Search Tips for JLab Web Developers
How to increase your page's search engine ranking
Here are some tips to help search engines better recognize and rank your page. These methods won't guarantee you a place at the top of the list, but they will improve your page's chances of ranking nearer the top.
Use informative META tags
Spider-based search engines read through META tags to gather information about a webpage. If there are no META tags, spiders will often refer to the first 25 words on the site, which might not be an accurate summary of the page's content.
- <meta name="Keywords" content="keywords">
- <meta name="Description" content="site description">
- <meta name="Author" content="your name">
Include ALT attributes with images
If there are pictures on your site that relate to your site's content, using ALT attributes is a good way to stress key words or phrases. Using ALT attributes also makes your site more compliant with W3C accessibility standards.
- <img src="image.jpg" alt="key information about the image">
Make use of the <h1> through <h6> heading tags
Some search engines take special notice of phrases framed by heading tags. If there is text on your page you'd like to emphasize, use a heading tag instead of making your text bold or increasing its font size.
| <h1> | JLab |
| <h2> | JLab |
| <h3> | JLab |
| <h4> | JLab |
| <h5> | JLab |
| <h6> | JLab |
Plug your page's keywords everywhere
Inserting your page's keywords at the beginning of the title, heading, and first paragraph will mark them as important words in the page. This will also let search engines know that your page is a good place to go for those keywords.
- <title>Keyword plug numer 1</title>
- <h3>Keyword plug number 2</h3>
- <p>Keyword plug number 3</p>
Plant comment tags with keywords
A few search engines will go so far as to read your comment tags. Since they're invisible, comment tags are a good way to plug your keywords without taking up space on your actual page.
- <!-- keywords in comment tags -->
Word your links descriptively
Too many websites use "click here" for important links to other parts of the site. Search engines operate by bouncing from link to link within a site, so pages that are accessed through an informative link receive the most attention. Make sure that your page's links are worded accurately and descriptively, and feel free to plug your keywords some more.
- <a href="yourpage">relevant information about keyword</a>
Have other pages link to your page
The more pages that link to your page, the higher the "vote" you get from a search engine, especially if these pages are important pages that put your link in an informative context. Trade links with friends or add your URL to other pages you maintain so that search engines will return your page more frequently.
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