Search Engines – How They Work

Search engines help people find relevant information on the Internet. Major search engines maintain huge databases of Web sites that users can search by typing in keywords or phrases. To compile databases, search engines rely on computer programs called “robots” or “spiders.” These programs “crawl” across the Web by following links from Web site to Web site and indexing each one that they visit. Search engines use their own set of criteria to decide what to include in their databases and each search engine is different. There are several ways to organize results and most search engines use a combination of them.

Key guidelines to remember when considering search engine placements:

Title: The title tag is the most important element.

• Should include the top 3 primary keywords selected for the site
• Should include the location (City, State) but not the company name

Meta Description: The Meta description is used by crawlers to summarize the Web site it is searching.

• Include all of your primary keywords, as many other keywords as practical
• Logical sentences using keywords, essential information first, should be a call to action
• Include the location (City, State) but not the company name
• Limit to 200 characters (15 -20 words max), avoid subject matter not keyword related

Keywords: Think like a search engine user. What would people type to find your Web site.

• Target keywords should be at least two words long, “dog grooming” as opposed to just “grooming”
• Select no more than 20 keywords/keyword phrases for the site, not overused but still popular
• Less than 20 keywords is acceptable if the business/data warrants less
• Each word/phrase should be used multiple times on the site.

Body Copy: A Web site is ranked based on location and frequency of keywords used on the page.

• Write 250 to 300 words or more per content page, text needs to be persuasive and flow
• Should include ALL keywords/keyword phrases multiple times, as practical
• Since important information comes first, search engines favor keywords high on the page
• For custom sites ideally, all pages should include some body copy with keywords

ALT Tags: Search engines can’t read images, but can read ALT tags, so make them descriptive.

• Should be separated in 2 parts: Image description and brief keyword/keyword phrase description
• Parts should be separated by a space hyphen space (–) Example:

Dog – Pet store offering dog food, pet toys, crates, and health supplies

Links: Every major search engine looks for links, so add them on the Web site.

• Linked text should be keywords if possible, if not, link page names
• Search engines rank pages higher when they are linked to external pages.