How Search Engines rank Web Pages
So, how do crawler-based search engines go about
determining relevancy, when confronted with hundreds
of millions of web pages to sort through? They follow
a set of rules, known as an algorithm.
location and frequency of keywords
on a web page
- Pages with the search terms appearing in the
HTML title tag are often assumed
to be more relevant than others to the topic.
- Search engines will also check to see if the
search keywords appear near the top of a web page,
such as in the headline or in the
first few paragraphs of text.
- A search engine will analyse how often keywords
appear in relation to other words in a web page.
- Not all search engines read meta tags. In addition,
those that do read meta tags may chose to weight
them differently.
- Search engines may also penalize pages or exclude
them from the index, if they detect search engine
"spamming." An example is when a word
is repeated hundreds of times on a page, to increase
the frequency
Off The Page Factors
- Off the page factors are those that a webmasters
cannot easily influence. Chief among these is link
analysis. By analysing how pages link to
each other, a search engine can both determine what
a page is about and whether that page is deemed
to be "important".
- Another off the page factor is clickthrough
measurement.
Search Engine Placement Tips
Pick your target words
- Your target keywords should always be at least
two or more words long. Pick phrases of
two or more words, and you'll have a better
shot at success.
Position your keywords
- The page title is most important.
- use your target keywords for your page headline
(if possible)
- Have them also appear in the first paragraphs
of your web page.
- Keep in mind that tables can "push"
your text further down the page, making keywords
less relevant because they appear lower on the page.
- Large sections of JavaScript can also have the
same effect as tables. The search engine reads this
information first, which causes the normal HTML
text to appear lower on the page. Place your script
further down on the page, if possible. As with tables,
the use of meta tags can also help
Have relevant content
- Your keywords need to be reflected in the page's
content.
- You need HTML text on your page. Sometimes sites
present large sections of copy via graphics. It
looks pretty, but search engines can't read those
graphics. Some of the search engines will index
ALT text and comment information,
along with meta tags.
- Be sure that your HTML text is "visible."
Have HTML links
- Add HTML hyperlinks to the home
page that lead to major inside pages or sections
of your web site. (Do not use image maps leading
to the different pages – search engines cannot
follow them)
- Also consider making a site map
page.
- Finally, be sure you do a good job of linking
internally between your pages.
Frames can kill
- Some of the major search engines cannot follow
frame links. Make sure there is an alternative method
for them to enter and index your site, either through
meta tags or smart design. (create doorway page
– a static page containing hyperlinks)
Use meta tags
Meta tags can help you overcome problems with tables,
frames and other trouble areas. Meta tags will also
help you control your site's description in engines
that support them. You should use meta tags, but keep
in mind that they are NOT a guarantee that
your site will appear first. Adding some
meta tag code is not a magic bullet that cures your
site of dismal rankings.
Two Important Meta Tags: Keywords
and Description
The description tag returns a description of the page
in place of the summary the search engine would ordinarily
create. The keywords tag provides keywords for the
search engine to associate with your page.
The Major Search Engines
Top Choices
1. Google
2. Alltheweb
3. Yahoo
4. Msn Search
Based on http://www.searchenginewatch.com
|
