Tuning Up Your Web Site - Being Seen
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Not every web site gets the majority of its traffic from the major search engines, but you can't afford to ignore them. Therefore, you need to make sure that your site is being fully indexed by the engines - or at least as fully indexed as you want it to be. If you have content that is for subscribers only, you should already know how to keep it out of the indexes. Just don't block anything more. And certain things are still hard for search engine spiders to read or get past (JavaScript, flash, etc).
If you want to make sure you're getting indexed in the search engines, it helps to create and submit an XML site map to Google Sitemaps. You can also submit a site map to Yahoo Site Explorer. But your best bet is to check out Sitemaps.org for more information about a protocol that is being adopted by all three major search engines (and possibly more).
Getting indexed is only part of the battle though. You want to make sure you're indexed for the right keywords. You probably did your keyword research when you first designed your site. The popularity of terms used to describe a thing can change, though. Your target market may have used one word to search for something six months ago, but is now using a different word more frequently. Quick: is "notebook" or "laptop" more popular? That's just one example. Google Trends can help you compare which terms are more popular in what parts of the world, even over time. Here you'd find out that "laptop" is the more popular term in general -- but "notebook" is much more popular in certain parts of the world, such as Italy.
You should know which search terms are most popular with your target audience today, and optimize your site accordingly. Make sure you use and integrate these terms into the most logical places: page titles, meta tags, and visible page text. You may say you did this once already, but if you look at the site with fresh eyes, you may find that you can now do a better job than you did a few months ago.
And while we're on the topic of being seen, how does your web site do among those who physically can't see it? The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) offers standards, guidelines, and support for those who wish to make their web sites accessible to blind and visually-impaired visitors. Don't immediately assume that blind people won't be interested in what you have to offer; they have many of the same interests as sighted people, and most have sighted friends for whom they purchase gifts.
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