Strategic Role of the Keyword in Successful on Page Search Engine Optimization
By: Kanaga Siva
Submitted: 2008-07-01 18:43:14 | Word Count: 631
Most webmasters know the significance of the Keyword. They also know that to increase the organic search results of a website, you have to adopt successful Off Page and On Page Search Engine Optimization strategies. Here we shall consider On Page Search Engine Optimization strategies and the vital role Keyword plays to increase your website ranking on search engine results pages.
Single keywords are highly competitive today; hence it is advisable and easier to optimize for a keyword phrase rather than a single keyword. In this manner you stand a chance of ranking higher in the search engine results. How and where you place the keywords or keyword phrase can make all the difference between success and failure.
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1. Page s Title Tag:
It is very important that you have your keyword or keyword phrase in the title tag. It will be even better if you can make it the first word or phrase in the title.
2. Description Tag:
It is also necessary to insert your keyword or keyword phrase in the Description tag at least once.
3. Meta Tag:
Google and some of the major search engines no longer consider this important; nevertheless there are some search engines that do place importance to this. No harm will be done by including your main keywords here and reap the rewards from these search engines too.
4. Keywords in your H tags:
You should ensure that your specific keywords appear in a headline H1 tag in your page since search engines are on the look out for such tags. This is the code used to display your headline in large type. This tag should be used only once and should be at the top of the page.
Having sub titles by including your keywords in them and using H2 and H3 tags once each will also be very effective and attract the search engines.
5. Bold Text or Italicized Text:
Since search engines give more consideration for bolded and italicized text compared to regular or normal text, it will be advantageous to have your keywords in bold or italicized text once or twice in the page. Don t do it in excess since Google can construe it as Black Hat tactics and penalize you.
6. In the Content:
Content is King and the Keywords in your content certainly takes pride of place. Place your keyword or keyword phrase within the first two lines of your content and at the bottom of your web page. This clearly indicates to the search engine what your website is all about. You should of course place your keywords judiciously right throughout the content so that there is a natural flow in the content. Do not stuff your content with keywords. Search Engines can penalize you for keyword stuffing. About 3 5 of the text will be considered as reasonable.
7. Use Alt on Images with Keywords:
Search engines cannot read images; hence it is important to ensure that you use alt text for every image on your web page. Include your keyword in the text. This helps the search engine to know what the image is about and also helps the speech synthesizers for the blind.
8. In URL:
If your website is up and running with a designated URL, you will not be able to make any changes. But it is important that you give serious thought when you choose the Domain Name for your website at the initial stage itself. It is advantageous to have your prime keyword or words in the URL and preferably at the beginning of the URL.
Conclusion:
It is not everyone who can optimize a web page. It certainly needs skills, effort and patience but it can be done by webmasters themselves. On page search engine optimization is absolutely necessary to reap the benefits of having a website.
