10 SEO Tips to Increase Web Site Hits

Everyone out there is obviously interested in statistics to see how many web site hits and web site visitors the site is getting. So, I thought it would be a good idea to point out a few basics, 10 to be exact, that every website should implement for better search engine ranking. I expect that some of you already know these basics. If so, great! You are already on a great start. If not, then I urge you to put these into place. Keep in mind that this list will not be enough to get you on Google's first page, but this is a great start. The goal for this list is primarily to open your eyes to the world of SEO or "Search Engine Optimization".

1.
Get links to your site! Submit your website to online directories such as DMOZ and Yahoo, which are free. Join a local Chamber of Commerce which typically offers an online directory for local businesses and organizations. Search engines see links as votes for your website. The more votes you get the better. BUT! Be sure these are not links from spam type websites or Google and other search engines will penalize and possibly ban your website. P.S. If you provided a testimonial to ONFX. Then I have published your testimonial and provided a link to your site.

2.
Use keywords for links within your website and pointing to your website. For example, if you provide "blue gadgets", then your text should read "blue gadgets" not "click here".

3.
Use natural language in your web pages that are related to your target keywords and phrases rather than keyword stuffing. A very high use of keywords will be flagged by search engines as spamming.

4.
Use a unique Title tag on each web page. If you absolutely must have your web site name, then place it at the end.

5.
Fresh content can help improve your ranking. So, if possible, update your pages on a regular basis. Search engines see new content as relevancy.

6.
If your website does not change often, then a blog might help your website SEO, but keep in mind that you need to blog fairly often to get the benefits.

7.
Eliminate similar and duplicate content. This is a bit more complicated than it sounds. You must eliminate "canonicalization". This means that you must use your domain name with or without the "www". For example, use only http://www.yourdomain.com or http://yourdomain.com. Do not use both or search engines conisider this spam and penalize your website. P.S. If you need instructions, I will provide them shortly.

8.
Make sure you use meta tags on your web pages. Now, before you comment that they are no longer used by most search engines for SEO purposes, I will say that I agree with you. So, why do you need them? Because they are still used in many cases to display a description of your website in search engine results. So, if you offer some type interest in your headline or description, than the visitor will click and visit your website!
9.
Make sure your website is easy to navigate and well structured. Search engines crawl your website just like visitors navigate it. So, the easier it is for humans, then the easier it likely will be for search engines

10.
Do NOT design your website without SEO consideration. Once that cool looking Flash-based website is built, you will realize that it will be difficult if not impossible to be indexed by search engines.
BONUS TIPS:

If my list did not bore or confuse you, than I highly recommend another article. It comes from a great SEO website, SEOmoz, that has lots of great SEO information. Please visit the following link for "The Beginner's Checklist for Small Business SEO".

I mentioned in my list that I would provide instructions to avoid duplicate content on your website due to "canonicalization". Instead of reinventing the wheel, I will provide you with a link to an SEO Cheat Sheet (.pdf) written by the same website, SEOmoz. A small warning though... I really kept it simple in my list. This cheat sheet however, is very technical. Please visit the following link for The Web Developer's SEO Cheat Sheet.

I will be writing another article soon on a few applications to help you perform and monitor SEO on your website. You can even spy on the competition and their SEO techniques! A lot of these applications are completely FREE. Others are very inexpensive and just as simple to use. Stay tuned!