Search Engine Optimization—Three Actions that May Improve Rankings

Sandra Waggett

Want to market your business more effectively online? Consider these three website design changes that may immediately improve your search engine rankings: Flash 1. If you have a 100% Flash website, consider changing it. Don't get me wrong, Flash is nice. The problem is that search engines don't like Flash … at least not sites that are 100% Flash. Flash handles text differently than a standard HTML page, so most search engines have a hard time properly indexing 100% Flash. Think about it … when was the last time you did a Google search and the #1 ranked site you found was a Flash site? If search engine rankings are a goal, reconsider your 100% Flash site. Try a hybrid site instead. Make your pages HTML, or ASP based. Include great content, appropriate meta tags, anchor text, structured headings, and then embed your cool Flash elements into the page. You are likely to see dramatic improvements in your rankings. Frames 2. If you have a frame-based website, consider changing it. Search engines have a hard time properly indexing sites with frames. You should not use frames, if there are other alternatives. People often use frames to display the same header and navigation across their entire website for consistency. While consistency is good, this can be (and should be) accomplished without using frames. If you have a small site, you can hard code the header and menu into each HTML page. If you have a larger website, you might use an INCLUDE file to keep your maintenance work down. Eliminate frames from your website, include great content, appropriate meta tags, anchor text, and structured headings. You are likely to see dramatic improvements in your rankings. Embedded Text 3. If your home page text is embedded in a graphic, consider changing that design. Search engine spiders are hungry little varmints that eat up text. If your text is embedded in a graphic, they can't read it and they go away hungry. This is bad for your rankings. Not sure how to tell if your text is embedded in a graphic? Go to your web page and try to highlight the text (like you would in a word processor). If you can highlight it on the page, then it is text (which is good). If you cannot highlight it on the page, then it is a graphic (which is bad … at least from a search engine perspective). If you minimize graphic embedded text on your home page and replace it with real keyword rich text, include great content, appropriate meta tags, anchor text, and structured headings, you are likely to see dramatic improvements in your rankings. 

Sandra Waggett serves as owner and principal webmaster for MSW Interactive Designs LLC (MSW-ID), a website design and hosting firm that helps small business professionals achieve an effective Internet presence. Waggett designs and develops a variety of online technologies including websites, eCommerce and portal sites. Contact us to find out how We put the Web to Work for You! Visit www.MSWInteractiveDesigns.com

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