CannonFire SEO Guide for Keyword Content

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I urge you to use these standards to improve the noted areas of your web site where the search engines roam. Be it clients, writers, or my own staff, these are the rules we use.

Google has stated they look at some 300 items in total for ranking web pages. We can't show all here because Google does not publish all of those items in detail. Use these standards and resources effectively for a headstart you won't get anywhere else.

This guide was created to assist content writers and web page builders with the basics of how to write, or construct with text, a web page that will rank well in the search engines.

The key is to find the balance of optimizing your web content for search engines, and creating value and readability for your visitors.

If your intent is to do all optimization work yourself, keyword research and a master outline must be done to use the standards in the most efficient way.

Web site content has 3 goals:

To rank well in the search engines
To fulfill your readers
To get your Most Wanted Response (MWR)

Your keywords will:

Become the page names of 99.9% of your web pages. The correct url structure for all pages is:

http://www.yourdomainname.com/keyword-phrase-pagename.html

The Google SEO Guide states clearly to use dashes in URL's versus the _underscore.
Be used "inside" your web pages in specific areas called the Title Tag, the Meta Keyword Tag and the Meta Description Tag that the Search Engine spiders will be looking for. (Your viewers will ultimately read the text you write into the title and description tags, so these areas are quite important.)
Be used in the body of your web pages in text links (anchor text) that the spiders will use to assign importance to your page(s).
Be used in the body text with the right density that will keep the spiders interested.
Be used "globally" throughout your pages to create a theme – to ensure the spiders that your site stays on topic.

All of these uses for your keywords work together to achieve a page optimized for search engine spiders - so they can immediately identify your page's meaning and relevance.

The spiders then travel through your sites by way of the links created from page to page (again, relevance is determined by the use of keywords used in the link text (anchor text).

Your pages will be accordingly indexed and listed in the search engines.

Examples:

www.cannonfiremarketing.com

www.website-design-for-law-firms.com

(The page you are reading now is Not an optimized page example.)

Both web sites are constructed as noted here. You can spot the main keyword of any page by reading the page address in your browser window. See it again by reading the page title in the blue bar at the very top of the browser window.

On Page Headline:

The headline must contain your main keyword. A good headline is around 35-40 characters, but can be as long as 80 characters and you’ll still be OK. A call to action statement works well as does using headlines similar in nature to newspaper headlines. Describe what is to be found ahead on this page.

Secondary Headlines

Just like the one above are excellent keyword locations and give additional white space in the copy. These should be short and contain assigned keywords and/or related ones to the page. Search engines tend to read the html tag used to insert headings and sub-headings.

Body of Page - The Content

The main keyword of any page generally appears within the first 4 to 6 words of your content. The closer to the beginning your main keyword is, the more weight the search engines will give it.

Be certain the main keyword appears within the first 90 characters, but do not use your main keyword twice within the first 500 characters.
Keyword Density = 1.25% x total words on page = # of keywords needed on the page. (450 words on page x 1.25% = 5.62 round up to 6 keywords total)
The main keyword is also used in a Text Link to other pages or additional related information and is (1) of the total number of keywords required. Only one text link with keyword is to be used, but more text links can be used as directed by outline.

Sprinkle your main keyword, and blend in your support keywords throughout the rest of your body copy. This "scatter pattern" should look like an hourglass... bigger (i.e., more frequent) on the top and bottom, and less (but still present) in the middle of the page.

Don't overuse your keywords, as the search engines will detect this and possibly penalize your page for "keyword spamming." Mix in some common synonyms/variations for your main keyword which are best defined by keyword research.

Text Links: Lead to the Next Page or Other Info

Using a "Master Outline" maps out your site so you know where each page is “going.” Lead readers page to page using the main keyword for the current page in what is called "anchor text". An example is the link says "Get more mechanical engineering information." The keyword is "mechanical engineering" and the link html is constructed as shown above in page name references.

Length of SEO Content Pages

Generally, web pages are around 350 – 600 words. Pages will not receive good SEO if they are fewer than 250 words.

Pages longer than 600 - 700 words are a bit more difficult to SEO tastefully... too many repetitions of a keyword phrase can make for awkward reading. Finally, readers typically do not want to “read” in-depth, lengthy pages on a monitor.

However, the length of the page may be as long as naturally sensible, providing you continue to insert keywords properly to adjust for the additional length. Be kind to your visitors, too… give them plenty of “white space” on your page, and break up your page for them with headlines and bulleted items.

Meta Tags are Important

As the writer, be aware of these meta tag standards because your written word will be used to construct them. Keywords are vital in these tags and the tags can't be written until your documents are done. That is because they describe what the page is about to search engines and to readers.

The TITLE Tag

<title>Title with Keyword Goes Here</title>

Please do not use all CAPITAL letters in your title as it adds no SEO value or value to the reader. Don't use symbols like @, & as they may not appear correctly.

The text used in the title tag is a vital factor in how a search engine may rank your web page for your main keyword. It is also typically what Google uses when listing your site in their index.

How the title is written also persuades a searcher to click through to your web page from a search. Whatever text you place in the title tag will appear in the top blue bar of someone's browser window when they view the web page. It will also appear as the title of the search engine listing. See Top of this Page for Example

Your main keyword is used in the TITLE within the first 3 or 4 words, as close to the beginning as your can. Keep the TITLE short and meaningful for readers and search engines. Titles must Stay under 80 characters, around 60 or so characters is best.

The Meta Description Tag

Your web page's description is picked up and displayed in some search engines' results for your site, and therefore may be read by humans and search engines alike. The description is what the searcher sees when your web page link and information appear in the search engine results.

Keep Description around 150 characters, but don't go over 200.
Your specific keyword is written into the first couple of words of the Description.
Blend some supporting keywords into your description.
If it reads well, use your specific keyword a second time.
Make your description compelling for your readers so they'll want to click on your link.

The Keyword Tag

Your web page's keyword tag is used to clue the search engine spiders in to what your page is about, and will not be seen by humans.

It is NOT used for ranking purposes at Google! However they have not said they do not use for any reasons. Play it safe and use it as per these standards. It's best use is to use it to make sure "keyword page names" are not repeated any place on site.

Keywords for all pages should be selected from a Master Outline which links page to page across the entire site.
The main keyword is the file name (URL) of the page. This tag includes other supporting keywords or phrases from your list of keywords. Support keywords are picked using a slight variation or related word to the Main keyword.
Each keyword is separated with a comma and one space.
Keep keywords within 100 characters. Usually from 1 to 5 keywords or key phrases can be used, depending of course on their length. A Master Outline dictates which keyword phrases are to be used.
When using keyword phrases or combinations with a specific root word, don’t use that root word more than 3 times in your group of keywords. (You don't want the Search Engines to view your page as spam.)

Are there more Meta Tags to use?

Yes, in total I recommend 5. The Title, Description and Keyword tags as described above plus these two:

<meta name="robots" content="index,follow" /> - Says to search engines, index my site and follow the links on the pages.
<meta name="revisit-after" content="45 days" /> - Says to search engines come back in 45 days for new content... Make sure that happens! It's ok to increase the days, don't go lower than 45 days.

Resources:

Google SEO Starter Guide - Read to see how and why these CannonFire SEO standards were developed.
Wordtracker Keyword Research Guide - Read to know the basics of keyword research and why it is a necessary task for proper SEO of any website.
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