With the perpetual adjustments seen in the Search Engine algorithms, it is impossible to lay down a fixed set of successful techniques. However, basic principles hold good despite evolving internet trends and search engine algorithms. You can make search engine optimization strategies more effectual by making your website more meaningful, accessible, and simple to use, while keeping some points in mind. Here are some suggestions to achieve this

Generate keyword-rich content

Keyword-rich content is the first step to successful Search Engine Optimization. Content is infused with appropriate keywords and search phrases commonly used by internet searchers for products or services and relevant to your website. Keyword phrases need to be placed prominently to catch the customer’s attention and that of search engine bots. Some tips to get you started off:

• Use applications such as Wordtracker, Nichebot, Google Analytics, KeywordDiscovery and Google Adwords to uncover keywords that are fairly competitive but show up often in searches.
• Use niche keyword terms instead of all-encompassing phrases, (for example, “Women Plus Size Clothing” instead of “Women clothing”).
• Include keywords in titles, headings, links, page URLs, alt text of graphics, document descriptions of multimedia files, and bold and italicized text.
• Keyword density should be good but not over the top. It is important to write as naturally as possible.
• Use keywords at the start of text blocks for better indexing.

Develop relevant content that focuses on customers’ needs

Content should be pertinent to prospects interests, simple to understand and access, and most of all addresses their needs. Search engines favor websites with many inbound links from other sites. It tells the search engines that the content is useful. This will make search engines boost your page rank and get it to rank higher in organic search. Constantly updated content will also encourage repeat visits and also lead to re-indexing of pages by search engines.

Build user-friendly website design and information structure

Website users and search engine spiders should have easy access to keyword-rich content. This is achieved through quality information organization – website navigation; displaying links with meaningful labels; placing textual content, multimedia, and images effectively; etc. A web site page should have links to other pages on the site. Add a navigation menu or sitemap for quick access. Sitemaps improve the search-ability of websites too. These practices should be part of the website’s development plan as they take time but are effective in building a sound base of the website.

Get inbound links to your website

Inbound links or links from third party websites can get you more search engine traffic. Try to get backlinks from reputed web registries and related business websites. Linking directories are helpful. They charge an ongoing or one-time fee. Do not get lured by unethical SEO tactics that promise hundreds or thousands of links to improve your ranking. Their tactics may get you blacklisted and make your site disappear from search engines.

Some tips for getting backlinks are:

• Great, appropriate web content is the best way to get inbound links by becoming link baits.
• Have a “Link” button for convenient linking to your website.
• Contact site administrators and develop mutually helpful relationships for exchanging links.
• Link to good quality websites that may help your customers. You might get a link back.
• Publish quality articles in high ranking article directories. They let you include a few links in the author resource box. Also contact owners of high ranking blogs and ask if you can provide free content to them if they let you include links back to your site.

Use meta tags effectively

The description meta tag contains the text that gets displayed in search results. It should include appropriate keywords and should elicit interest of customers. The keyword tag, though ignored by most search engines, helps in the website’s categorization. The tags should be developed for every page separately.

Evaluate the website’s performance

Once you deploy an SEO strategy, examine the website’s performance to judge its efficacy. Use tools such as Google Webmaster Tools, Google Analytics, Yahoo! Site Explorer, etc.

Track SEO news

Search engine companies are always improving underlying algorithms. It’s a good idea to keep track of what’s going on by subscribing to websites such as Search Engine Watch, The Official Google Blog, SEO Book, SEO Chat, Sphinn, etc.

Avoid content duplication

Duplication of content can occur if articles are published on various websites, product descriptions are similar except for heading and image, session IDs are the only changed constituents in URLs, printer-friendly version of pages are not excluded from search with directions in the “robots.txt” file, and if a website has multiple URLs names with similar content, etc. Search engines do not penalize you for duplicate content but backlinks created by duplicate content do not improve your site rank.

Steer clear of black hat tactics

Black hat SEO strategies such as keyword stuffing and website cloaking are helpful in the short term but can backfire by getting your website banned from search engines. If you want to win in the long run, use white hat SEO tactics that play by the rules.

Pertinent content, information structure, and effective positioning of keywords are necessary elements of any SEO campaign. This way, your website will have a sound base irrespective of modifications in search engine algorithms. Daljeet Sidhu is the author of this article.