Website visibility

Having a website is an important step towards gaining more exposure for your business. Now that your website is up and running, how will your target audience find you? Most people find websites through the help of a search engine or directory; it is vital that your website be properly listed and accessible to users. To gain exposure for your website on the Internet, it is a good idea to register it with all the major search engines and directories. This takes time and effort, but if the process is done properly you will achieve better rankings — which means more traffic.

Meta tags and keywords

The title meta tag — This is the most important meta tag of all because it is recognized by every major search engine. It can be a key factor in getting a high search engine ranking. The title meta tag ensures that the correct name of your website will appear above the summary in a search engine listing.

It is recommended that you include relevant keywords in the title meta tag because they can also help your website rank higher in search engine listings. However, do not write a full-length explanation (like that found in the description meta tag), nor simply insert a line of terms (like those found in the keywords meta tag).

For example, if composing a title meta tag for the home page of a made-up business, J.J. Designs, it is better to write: "J.J. Designs: Automotive Accessories — Home" than "J.J. Designs — Home." The first example describes the page as well as the website's contents. It also includes two popular search terms in the automotive industry, Automotive and Accessories. When you compose the title meta tag:

Use relevant keywords in your title when possible.

Do not write a paragraph.

Do not write a string of descriptive keywords.

The description meta tag — You can summarize your page concisely for search engines by using the description meta tag. This meta tag will appear in the search engine as the summary under the title of your page. Use no more than 200 characters (approximately 30 words) for the description and less than 100 characters if possible.

For example, the home page for the fictitious company J.J. Designs could be: "Custom automotive accessories delivered to your door. Thousands of items to choose from at affordable prices." When you compose the description meta tag:

Ensure that the description is written by someone who is an authority on the site's content.

State the functions or services of your website clearly and concisely.

Treat your description meta tags much like ad copy. Use words to attract visitors.

Incorporate as many of your keywords as you can in the description.

The keywords meta tag — These are key terms that represent a page's content. If you use any of these terms in an Internet search, the search engine will then seek out any pages featuring these terms as keywords and grab those pages as a match. Because each search engine grabs a different number of keywords, ensure that your keywords appear in order of importance. For example, J.J. Designs may choose the following keywords for its home page:

Custom automotive accessories

Auto enthusiast

Car enthusiast

Interior accessories

Exterior accessories

Custom wheels

Car speakers

Car stereos

Car audio

Car

Truck

Sport utility vehicle

Motorcycle

Sports car

It is recommended that there be a maximum of twenty keywords. If you have more, some search engines will ignore the remaining keywords, demote you to a lower ranking, or delete you from the list entirely.

When you compose the keywords meta tag:

Anticipate the keywords that your target audience is most likely to use to access the information you offer.

Place the most important keywords first in the list, as search engines often give more weight to keywords found at the beginning of the list.

Think of the keywords as a draw that helps attract attention to your website.

Decide on the best use of a word (i.e., Should a term be single, plural, or both? Should a phrase be used instead of a collection of terms?). Try to create relevant phrases instead of only single terms, especially if the terms are very common.

Don't repeat keywords. Excessive repetition is called keyword spamming and all major search engines penalize websites that do this. Spamming may cause search engines to ignore your website or refuse to index the page.

Don't include inappropriate or misleading keywords in your meta tags simply to generate traffic (e.g., money).