Search Engine Optimization

session details: Search Engine Optimization - slides from the presentation (PDF)

SEO tactics:

• research: understand the target users... imagine individuals and brainstorm keywords
• site architecture: navigation should be text, not images, and include keywords (not click here)
• semantic markup:
  • use tags that are meaningful to bots, alt tags, etc.
  • explain importance to clients so they can maintain it
  • remove non-semantic markup from GUI editors
• content strategy: search engines want to showcase sites with quality content, so make sure your pages deliver as advertised
• inbound links: most time-consuming & difficult part of process, probably 80% of effort
  
• register domain name for 10 years in advance: search engines look at expiration date as a sign of legitimacy
• important Drupal modules:
  
  • SEO checklist -- provides a list of things to improve
    
  • taxonomy -- important because it puts keywords and reciprocal links on each page
    
  • page title -- make sure it's meaningful!  Most important tag on the page for placement.
    
  • Global Redirect -- prevent same content appearing at multiple URLs (also be sure to do this with multiple domain names)
    
  • pathauto, path redirect -- reduce or prevent 404s
    
  • meta tags -- actually not very important for placement, but can improve click-through rate
  • xml sitemap (still in development for D6)
    
  • google analytics
• Google Webmaster Tools highly recommended, and Google SEO Handbook (PDF)
  
• Selling SEO -- what are clients missing? emphasize long-term rewards
• what do you sell?
  • research
  • keyword analysis (again, Google Webmaster Tools)
  • content strategy
  • training
  • measurement and evaluation
• resources:
  • http://groups.drupal.org/search-engine-optimization
    
  • http://civicactions.com
  • http://volacci.com/drupal
  • http://GrowVS.com
  • http://SEOmoz.com