| Everyone in the online world knows extremely | | | | their websites allow users to get results |
| well that the most sought after traffic to | | | | only by title. There are over 29 million |
| one's site comes from a Google search. Folks, | | | | results returned for Untitled Document.Most |
| 80% of searches on the internet are done in | | | | of us - myself included - copy and paste |
| Google.In theory, it is simple - if you have | | | | template pages, out of the convenience of not |
| something interesting to someone else, if you | | | | having to recreate all design elements from |
| build a website with the honest to goodness | | | | scratch. If you do so, do not forget to |
| goal to provide something useful for someone | | | | change the title.Make sure your title is not |
| else, that someone else will find you. That | | | | just a list of keywords and that it is |
| is also how the creators of Google describe | | | | related to the actual content of the page. |
| their main goal, to more or less have a great | | | | Google can and will check that, before |
| repository of information, and help people of | | | | deciding on your page's 'relevance'.6. Do not |
| our planet find useful stuff.In practice, it | | | | place important text inside images.Google |
| is not that simple. It is not that simple | | | | says: "Try to use text instead of images to |
| because there are thousands, possibly even | | | | display important names, content, or links. |
| millions of sites like yours, because you | | | | The Google crawler doesn't recognize text |
| might be running a very honest online | | | | contained in images."It is very tempting to |
| business, selling some very useful product, | | | | create images with text inside them, for the |
| but do not have unheard of, exceptionally | | | | very simple reason that as designers, we are |
| grand 'content'. If your site is listed on | | | | not limited to the very few font (type) |
| page 265 of a search results set, be sure you | | | | options that basic HTML allows. Also, |
| will never get any visitors that way.Unlike | | | | different browsers tend to display things |
| Yahoo and others, who rely on human | | | | differently nowadays, so it is much easier to |
| involvement, Google does everything through | | | | create a text image, which will be shown |
| automation. Websites are indexed (or crawled, | | | | consistently and not worry about styles, |
| or spidered - all terms refer to the same | | | | operating systems, etc.7. Use descriptive |
| process) by their indexing software called | | | | "ALT" tags.The "ALT" tag is used as a text |
| Googlebot. Googlebot looks at websites daily, | | | | alternative (hence the name) for images and |
| and rules programmed into the software decide | | | | image links and was designed so that text |
| which of your pages make it into the main | | | | browsers (such as Lynx) do not just display a |
| Google index and which don't. After your site | | | | generic 'Image' for every picture link you |
| was indexed, whether it was submitted for | | | | might have. If all your links say 'Image', |
| indexing by a human or the robot just | | | | how would a potential visitor know what they |
| stumbled upon it, your pages are ranked, so | | | | are?Make sure that the text description is |
| Google knows on which page of a search to put | | | | meaningful and accurate. Take our promotional |
| your site on, and on what search phrases | | | | items company as an example. Let's say they |
| should your site even be part of the result | | | | have a picture of a tradeshow display, as an |
| search.The Googlebot is very smart and works | | | | example of a service they provide outside the |
| really well. Keep in mind however, that is | | | | ordinary imprinted mint boxes, calculators |
| just a piece of software, a very | | | | and keychains. If the "ALT" tag only says |
| sophisticated one, but it's just a computer | | | | "display", that is what Googlebot will see |
| program. Consequently, it has a set of | | | | and index. If the tag says something like |
| algorithms (rules) it uses to index web site | | | | "example of a tradeshow display design", that |
| content (information), a set of capabilities | | | | is certainly more useful and more Googlebot |
| (as I said before, Googlebot is really | | | | friendly.Please note that although the "ALT" |
| intelligent) and a set of limitations. As | | | | tag does count and Google seems to put a high |
| such, there is an impressive number of ways | | | | price on this tag, it ranks lower than plain |
| in which one can trip up the Googlebot and | | | | text.8. Use meaningful descriptions for |
| make it impossible for it to index your | | | | linksWith the risk of sounding like a |
| content. Alternately, the Googlebot can index | | | | scratched CD, I'll have to say this again: |
| your site well, and then people will find it | | | | Whether you use picture links or text links, |
| when searching for words it contains.This | | | | please use meaningful text inside your tags |
| article will try to teach you all the basics | | | | so that Googlebot can associate that text |
| necessary to achieve consistency and | | | | with that href link.In other words, let's |
| persistency in Google, starting with the very | | | | pretend again that we are designing that |
| basic step: getting indexed by Googlebot, | | | | website for that imaginary promotional items |
| Google's indexing robot.1. Read Google's own | | | | company we called JDPromos. If you intend to |
| Webmaster GuidelinesThe people behind Google | | | | put a link to a set of sample coffee mugs |
| seem to have two main things down to a | | | | promos, say something like "link to JDPromos |
| science: One, most of their algorithms | | | | samples of branded coffee mugs", not just |
| (rules) are so secret, that all us non-Google | | | | "coffee mugs", or even worse, "click here for |
| employees do is speculate. Two, their | | | | pictures". Never use link text like "read |
| guidelines are very simple, direct and | | | | more" or "go here" or "download it", "click |
| precise. Following their guidelines will | | | | here", "don't click here", you get the |
| never hurt your site's ranking. Disregarding | | | | picture - I hope.Don't try to fool the |
| their guidelines can and probably will hurt | | | | Googlebot with hidden links or duplicate |
| you in the long run. So go to and read what | | | | content or irrelevant pages of words like |
| Google has to say about itself.2. Have text | | | | "sex" and "hot girls." The Googlebot doesn't |
| links.Make every single page on your site | | | | like being played and you will be penalized, |
| accessible via a text-based link, as opposed | | | | one way or another, in the long run.9. Use a |
| to Javascript, Flash, DHTML (Dynamic HTML), | | | | "description" tag for every pageInclude a tag |
| etc. Googlebot's native language is text. | | | | in your page header to summarize your site. |
| | | | Use a meaningful one or two sentence |
| Google says: "Make a site with a clear | | | | description, do not keyword spam.Even better, |
| hierarchy and text links. Every page should | | | | include descriptive text on the site's front |
| be reachable from at least one static text | | | | page where users can actually read it. This |
| link."This is probably the number one key to | | | | text will appear as the description for your |
| your site's existence in Google. Googlebot is | | | | site in Google results.Place more important |
| actually a robotic, browser-like software, | | | | content higher in the page than less |
| based on the venerable Lynx browser. The | | | | important content in a page, Google does |
| reasoning behind this approach is that the | | | | categorize text on a page based on it's |
| creators are trying to get as close as | | | | position, text at the bottom of a page is |
| possible to emulating human browsing, making | | | | considered less important, or 'relevant', to |
| sure your website is actually human friendly. | | | | use one of Google's own terms.10. Use short |
| Consequently, by downloading Lynx on your | | | | query stringsUse URLs with query strings |
| computer and looking at your site through | | | | sparingly, if at all possible. Query strings |
| Lynx ( you will see more or less exactly the | | | | are also called dynamic pages. You can |
| information Googlebot can read and index and | | | | usually recognize dynamic pages by the |
| the links Googlebot can follow. You will also | | | | presence of the "?" character. Keep in mind |
| see HTML errors on your pages and places | | | | that the shorter the list of query string |
| where a robot would be stuck and could not | | | | parameters, the better. Be aware that not |
| reach the rest of your site.I know it is very | | | | every search engine robot can crawl dynamic |
| unfair to those of us who understand and love | | | | pages as well as static pages. It helps to |
| the potential of websites built completely in | | | | keep the parameters short and the number of |
| Flash, or other engines. However, until the | | | | them few.11. Never use the "&id=" parameterIf |
| nice folks who run Google figure out a good | | | | you must use query strings, or dynamic pages, |
| way to crawl inside a Flash file and extract | | | | never use the "&id=" parameter as part of the |
| the appropriate information, we are stuck | | | | string.I know this might sound ridiculous, as |
| with standard HTML.This is not to say that | | | | it might be hard or impossible for you not to |
| you cannot make your site really pretty and | | | | use the "&id=" parameter, but if you are a |
| fill it with Java Script and Flash eye candy. | | | | programmer and you can change the variable's |
| But you must have regular text and standard | | | | name, replace "id" with something else. |
| text links. Usually you can achieve the | | | | Otherwise, Googlebot will just skip that |
| desired effect by having extra navigation | | | | page.Google says: "Don't use "&id=" as a |
| menus based on standard text links.3. Avoid | | | | parameter in your URLs, as we don't include |
| frames.Avoid frames at all cost. If you must | | | | these pages in our index."12. Use |
| use them (for example to make someone else's | | | | robots.txtUse robots.txt to show the |
| page look like it's part of your site), do | | | | Googlebot around your site. This ancient and |
| not use them on your front page.Frames are | | | | very standard mechanism for directing |
| like the plague, they sneak up on you. It is | | | | well-behaved robots like the Googlebot will |
| incredibly easy to lose Googlebot's tracks | | | | allow you to specify places where the robot |
| inside a badly formatted frameset. You might | | | | is not welcome, whether for privacy reasons, |
| hear that some of the robots, including | | | | or for reasons of avoiding Google penalties. |
| Google's Googlebot and Yahoo's Slurp are | | | | You might want to keep the robot away from |
| quickly gaining capabilities to go inside | | | | your cgi-bin directory and other places you |
| frames properly. My philosophy is, until a | | | | maybe don't want available to the entire |
| feature becomes ubiquitous, if you're | | | | searching population of the globe. Remember |
| uncertain, leave it in the closet.4. Keep the | | | | this is a guideline, not a barrier, robots |
| number of links on a given page less than | | | | that are not programmed to comply, will |
| 100.This comes straight from Google's | | | | disregard. Bottom line, use the robots.txt to |
| Webmaster Guidelines: "Keep the links on a | | | | guide Googlebot, but not to enforce strict |
| given page to a reasonable number (fewer than | | | | security.Google says: "Make use of the |
| 100)."This looks more like a suggestion and I | | | | robots.txt file on your web server. This file |
| am not 100% sure if you get penalized in any | | | | tells crawlers which directories can or |
| way or if Googlebot just stops reading your | | | | cannot be crawled."13. Make a sitemapA site |
| links after 100. I can however tell you from | | | | map is just a page on your website where you |
| personal experience that I tried a page with | | | | guide your users through the structure of |
| 700 links and it seemed fine. Then one day I | | | | your site. The most basic form of sitemap is |
| tried to view the page from my Blackberry PDA | | | | a page that lists all of your pages, with a |
| and I got this strange error message saying | | | | brief description and a link - all text, of |
| my page is illegally formatted. After I split | | | | course. When you make the sitemap, follow all |
| the page into several ones with 80 links | | | | the rules above and don't forget that the |
| each, the pages worked on the PDA also.Who | | | | purpose of the sitemap is to guide your human |
| cares about the Blackberry? Well, if you're | | | | visitor.Google says: "Offer a site map to |
| reading this and your goal is to get | | | | your users with links that point to the |
| visitors, then your main concern should be | | | | important parts of your site. If the site map |
| not to alienate anyone. Remember, today more | | | | is larger than 100 or so links, you may want |
| than ever, people use different devices and | | | | to break the site map into separate |
| different software to access the web. Every | | | | pages."14. Use the Google Sitemaps projectAt |
| visitor is a potential customer. Every | | | | the time of this writing, the fastest, best |
| employee at a major US lawfirm and many other | | | | and most accurate way to make sure your site |
| corporate people use a Blackberry.Lastly, why | | | | is properly crawled and indexed by Googlebot |
| would you need that many links on one page | | | | is to participate in the Google Sitemaps |
| anyway? Let's say, for example, that you | | | | project.In a nutshell, you make a sitemap as |
| specialize in promotional products - | | | | an XML page and submit it directly to Google. |
| corporate branded gifts, such as pens, caps, | | | | Google then sends Googlebot to index your |
| mints and other products (called sometimes | | | | site. Besides the speedy free submission, you |
| 'premiums') imprinted with one's logo. Your | | | | also get a good amount of statistics and the |
| name is John Doe, and you decided to name | | | | opportunity to fix potential errors in your |
| your company JDPromos (not very imaginative, | | | | site.Please note that the XML sitemap needed |
| but will do for our examples). You would want | | | | for the Google Sitemap project is intended |
| to have every item in your catalog as a text | | | | specifically for Googlebot, and is different |
| link, so every item gets indexed as a link | | | | from the sitemap described in the previous |
| and as a keyword. Also, those who run forums, | | | | Rule, which is intended solely for human |
| ezines, blogs, might want to have standard | | | | users.Also, do not be afraid of XML, Google's |
| links to their articles, as the software they | | | | sitemap is a very simple text file and they |
| use might create dynamic links, invisible to | | | | give you all the necessary information and |
| certain robots.5. Give every page a | | | | directions at: luck!--- |
| meaningful title.Give every single page on | | | | |
| the site a complete and meaningful title. | | | | Andrei co-owns Bsleek - a company that |
| This is also directly from Google's Webmaster | | | | specializes in web design, hosting, |
| Guidelines. See Rule #1.Incidentally, for | | | | promotional items, printing, tradeshow |
| those who are fascinated by the debates on | | | | displays, logos, CD presentations, SEO and |
| the death of the Meta Tags, the tag is not a | | | | more. Andrei has amassed an extensive |
| Meta Tag, but a required element for every | | | | technical knowledge and experience through |
| page.The "title" tag is supported by every | | | | his career as the CIO for a major travel |
| web creation tool out there, and goes in the | | | | management company and through his past |
| header of a web page (between the "head" and | | | | careers in military research, data |
| the "/head" tags).Google offers the | | | | acquisition and airspace engineering. He also |
| 'allintitle' syntax, which lets users search | | | | consults for Trinity Investigations, a New |
| only text that appears in a page title. A lot | | | | York based PI firm. |
| of people who integrate a Google bar into | | | | |