Search Engine Optimization Checklist

Transcription

1 Search Engine Optimization Checklist Complete the following checklist to ensure that your website is optimized for the various internet search engines. 1. Include the strongest keyword in your title tag. Your title tags should be unique for each page and include keywords. The title tag is what readers see on the search engine results page. Consequently, it should be compelling and describe the page s content. You have 63 characters, so use them wisely. Make it something worth clicking on. The title tag may be the single most important piece of SEO real estate on your site. 1. In the Website Browser, select the appropriate folder to display the desired HTML page. 2. Right-click the HTML page and choose Page Properties. 3. Click the Advanced Properties tab. 4. Enter descriptive keywords in the Friendly Name field.

2 2. Write a meaningful meta description using keywords for your homepage The meta description appears under the link on the search engine results page and helps readers know what s on the page before they click. You ll want to weave your strongest keywords into a word summary of what the reader expects to find on that page and that page only. Make this description unique from the text that s on the page. Search engines scan the text of your website and will display snippets of text based on a user s query. You need to decide how much you want to rely on the search engine s algorithm or create your own descriptions for other pages on your site too. WARNING: if you are unfamiliar with Velocity code, please submit a request to ehc tech support (support1@ehc.com) rather than modify the code yourself. 1. In the Website Browser, drill down to the Design > Velocity folder > Head folder. 2. Double-click title-meta.vtl. 3. In Basic Properties tab, next to the Resource Link field, click the edit text button. 4. Below the existing content, add a META tag similar to the following: <meta name="description" content="orange Park Surgery Center is dedicated to providing high quality, cost effective outpatient surgery in a friendly, patient oriented environment. Orange Park Surgery Center offers a choice for surgeons and patients seeking convenience coupled with state-of-the-art equipment." /> Page 2 of 6

3 3. Include a keyword in the H1 tag on each page. Heading tags (H1, H2, and H3) are the web page s outline, telling search engines the hierarchical structure of the content. H1 is the title of your page. H2 tags identify major headings. H3 tags are subheadings further defining the page s content. Try to include a keyword in your H1 title tag. Use the H1 tag on each page, but only once. 1. In the Website Browser, select the appropriate folder to display the desired HTML page. 2. Double-click the HTML page to display the Edit view. 3. Click the Edit button in the top-left corner of the content area you want to update. 4. Revise your heading (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) to include the desired keyword(s). Page 3 of 6

4 4. Use keywords in alt tags for images and navigation When you upload a photo, use your keywords to describe the photo and to add a caption. This alt text will display if the image doesn t, so it should describe the content or visual meaning of the image. You can change the alt text anytime, and the same picture can have different keywords associated with it. Consider having a photo with keyword alt text on every web page. Be sure to use alt tags in your navigation. In fact, anywhere images are used (in the header, footer or side-bar navigation), be sure to supplement them with alt text; otherwise your site might not be navigable by a visitor who isn t seeing images. 5. Use no more than 3-5 words in your URL According to Google, if you have more than 5 words in a URL, the Google algorithms begin to weigh those words less and not give you as much credit. Research shows (done by MarketingSherpa in 2008) that short URLs get clicked on twice as often as long URLs (given that the position rank is equal). Consider including keywords in the URL or a keyword in the filename portion of the URL. URLs are another way you can help visitors know what to expect on the web page. Be sure to use URLs that appear static instead of dynamic, meaning it shouldn t contain ampersands, question marks, etc. Use hyphens to separate words. Use 301 redirects if you rename pages. 6. Use descriptive text in anchor links Anchor text is the text you see in a link. You ll want this text to help readers understand what they ll navigate to if they click on it. Example: If you are a new patient, you can complete the registration forms prior to your appointment and bring them with you. Registration forms are the anchor text and would display the forms for new patients. Avoid using click here because it s less descriptive. Use anchor text for both internal and external links. Internal links will help users (and search engines) understand the navigation on your site. Keep anchor text links short, just a few words or a phrase. 7. Use external links. Is there a link to your site on other sites that readers might visit? These could include local directories, other HCA sites, market site, division site, facility site, physician office site, or other health-related sites. Think of the sites that your visitors may be using. Would they find a link to your site? Page 4 of 6

5 8. Use SEO friendly content. Having SEO friendly content is always a work in progress because part of what search engines look for is fresh, updated content. You re never really finished with SEO. Refer to the guide we ve developed with examples of strong versus weak content and ideas you can use to keep improving your site s SEO. [link to Angela s doc once published] 9. Promote your site. If you are promoting your site in the right places then you should be driving traffic to your site organically. For example, are you registered for Google Places so visitors can find you via Google maps and web searches? Do you have a blog that helps announce new content or services? Refer to our website and online presence promotion guide (site on Atlas at keyword: promote my site) for strategies, ideas, and templates. This guide is targeted to physician offices but the information is applicable to all sites. 10. Monitor your site traffic. How many unique visitors are coming to your site? What are your site statistics? Part of improving your SEO involves understanding how visitors use your site. Run Google Analytics and Omniture reports to see which pages users view most often. Verify that Your Web Site Does Not Have The Following Common Mistakes: 1. Keyword density. Us keywords in a way that make sense with usability in mind. Don t sacrifice common sense titles, headings, descriptions, and page content because you re trying to include as many keywords on a webpage as possible 2. Don t put important text in images alone or use images instead of text links. Relying too heavily on images to convey key information on a web page could mean that your visitor will miss your message if the images don t display. 3. Don't have broken links on your site. Always check every link. 4. Avoid duplicating content on your site. Decide where you re going to discuss that information on your website and then link to it from the other pages. 5. Don t use the same title tag on every page. Each page on your website has different content, so the title tag should accurately describe the content for that page. 6. Use the H1 tag only once on a page. Do not use the H1 tag for the logo. Page 5 of 6

6 Resources There is much information on the internet about SEO. Some experts disagree about the best ways to accomplish SEO. These opinions change often as search engines like Google change their algorithms that determine search results. Below are some websites to explore if you want to know more about SEO. The Beginner s Guide to SEO The Beginner s Checklist for Learning SEO SEO Part 6: Everything You Need to Know About Search Engine Friendly URLs & Broken Links SEO Checklist: 60 essential checks before launching a website Page 6 of 6