Critical On Page SEO Factors You Can’t Ignore in 2008
There are a number of strategies you can use to improve your search engine optimization efforts, some of which include on-page optimization and how to avoid duplicate content issues.
On-Page Optimization
On-page search engine optimization relates to on-page modifications that assist your web pages in becoming more relevant to specific keyword phrases contained within your website (the same phrases used in a search query).
By helping to build relevance for your web pages through various areas on your page that the search engines look at, the search engines are better able to determine how relevant your web pages are for specific keyword phrases used in a searcher’s query.
Optimizing On-Page Content
One important factor in successful on-page optimization is content. Should you attempt to apply optimization to web pages with little or no content you are more likely to exceed what would be optimal density for that given keyword phrase.
When you are creating your website text content or working on existing page content, look at the page as a whole and how your visitors would perceive it. Select a specific topic that encompasses your keyword phrase and create text copy centered around that keyword specific topic.
Important Note: If your website is an e-commerce site it is important to know that your descriptions provide the information a visitor will use to make a purchasing decision. If you have only a sentence or two to describe your product; it is simply not enough. This level of content is not enough for your visitors to make a purchasing decision, and it’s not enough for the search engines to make an informed decision about what the page is about or if your web page is worthy of ranking well.
Avoiding Duplicate Content Issues
If you are a distributor for a larger company, it is important that you understand it is highly likely that the same product names and descriptions the wholesaler or manufacturer provided you with will be the same they provided to all their distributors; your competitors.
If your content is identical to the content found on other websites it will cause a search engine’s “duplicated content filter” to be set off when the search engine robots visit your web pages.
In this case, the search engines will choose the page with the longest history, which is usually the original page on the manufacturer’s or wholesaler’s website.
Duplicate content is a serious hindrance making it nearly impossible for your web pages to rank.
When a wholesaler or manufacturer provides you with product names and descriptions it is imperative that you re-work the information and re-write the content so that it is unique.
The way you do this is to provide helpful information, incorporate testimonials and product reviews. There are specific thresholds where content can be considered duplicated, related or unique.
The more unique content you add the greater your chances that the search engine robots will see your pages as unique and worthy of competing for the same keyword phrases as your competitors.
With all this being said, it is most important to ensure your server and your site set up are “search engine friendly” before actually attempting on page optimization factors.
If your server is slow and your site has errors in the code; it doesn’t matter where you put your keywords phrases or what else you do for on-page optimization. By fixing errors “from the ground up” you are making your site relevant and ready for on page optimization. Read more about SEO and server related issues here.
Continue looking for and contacting other “authority sites” within your industry and think outside the box, when determining who those “authority sites” are and how they relate to your site.
Remember to continue to add quality unique content to your site on a regular basis; if you are not savvy with HTML, ask your website designer to add a blog to your site, which will allow you to add content to your site with ease.
Lastly, remember that if you continually add unique content to your website, write topic specific pages that revolve around the theme of your targeted keyword phrase and consistently build your web page content, you are playing an active role in your on-page optimization and will gain more control of how your site is perceived, rated and ranked.
