What are the top five success factors for web sites?
FAQ - Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
You won't get anywhere if search engines can't see your content. You might have a Flash site that you think is pretty sharp, but can a search engine see the text within your .SWF files? Nope. Some search engines are starting to do some minor parsing of .SWF files, but overall there is no big push for it. Take a look at your website - is your content showing up in image or Flash files? Is this really necessary? In the eyes of search engine spiders your site might be invisible.
As an equal concern there is the importance of making your site accessible to those with disabilities. Screen readers, very similar to search engine spiders, ignore all images and Flash content focusing on the HTML content available on your pages. Anti-Discrimination legislation has made it mandatory to keep your site accessible to the disabled.
2. Site Architecture
It is important that you keep your pages relevant to each other and maintain a consistent structure to your pages. This helps users and search engines both to understand the connection between the pages on your site and how they all relate to a special topic. Focus on multiple keywords with your search engine optimization efforts. It is also a good idea to vary the text of your inbound links - when adding your link to a directory or link exchange service, try to switch up the link text to include the different keywords you've optimized your pages for.
3. Keyword Selection
Keyword selection is a huge factor in determining the success of your SEO campaign. Current statistics show that it is better to focus on keywords that contain two to three words than those with only one. One-word keywords are more general and therefor more competitive. Additionally, users who are searching specifically for what it is you offer on your web site are more likely to click through to your pages.
4. Fresh and Relevant Content
In a famous essay Bill Gates once wrote that "Content Is King" on the internet. While this may seem obvious it is a point that ought not be ignored. The highest ranked pages currently are almost always those with the most relevant. The best way to boost your rankings in the long term for a given topic is to write about that topic. If you've got a specialty and enough knowledge to write an informational FAQ or a blog you should do it.
Many sites choose to include information from other online blogs and simply credit their sources. While this isn't generally frowned upon (so long as credit is given) you are essentially duplicating content that's already out there when you do this. For this reason it is better to focus on content that is original and unique for your pages. This can give you an edge on the competition.
5. Inbound Links
Google's PageRank is determined by one thing: inbound links. And the word of Google, which is arguably the most powerful internet company to date, in most cases becomes Golden Rule. The theory is this: you like a web site enough, and find its content relevant enough, that you decide to offer a link to it on your own web page. This is a "vote" for your site. The more votes, the higher the PageRank - and a higher PageRank means a more powerful vote.
Most other search engines value inbound links in the same way. Basically, without good inbound links your pages will never rank highly in search engine results pages (SERPs).
