What are IMG alt tags? | On Page Optimization Explained
Posted by Barry Ross on September 1st, 2010
The img alt tag is a piece of HTML code that is used to describe what an image is about.
Here is an image of a Paul Reed Smith Guitar:
Here is the HTML code for the image above:
<img src="prsguitar.jpg" alt="Paul Reed Smith Guitar">
Originally, the image alt tag was developed to convey information about an image to those individuals who were visually impaired. Furthermore, the tags were also helpful for those users who had opted to disable images from being shown in their browsers
In terms of SEO, properly used alt tags can help reinforce what a particular page is about. Again, pages that rank well for a particular keyword typically have instances of those words appearing in img alt tag. However, it is important not to stuff keywords into img alt tags. Just as your content should naturally include instances of keywords, your img alt tags should naturally describe what the image is about. Do not try and outsmart Google!
Keyword Prominence | On-page Optimization Explained
Posted by Barry Ross on August 26th, 2010
Keyword Prominence refers to how prominent a keyword is on a given page.
Google recognizes that if a particular keyword is prominent on a page, that word is likely relevant to the topic of the page. With this in mind, I emphasize particular words through their strategic placement in the body text.
Keyword Frequency | On-Page Optimization Explained
Posted by Barry Ross on August 26th, 2010
Keyword Frequency is the measure of the number of times a keyword appears on a page, or in a particular region of a page.
Search Engines place importance in the number of times a keyword is listed on your page. In general, the more times a keyword appears on the page, the more relevant it will be to that search.
However, search engines will penalize you for keyword spamming if they feel you were excessive. A standard recommended repetition of each keyword is 3-10 times.
What is Keyword Density? | On-Page Optimization Explained
Posted by Barry Ross on August 26th, 2010
Keyword density is the percentage of times a keyword or phrase appears on a web page compared to the total number of words on the page.
Keyword density can be used as a factor in determing wheter a web page is relevant to a specific keyword or keyword phrase. Many SEO experts consider the optimum keyword density to be around 3% and agree that using a keyword more than that could be considered search spam. Personally, I just try and write with the reader in mind and I seem to do just fine.
What are Keywords and why are they Important?
Posted by Barry Ross on August 11th, 2010
What are keywords and why are they important?
In attempting to answer this seemingly rudimentary question, I naturally find myself wanting to explain it in two different ways–or from two different perspectives, rather. The first, is from the point of view of the user or searcher. The second, is from the point of view of a website owner.
From a user's perspective, keywords are simply search terms that they "google". If I am an art collector living in Vancouver, and I want to buy a new painting, I might use keywords like vancouver painters or vancouver artists. As a searcher, I use keywords to find things. I use keywords to find things I want to buy, learn, watch, and hear. They are the way with which I am able to sort through the wealth of information and misinformation stored as 1s and 0s on web servers across the globe.
For a website owner, keywords are the link between their content and their visitors. Proper on-page optimization for a set of well-research keywords, as well as off-page promotion that utilizes white-hat link building techniques (based around a similar set of keywords) are both necessary in order to attract targeted traffic to your site. Keywords are the means by which you tell the Search Engine spiders and human searchers what your web page (and/or site) is all about.
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