pba front-end programming search engine optimisation

PBA Front-End Programming

Search Engine Optimisation


• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)– Making your website visible

to search engines (Google)– Get your website to the top

of the result list!


• SEO is an obvious way to make users aware of your website– Technical aspect: Making sure the proper words

can be found on your website by search robots– Marketing aspect: Making sure your website

contains the words a typical user will use when searching for a website in your category. Getting other sites to link to your site.


• How is a page found by a Search Engine?

• Web Crawlers follow links – so make sure there are links to all your pages

• How is a page ranked by a Search Engine?

• Secret…!


• Page rankings– Internal factors – title, headings, body text, alter-

native text, keyword distribution, domain name– External factors – links from other pages. The

higher ranked the linking page is, the more the link will count. How often users click on the page in a search result list


• How can I know which keywords a typical user will use when searching for a similar website?

• Ask them!• A job for the Usability Lead• Google Adwords – suggestions

for keywords


• A Search Engine cannot see text in– Graphics (logos, banners, etc.)– Flash animations– Video– Audio (oh, really…)– Graphic links– Links depending on dynamic code


• A Search Engine may bypass a page if it– Has a very complex structure– Is heavily dynamic (CSS, JavaScript)– Contains many broken links– Contains complex/auto-generated links– Is flooded with keyword repetitions– Is created server-side– Loads very slowly


• So, I’m about to write material for my website…

• …what should I actually do…?


• Avoid writing consciously for SEO• Write for the readers, not for the engines• External factors are given more importance

than internal by modern search engines (Google)…

• …so the material must be interesting and relevant for actual human readers!


• Still, you can often hit two birds with one stone

• Review titles, headers, page bodies, etc – do they actually contain relevant words

• Take the user’s point-of-view – what would the typical user be looking for?


The Global Catastrophe

Bla bla bla bla bla…


World War II : The Global Catastrophe

Bla bla bla bla bla…


• Where to put keyword/phrases:– Page titles– Major headings– First content paragraphs– Text for links to other pages– Alternative text for images– HTML file names and directory names


• Grammatical form matters (Tiger <> Tigers)• Case does not matter (Tiger == tiger)• Context does not come automatically!• A Tiger is also a– Carnivore– Large cat– Panthera– Threatened species


• Enough is enough!• Delicate balance between

plentiful mentioning of keywords and ”keyword spamming”

• Exact limit unknown…• Rule of thumb, at most 5-8

% of total word count


• We can also ”optimise” the use of keywords with regards to humans

• Users do not divide their attention uniformly over a web page (eye-tracking studies)– Golden triangle– F pattern

Cat


• Most important in page rankings – other pages that link to your page!

• How to achieve that…?


• If the site is part of a large company– Request that main (often visited) company

pages link to your pages– Get included in site maps, etc.– Get featured in a ”what’s new” section on the

company home page


• If the site is a stand-alone site– Find link partners: You link to the partner, the

partner links to you (link building)– Potential link partner could be a ”complemen-

tary” company, not a competitor– Example: you sell swimsuits, the partner sells

sunglasses– Should be worthwhile for both sides


• Create links from other websites yourself– Find popular (and preferably

relevant…) blogs, forums, etc, and leave comments including links to your own website

– Sign up your website to link catalogs

• A delicate balance…

pba front-end programming search engine optimisation

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