Optimization: From the Top

Question: When should you start thinking about optimizing your site?

Answer: Before you even buy your domain name.

This series is all about the need for optimization, from the conception of your site through monetization. First we’ll look at the beginning, where optimization is more crucial than most webmasters realize!

Many fledgling webmasters rush into setting up a website, and then are faced with the necessity to go back and attempt to optimize, causing a huge delay in getting their site fully operational.

If you want your site to succeed, you should optimize each step of the way – from choosing your market and domain to your home page on through all your landing pages, content and linking patterns.

You can’t always get the domain name you want. The trick then is to get one that is relevant and recognizable. If you can get your main keyword in your URL, great – if not, make sure your domain name is short and sweet – and easy to remember.

Do your keyword research before you put a single thing on your domain. Decide where your focus needs to be, determine what your main keyword phrases are and compile a list of long tail phrases you can use as well.

Surf around and decide where your best linking prospects are as well. A week of prep work is worth six months of going back and trying to tie up loose ends!

Now you are ready to start building your site. Your home page will generally be your first project; make sure it is clean, confident looking and visually appealing without using a lot of flash or graphics that could make it load slowly.

You only get one chance to make a first impression, and for many users, your home page will be the deciding factor in their choice whether or not to click past your home page deeper into your site. You need to focus on the user first, and you also need to remember to optimize.

Use your keywords in your header, your ads or banner if you choose to have one, and to tag your pictures as well. Don’t over stuff, but make sure you include enough information for the spiders.

A site map should be next on your list – it’s very easy to set one up at this stage, then you can simply ad your links as you add pages. You have to remember to ensure that every page on your site is linked to at least one other page, and then secure links from outside your site to point to the most important ones as well.

You can submit your sitemap to Google to get your site indexed, but a much faster way is to get a link from a relevant page already in existence on the web to your site – you can link from an pre-existing blog, site or forum and your site will be indexed much more quickly.

Tomorrow: Optimizing your Content

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