1. Optimize page titles. Make your titles on your web page make sense.
One of the core attributes of a web page is its title. In between the <title> </title> tags you can specify the page's title as it appears in the browsers top title bar and in the search engine results. Use SEO.

2. Provide alternate and title text for all your major images.
Alternate and title text is text that you insert in your image tags (<img ...>) that is used by text only browsers. Text only browsers are used by the blind to surf the web since images won't help them very much ... the alternate text in your image tags is read by the text only browsers in place of displaying the images.

3. Optimize File Names.
Use all lowercase letters in file and image names. No spaces. Try to make your file names descriptive and use targeted keywords whenever possible.

4. Get your site link on other "relevant" websites.

5. Include a robots.txt file. More information

6. Optimize your content - use SEO Copywriting.
SEO copywriting is the fine art of optimizing the copy on your web site so that it ranks highly in the search engine (i.e. Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) results for a keyword or phrase. In short, the style of your copywriting will determine whether your site pops up when potential customers are searching for your product. SEO writing is not merely throwing in keywords or phrases throughout your site ad nauseam. It's crucial that once visitors flock to your site, they like what they see: a smooth flow of keyword-rich copy.

7. Keep the structure of your web pages consistent throughout your website.

8. Use standard styles for your navigation.
A classic example to avoid is found in the way navigation works on different pages; one page may have the navigation menu across the top of the page then on the next page it will along the right side and so on. Keep the navigation structure the same on every page of your website. Big companies like Apple and Microsoft have spent a ton of cash to figure out what types of navigation works, and what they found is that left side navigation and top navigation is what people are used to.

9. Make you web pages viewable at 800 x 600 resolution.
Scrolling web pages vertically (top to bottom) is okay, as long as it's not more than two and half pages or so. But scrolling horizontally (side to side) should be avoided.

10. Create a custom 404 'Page not found' page.
A 404 page is just an html page like any other, you just need to ask your host to set it up so you can use your own home made 404 page. A good 404 page will be clear to the visitor that they found the right website, but just not the right page. 404 pages should include links to your "home" and site map pages.

11. Create a site map page. Visit XML-Sitemaps.org
A site map is a simple web page with text links to all the websites sub-pages organized in proper categories; users will utilize a site map if they can find one. Submit your site map to search engines.

12. Keep your web pages under 60k in size.
If a user has to wait more than a few seconds to see your page, you are probably losing most of your potential audience. High speed Internet is growing steadily, but a good portion of website surfers still use 56k dial-up modems.

NORTHERN WOODS WEBSITE SOLUTIONS
The Tannery Marketplace, 111 Saranac Street, Suite 4, Littleton, NH 03561
Amy@NorthernWoods.net | www.NorthernWoods.net