Optimizing Your Site for Search Engines

Search engine optimization is an ever-changing process. What works one month may not work the next. That is why Datahost provides a variety of ways to optimize your website using your Site Manager.

From the ground up, we build websites with search engine strategies in mind. Many shopping cart sites can't be indexed by the search engines because the search engines won't process URL's with certain symbols in them. We integrate features right into our designs that will allow all of the pages in your website to be indexed - even your shopping cart product pages.

Getting your site found in the search engines is a task that takes time, effort, and ingenuity. We would be happy to discuss with you the options we offer for search engine optimization (SEO). There are many simple and common sense steps you can take to help improve your site's visibility.

Google and other search engines give more weight to sites listed in a directory called DMOZ and listings in DMOZ are free! Take a few moments to submit your web site now. Here is the link with detailed instructions to submit your website to the DMOZ directory. dmoz.org/add.html

Each page on your web site contains hidden "meta descriptions" and "meta keywords" that the search engines use to index your pages. Our system provides you with the tools that let you control what keywords and descriptions appear. These features are very important since 85% of all visitors come from the search engines.

To edit your default Meta Description and Meta Keywords:

1. Click on the "settings" administrative link.

2. Edit the Meta Description field. This should be a short, descriptive, keyword-filled paragraph about your business.

3. Edit the Meta Keywords field. This is a list of keywords associated with your business that visitors might search for.

One of the ways some search engines evaluate your site's pages is to look at the browser's page title to see if it matches the content on the page. We have set up your site so the browser title matches keywords present on a page.

To set-up browser title/keywords:

• Click the "settings" administrative link, then edit the "Default Keywords Phrases". You'll want to enter two to three keyword-filled phrases. For example: shopping cart websites - ecommerce solutions for online businesses. The default phrases will be used on all non-product pages when nothing else is specified.
  
• Enter a keyword-filled phrase in the "Category Keyword" field for all categories and name your categories with searches in mind. Category list and product list pages on your site will use the category name and category keyword phrase as the browser title and keywords.
  
• Enter a keyword-filled phrase in the "Keyword" field for all product pages and name products with searches in mind. Product pages use the product name and product keywords for the browser title and keywords.

• Variety is the spice of life. Don't use the same keyword phrase for every product in a category. Ideally, you want unique keyword phrases on each page of your site.
  
• For category keywords, push your most competitive phrases by themselves. For product keywords, think phrases rather than generic words. For example, "natural treatments for diaper rash" is better than just "diaper rash."
  
• Limit the number of words in your search phrases. Try to keep the combined total to eight or less.
  
• Use both single and plural forms of a word in your phrases. For example, "natural treatments for diaper rash" and "organic treatment for diaper rash."
  
• Use keyword phrases in your product names and in the text on the page.

From the ground up, we will build your site with search engine strategies in mind. Many shopping cart sites can't be indexed by the search engines because the search engines won't process URL's with certain symbols in them. We integrate features right into our designs that will allow all of the pages in your website to be indexed - even your shopping cart product pages.