What content is acceptable to the search engines?

Hello, dear reader!

In this article, we continue our series of publications on the subject of promotion of websites in search engines. In the last article of this column «Six essential components of using Google Webmaster Tools Service for your website promotion» we touched the main features of using Google Webmaster Tools. Today, we want to talk about the way the content should fill the pages of your site, regardless of its subjects.

So, as you probably already know, the content (text, images, infographics) — the King. In other words, the content of your site / blog is critically important in promoting resource in search engines, social networks and so on. To help you accept it as an axiom, let us draw your attention to the vision of the searching process by Google. At the head of the corner is a user who is trying to find in the Internet the information, the most relevant to his search query. So, to make this user to come to Google again the next time, he should see on the first / second page of search results those sites that correspond to the search query more relevant, but not otherwise! Probably, everyone was satisfied to find in network something that is required in a very fast way and from the first time. But not everyone suspect what a hard work is hidden behind our satisfaction with the search queries, and also having satisfied what requirements of search engines websites get the first page of search results.

Now let’s go back to the web sites / blogs, and their content. Choosing a particular phrase as a key, the owner of the resource must clearly understand what this page should contain and also imagine himself at the place of the person, who has got to the page of your website with your keyword phrase. If you search for the information that corresponds to the given query what would you like to receive? Hence the well-known among SEO experts phrase — sites for people. To put it succinctly, the pageshould contain the information on the topic, simple in understanding, with logical and easy navigation (with possibility of proceeding to other pages of your site).Now let’s talk about the filling of pages with content in terms of SEO, that is what attributes and how should be used.

Meta tag «title»

This page element is one of the most important in terms of web search! The information contained in it, indicates the search engine what content must be on the page and just here comes the search crawler first of all. Naturally, the content of the web page must match its title — the tag «title» and vice versa, the content of the tag should briefly, but succinctly express the basic idea of ​​the whole text. For example, the page of our website — «About us». In the tag «title» basic information is contained. Its content tells the search engine that the page is an information about the company «Tonytemplates», its services and products.

Important note — tag length should not be over 70 characters. But should not be too short — the tag «title» should be informative and specify as the searchsystem, so the users — what your page is about.The image below shows how the tag «title» is displayed to users during giving search results.

Meta tag «description»

This item is also very important for the promotion of your web page.Here you will have the opportunity to tell in details about its content. Optimal tag length — 150 — 160 characters. Very well, when this tag describes some definite advantage of your company or a particular product / service or some interesting feature — what distinguishes your website / company from others.

Important note — if the length of the tag «title» or «description» does not correspond to mentioned values ​​- it is, of course, not critical. If you exceed the limits, search robot «cuts» extra characters — that is, simply ignores them. However, since any web site is reviewed and analyzed by the search engine as a whole, then, the more pages will be defined with short / non-informative or too long / tags required cutting off, the worst impression you will make on search engines. The latter, in turn, affect the search results issuance.

H1-H6 tags

To emphasize the importance of the key phrases of the text to your pages Search engines use these tags. The most important of them is the <H1>. Most often it is at the top of the page and is its title. On one page, you should use only one tag <H1>. It is acceptably to have two or more <H2>, <H3> …The optimal length of tags <H> — to 6 words.

Important note. It is good, when SEO header contains the keyword / phrase that is also appropriate within the meaning and can be used by users / visitors of the page. For example, a page of the site http://www.tonytemplates.com/music-templates.html At the very top — relevant title <H1> — «Music», as the page is devoted to templates of this category. At the bottom of the page — the title <H2>. It contains logical phrase «Purchase of Tonytemplates template means».

Using bold font, and keyword density

Once, at the earliest stage of SEO, keyword density (phrases) and their allocation in the text of the page in bold were very important in the promotion of website. There were even certain norms expressed in numbers — 5-7% or 15-20% depending on the size of pages, etc. To pay attention of search engine on the presence of the keyword on the page, it was marked with bold — the more often, the better. Nowadays, due to the actions of anti-spam algorithms, such techniques have lost their relevance. To draw the attention of the search engine to the presence of the key phrases on your page, it is enough to use it inside the tag <title>, in title <H1>, in tag <description> and several times (or even one or two) to use in the text. With that bold can be used only once. The text itself should be natural and readable. If it is appropriate to use in text a certain number of keywords — that’s great, if only one or two times, also good. In any case do not customize text under certain (demanded) number of keys!

Tags <alt> and <title> of your images

What often can be placed on the web page except the text?
Of course, image. Can the images of your web pages influence search engine ranking? The answer — «yes!» It is well known, that search engine finds images thanks to special tags — <alt> and <title>.
Until recently it was thought that in the tag <alt> you need to enter the keywords / phrases to help the promotion of your web pages. With the launch of the anti-spam algorithms of the search engines, the situation has changed.
Today, for the misuse of the keys in <alt> tags you can suffer and worsen position of specific pages and the whole site. Nowadays, Google is trying to make the usage of <alt> tags in the right way and also to remind users, as well as webmasters, for what they exist. After all, it is possible to say without exaggeration that not everyone can give a correct answer to this question, and moreover fill in the content of <alt> tag. In short, <alt> tag is designed to give an idea about the image. It stands for «alternative text to the image.» Now imagine that the user does not see your picture due to some reason or another, but can read, set by you, the alternative text. Can such text fully and succinctly present and describe the image? If you want to make correct and pleasant to both search engines and users <alt> descriptions, ask you this question every time, starting to fill them.

A classic example of filling <alt> tag can be recommendation / explanation of Google. Image Description on which a little girl is playing with a kitten should be quite the same «Girl plays with a kitten.» Agree, that for user, who does not see the picture that is exactly what he needs! Even if you promote the page with thoroughbred cats, feed for them, or something else, <alt> text to the specified image must to be like this, but not name a brand or something like that!

A few words about the tag <title>

If we talk about filling <title> of images, this field can resemble a title of page — short and clear call the image.

Ok, in this article we briefly touched the main points of digestible content for search engines. Follow our future publications in the category «SEO & Promotion».

We will be grateful for your comments.

Sincerely, Team Tonytemplates