywords to make Categories on your site
  • Use Headings with your keywords 
  • Use Keywords as the Alt Image tag. (alt=”yourKeyword”)
  • Use keywords properly in the Title ( no more than 64 characters with spaces)
    • Capitalize each word in the title – but only the first letter
    • Do no use “stop words” in the title – little words like to, an, and, for, etc
  • Use keywords in the description. Type the description like a proper sentence or two, without additional capitalization. Only capitalize proper nouns such as places and names.
    • Descriptions should not exceed 160 characters with spaces.
    • Don’t forget to include a Call to Action phrase such as Learn, Find, Investigate or Read
  • List Keywords with NO capitalized letters. Each term should be separated by a comma.
    • Use: phoenix seo, search engine optimization, internet consulting - NOT - Phoenix SEO, Search Engine Optimization, Internet Consulting
  • Use your keywords 3 or 4 times in the content of the page.
    • As close to the start of the page, in the middle and at the end
  •  Emphasize your keywords by Bolding, Italicizing or Underlining them 
  • Use the exact keywords plus other words that are relevant to the topic
    • If your keyword is Encino Plumber – plumbers from Encino is not the same.
    • Adding an s to a keyword changes it to another keyword, changing the search volume.
  •  Add Home Page keywords to your Footer. This complies with Google’s guideline regarding having your keywords in the last 50 words of the page. 
  • Flash and Java do nothing for SEO, Google cannot read the image.
    • Be sure there is plenty of written words on your web pages.

Words of caution for SEO.

SEO has three categories - White Hat, Black Hat and Gray Hat. Our advice is to always choose White hat methods of optimization. Black hat SEO will get you banned FOREVER from Google. Is it worth it?

Learn the techniques that are considered "Black Hat" and make sure that you steer clear. Gray Hat SEO is composed of methods that haven't been banned, but are definitely there to "game" the system. Google is real smart, they figure out how people are trying to circumvent the system they have developed to make sure that the internet, or at least their little corner of it...lol, stays honest. If you try to sneak something by them, you can be sure that they will change the algorithm and you will be on the short end of the stick.

White Hat techniques show that your business is legitimate rather than fraudulent. You stay away from any type of spamming activity. Read about other White Hat practices to protect your site. Stay safe.