Search Engine Optimization

Google says a site has no URLs with HTTPS but, according to testing tools like Qualys SSL Labs, HTTPS is fine

Insufficient HTTPS coverage on your site: What does that mean?

History In the early 2000s, I did a lot of side hustle work around Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I’d help clients with their search engine rankings. Back then, folks cared about all the search engines. Nowadays, there’s only one search engine people care enough to write about, Google. As Matthew Broberg so eloquently put on Twitter the other day, “Google is both the monopoly and trend setter. It’s a good target either way you look at it.” If you own a website and you care about it enough that you want people to look at it, do some SEO basics and add your site to the Google Search Console. ...

SEO Checklist

This SEO Checklist is one of many that can be found on the Internet. What makes this SEO checklist different than everyone elses is that it’s accurate and simple. It’s a listing of all the search engine optimization used across various web sites I own or manage. This list has been developed using suggestions from just about every major SEO checklist on the World Wide Web. All of the checklists on the web are different, this one will be to, however, this is a well thought out checklist using the best recommendations from all over the Internet including a few recommendations of my own. ...

Web Site Design Do's and Don'ts

Domain Name Picking a Domain Name can be difficult but usually it’s best to get a name that uses keywords that form a unique name (Keyword1 + Keyword2 = Unique Web Site name). “Brandable” URLs are desirable too (like Google, Overture, Amazon, etc.). Make filenames of images, directories, etc. into keywords and be sure to use hyphens (-) as opposed to underscores (_) in filenames as well. Title Tag The <title> </title> tag should appear immediately after the <head> tag. It should be page specific, simple, and to the point. Don’t try to make your page number one in search engine rankings with the title alone. Bare in mind that the title of a web page is how the majority of your visitors will first “see” your page in a search engine. Search engines factor in the title of a page as a larger chunk of their algorithms when determining what order to display web pages in their indexes. ...

Construction of an Optimized Web Page

This article is designed to help individuals build web pages that are search engine optimized as well as human friendly. It will focus intently on the process used to develop web pages for this web site and how pages are optimized before being published on this web site. Any good web developer or webmaster will tell you that your site should be themed. This means your site should have the same look and feel across all of its pages. Colors, layout, navigation, positioning, and numerous other elements fall into creating a good theme for a web site. However, developing a site theme mainly deals with the content of the web site itself. A site’s theme is essentially the topic of the site and that site’s content should relate to the topic or theme. However, this article isn’t about creating themes for a web site it’s about building an optimized, user friendly web page to include in a site that’s already themed. ...

Content is King

Let’s face it, information rules the Information Superhighway we call the Internet. If it weren’t for worthwhile information, formulated opinions, and reviews the Internet would not be as popular as it is today. For all intents and purposes in terms of web site design, search engine optimization, and search engine promotion, information is the equivalent to content. There is good content and then there is bad content. Bad content, in my opinion, is content that serves no purpose, has no goal, and doesn’t inform anyone reading it about any general or specific topic. Bad content exists to entice search engines to produce results that favor the web site that contains the bad content as opposed to enticing web surfers to read the content. Good content serves a purpose, has a goal, and is worth the time it takes to read it. The Internet, web sites, web surfers, web developers, and search engine optimizers and promoters should all be focused on creating good content that benefits everyone. ...