5 Basic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Tips
I don’t claim to be an SEO expert, but I have learned a few basic tricks to increasing web traffic that I’d like to share. In this economy, we need all the exposure we can get.
1. Flash Sites Are Bad, Mmmm Kay?
I love Flash sites. They are very fun to design and develop. Like a PC enthusiast surrendering to the fact that Apple just makes a better product; I finally realized full Flash sites are generally a poor decision. At least if you want to be found on the Internet. After I transitioned to a Wordpress powered HTML site, I’ve noticed a significant and consistent increase in traffic. While designing for HTML is a bit more restrictive than Flash in terms of animation, fonts and layout, there are steps being made every day toward achieving the freedom Flash allows without the Flash.
Is there any time I would suggest using a Flash site? Yes, if you don’t rely on search engine results for traffic. Examples would be websites for box office movies, popular video games and national brands that can drop enough coin to promote their website through other means. Flash can also be a great asset when used in moderation, such as a call to action on the homepage. And it’s quite effective for advertisements.
2. Use Those Header Tags Wisely
Obscure titles should be saved for 90’s Alternative Rock songs. I don’t know the specifics, but when a web crawler is creeping around looking for stuff on the Internet, header tags (<H1>, <H2>, <H3>) are the main appetite. So use them wisely and be descriptive. This article is titled for the sole purpose of attracting traffic. I could have simply titled it “SEO Tips,” but that probably wouldn’t be as descriptive and generate as much traffic. While titles and header tags are important, hopefully the content is helpful as well. Which brings me to my next point.
3. Content Matters
Every word matters. A friend of mine told me to “write as if nobody was reading,” then the traffic will come. It sounds like some Field of Dreams mumbo jumbo. What I took from the quote was this — content should have soul. Don’t write an instruction manual. The fact of the matter is that I do want people to read my content. But I want them to find it helpful, relevant, entertaining and reflect my personality as well as Muku Studios. Save the irrelevant content for Twitter and Facebook. When you write quality content, you won’t only receive traffic, you’ll gain loyal followers.
4. Backlinks My Friend
How do I get backlinks? List your website in directories. Use popular forums and include a link to your site in the signature. Exchange links with relevant websites. Leave comments on popular blogs. Do what you gotta do, just get that shizzle out there. Since I design, I frequent a lot of design related communities, blogs and submission sites. If you play some kind of active role on those sites, you’ll receive traffic from them. Plain and simple.
5. Use Pictures and Title Them Appropriately
Sometimes I’m lazy. I really didn’t want to create a screen shot for this article, but I did. I’ll tell you why. People use image searches a lot. A whole lot. And I’m not just talking about people searching for the latest Angelina Jolie pictures. So, if you take a little extra time to create and title an image wisely, you’ll likely receive a little traffic from it. If you don’t know where to find images or you’re not particulary a whiz at creating them, use free resources like stock.xchng. Another reason to use images is for submitting your articles to sites like Digg, StumbleUpon or Delicious. Most of these types of sites (Which can also do wonders for traffic) use photos. If your article is featured and doesn’t have a photo, it will likely take a screen shot of the web page. Which isn’t usually the most appealing option.
This is only the tip of the iceberg in search engine optimization tactics and tips. However, these are a few easy practices that I found to be effective, and you don’t have to be a programmer to start implementing them. Hopefully you find them to be helpful. I wish I had started implementing these tactics earlier in the game.
