Do not use the same or similar descriptions for every page because it is not helpful when a person sees the same description for many pages.
Write meta descriptions that describe each specific page uniquely. Site level descriptions on the main home page are fine, but should be different for other pages, You should prioritize parts of your site if you don't have time to create a description for every single page and create a unique description for the critical paes.
Include clearly tagged facts in the description
The meta description doesn't just have to be a complete sentence. It can include structured data about the page (meta-meta data). A blog posting, for example, may list the author, byline or date of publication. This can give visitors relevant information that may not be displayed in the snippet. Likewise, product pages may have -- price, specs., sizes, manufacturer. Meta descriptions can be used as a summary.
Meta descriptions are used to display the short text on a search results page. Both Google and Yagoo have told us they wouldn't use the meta description to rank sites.
But Google has recently brought this element back into SERP.
Here is Google's reason for using Meta Descriptions called snippets, "We want snippets to accurately represent the web result. We frequently prefer to display meta descriptions of pages (when available) because it gives users a clear idea of the URL's content. This directs them to good results faster and reduces the click-and-backtrack behavior that frustrates visitors and inflates web traffic metrics. Keep in mind that meta descriptions comprised of long strings of keywords don't achieve this goal and are less likely to be displayed in place of a regular, non-meta description, snippet. And it's worth noting that while accurate meta descriptions can improve clickthrough, they won't affect your ranking within search results." from Wemaster Central Blog.
Are you looking for ways to create backlinks to your site?
A simple but effective way is to provide a "Quote this article on a site." Here is an example:
Noni, the Feel Good Fruit
Wednesday, 16 September 2009
Morinda Citrifolia, popularly called Noni, was a lesser known fruit in the Americas but very popular in south Asia and the Pacific.
Many years...
We need to learn more - this always takes time. But if you want to learn more about how to improve your Google ranking - you read from Google's webmaster tips. Likewise - read about bing from Microsoft.
Read what Microsoft says about Bing (Click on the READ MORE below) - this has been extracted from an excellent white paper titled:
Microsoft has spent many millions of dollars to make a play against Google with their own new - again - search engine.
They studied SERP (Search Engine Results Page) viewing and came up with the "Golden Triangle." This was created by mapping eye movement across and down a SERP page.
Their results show the search results listed in a common way. A very nice feature is if you "mouse over" the listing and then "mouse over" a "dot" to the right of the entry. It pops up more detailed information from the site.
Things you can do to your website to improve search engine ranking and visibility. These tips apply to every page on your site.
Every page on your website:
Use the H1 tag for keywords but be sure they fit the structure of your content. Use the H1 tag for major concept items in the content.
Focus on one or two primary keywords or phrase in each article.
Place the primary keyword phrase at the beginning of the list of keyword list in the keyword metatag.
Also use this keyword phrase in the description metatag. Do not put too many keywords or phrases in the metatags - if they don't fit the article, leave them out of the metatags - it will not help.
Use secondary keyword phrases or synonyms that relate to the topic of the content.
If your CMS or blog system allows, use your key word in the URL. Use dashes or underscores to separate the words.
Don't forget about the images. The image file name is important - make the name long with dashes in between words and make it relevant to the topic. For example, DON'T use a filename like bob.jpg. Instead try: Big-Old-Building-in-Grand-Rapids.jpg. And be sure to use the alt-text tag to further describe the image and relate it to the article.
Your primary keyword phrase MUST be in the Title of the page.
We recommend the content contains about five paragraphs with two to three images or graphics. The opening paragraph must contain main keyword phrase and any secondary keywords. Each subsequent paragraph should contain a synonym or related phrase - keep it natural. Use H2 or H3 Header tags to help them stand out.
Internal linking is important - be sure there are a number of ways (links) to get to every article.
Link with both images and text. Google can't read the text on a button that says "READ More." If you are using an image to link within your website, be sure there is also text associated with it.
Paid directory listings or not
There are many articles out there about paid directory listings. The articles that promote them typically have links to those directory. And the cynic in me notices those links are affiliate links...
Many articles discuss paid directory
submission and most agree there is a trend away from these. The
two most popular directories mentioned are Yahoo and Best of the Web. Yahoo charges about
$300/year, and Best of the Web is one time charge of $250.
Did you know that Google uses a directory called dmoz.org to help rank sites? This is a free directory service.
It is interesting they didn't mention that paying for a Google Ad Word campaign may result in equal or better placement than paying Yahoo. It is a matter of cost vs revenue. What does your site/domain bring in versus what is the cost of directory submission. The cost for submitting to Yahoo and BOTW is $550; what are the alternatives? For the regular parked domain strategy, this may be high. For a domain oriented business or ecommerce site it may make sense.
First peel off to wikipedia to see he is a co-inventor of Google's Page Rank (Click Here).
If you are reading all those blogs, free, paid-for, and newsletters about how to get ranked in 24 hours on Google - if you want a quick fix to page rank - if your site lacks visibility
Read what he says about "sculpting" or "finageling" page rank...
Most businesses understand search engine optimisation or SEO is a mandatory component of a website and overall business strategy. Today nobody dismisses the value of search engine optimization.
The purpose of search engine optimization is to increase web traffic to a website from a search engine like Google or Yahoo. There are standard (aka simple) methods that are not expensive and can be done by the owner - NO SEO EXPERT NEEDED. There are more comprehensve methods as well.
The market is full of so called SEO specialists who are simply jumping on board after reading a book or two. To keep your SEO budget (if you have one) to a minimum, it is important to have a clear objective in mind before entering into a SEO contract.
