Basic SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Many of the items listed below come standard in every web design I do. Most companies will charge you extra for this, but I don’t (with the exception of enhancement/optimization of images, as noted below) I’m going to do it anyway, as part of a great web design. Make no mistake, you really are getting an exceptional value here. This list has been provided as a means of illustrating to you what’s included in the basic SEO services I provide.

• By Basic SEO, I mean what is outlined below. More advanced SEO services are better handled by the SEO experts, who specialize in Search Engine Optimization exclusively – and charge accordingly. The Basic SEO services included here ensure clean coding and search engine friendly pages.
• Images Images will be compressed for smaller file size, while maintaining the original visual quality, which results in faster download. Unnecessary portions of images may be edited out, also the image may be slightly enhanced for a crisper and clearer look. Hard copies (images that you send me via postal mail) will be scanned and uploaded and then optimized. Original photos sent via postal mail will be returned to you. If sending images via email, please send them in .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, or .bmp format.
• Addition of Meta Tags These are invisible tags that are used in html page headers, and contain information about keywords and descriptions of the web page. This provides search engines with the information they require, enabling your site to be cataloged, which allows users who are doing a search to find your web page/web site in the search engines.
• >> Tip: Keywords/key phrases must be those which appear in title, description, or on the page itself, and should be words/phrases that would be commonly searched for in relation to your web site subject. Please feel free to send me any keywords/key phrases you’d like to have added.
• Addition of Alt Tags Alternative text tags appear in place of images when the browser preferences are set for text only (image viewing option is turned off). Including them on your site enables visually impaired user reader programs (speech synthesizers) to read the alt tag aloud. On a PC, when a user mouse’s over an image, the alt tag becomes visible, it appears as text. Alt tags are not generally visible on a Mac unless the images are turned off.
• Code Cleanup Smaller code makes for faster loading pages and less work for the search engines to get to what they’re looking for. I accomplish this in several ways, including the utilization of externally located files and scripts.
• Robots.txt Creation Custom robots.txt file for your website with reference to the folders on your website you do not want indexed or viewed by search engines
• >> Do I submit your website to the search engines every month? No. Once your website is listed in the search engines, there’s really no need to submit the site again – unless you’ve been banned for whatever reason, then you would want to fix whatever it was that got you banned and submit again. Submitting your website over and over to the search engines will not help, and could actually hurt your rankings. So why do some SEO companies advertise the fact that they’ll submit your website monthly to the search engines? Because they figure the majority of potential clients don’t realize that this is just a ruse used as a sales pitch. Beware.