| In order to tap into the power of HTML (Hypertext | | | | also what search engines use as the link text to your |
| Markup Language) elements, you first need to know | | | | site. Your title should be relatively descriptive and |
| what they are. In HTML, elements are bits of markup | | | | include as many key words as it can without |
| that tell a web browser to display or format parts of | | | | becoming abrasive. Seven or eight words is generally |
| web pages. For example, means paragraph, and | | | | a good length for the title of a web page. |
| means bold - there are plenty more. These elements | | | | It can be much easier to put than A search engine |
| are used constantly when writing web pages. You | | | | can easily locate the prior so there is no real need for |
| should basically think of your HTML elements as the | | | | the latter. The only time that you will see trouble is if |
| organizational and visual formatting of your HTML | | | | you have things like where "userid" changes for each |
| document. | | | | user. If this sort of thing happens you may run into |
| By learning HTML, you can tap into the power of | | | | trouble and should arrange so that the "userid" isn't |
| HTML elements and create a more interesting | | | | completely necessary (unless, of course, you want |
| website as well as tipping off search engines as to | | | | the page password protected). |
| what the most important information on your web | | | | Dynamic websites aren't usually engine friendly, |
| page is. Many people starting out on the web just | | | | though, unless you deliberately make them that way. |
| use 'easy editors' (also known as WYSIWYG for | | | | If you've spent money and time to build a dynamic |
| what you see is what you get) that show the page | | | | website then you won't want to throw it out - you |
| as it will appear, without ever looking at the code | | | | need to learn how to optimize it for the search |
| that the page is actually made from. This is fine if | | | | engines. |
| you intend to distribute and are only interested in the | | | | Other tags such as (bold) tags and (italics) tags will |
| look of the page. Visually artistic people are often | | | | also help out. You can put these around your key |
| drawn to using WYSIWYG (pronounced wise-ee-wig) | | | | words or less important subheadings. These won't do |
| editors when creating their web pages because it | | | | quite as much for you, but they will definitely help to |
| allows them to see exactly what they are doing and | | | | some extent and should be utilized when practical. |
| frees them from the time consuming task of learning | | | | The difference between your site and other sites of |
| HTML. | | | | equal page rank and similar material will be how well |
| The structure of HTML is based on logic, order, and | | | | you utilize HTML elements to exemplify your work. |
| syntax and is, therefore, relatively simple to use. To | | | | You can very easily modify your web site so that |
| make a heading, you use the heading elements (, , , | | | | things stick out where they should. Solid knowledge |
| and so on up to ). To start a new paragraph, you | | | | of HTML is your best friend when you are |
| use a paragraph element (). To format a list, you use | | | | performing SEO activities. Remember, "If you build it, |
| a list element (start with then use | | | | they will come." |
| ). In order to learn HTML it is a good idea to go to | | | | You have to realize that search engines can't use |
| As XHTML is gaining more and more popularity | | | | your search box, so the only way for them to |
| among web masters (and search engines) it may be | | | | access your dynamic information is if they follow a |
| a good idea to learn that instead. XHTML is basically a | | | | link to it some other way. The lesson to learn is that |
| more standardized version of HTML and it is worth | | | | you need to give access to all your pages with plain, |
| learning. If you learn XHTML along with CSS, you will | | | | text links, somehow - you can't just rely on searches |
| have be able to make extremely powerful web | | | | to drive your whole site. What this means is that |
| pages. | | | | somewhere on your website you need to have a list |
| These dynamic web sites should be organized in | | | | of your products that has been organized by |
| such a way that every page that has the potential | | | | category - from here, you should be able to follow |
| to become dynamic can be delivered in a static form | | | | links to every page in your database. Once you've |
| as well. I.E. your product listings pages may display | | | | done this, the search engines can see your content. |
| certain categories dynamically, but they should have | | | | Offering both search and category views improves |
| static links that will simply display every product. You | | | | your site's navigation, as well as making it crawlable - |
| should also have distinct links to each category as | | | | your work will be useful to your visitors as well as |
| most search engines can handle a dynamic URL as | | | | the search engines, which is what SEO is all about. |
| long as it doesn't change each time that the site is | | | | There are two types of search engines: Search |
| viewed. | | | | Engine Directories and Search Engine Spiders. Each |
| That said, the most important HTML elements (also | | | | search engine (regardless of whether it is a spider or |
| called tags) that you will run into are and (through ). | | | | a directory) uses unique criteria for "ranking" |
| Whatever you put between and is what appears in | | | | websites. Optimization service site web. Great |
| the blue margin at the top of the browser. This is | | | | optimization site web resource links. |