I posted this as a reply to a post in a forum a while ago, but thought I would actually add it as it’s own post here in my blog so that everyone could read it:
Always make sure your site is optimized for the search engines so when the spiders follow those links to your site, that everything works and makes sense.
If you think about the search engine spiders logically, they are really just checking out your site, and being sure that everything is logical. It is like a person checking out a new brick and mortar store. First you hear about it from a friend (the link to your site). So what your friend said has to match the stores name on the front (your title). Then when you look in the window (Keywords), again that has to match what your friend said and what the name said. Then when you walk in and look around (site description and keyword density) that again has to all be in tune with the referral from your friend, the name on the front and what you saw in the window. Also the main items on display or on sale(H1 and H2 tags and bold words) at the front of the store have to relate to everything else.
If a friend told you to go to a great restaurant for seafood, and when you got there the restaurant was called Fred’s House you would not know it was a seafood restaurant. And if the signs in the window were pictures of steaks, you would not know that they had great seafood. And if you walked in and the special was a cheeze burger, you still would not be sure this was a great place for seafood. And when you looked at the menu and there was 20 dishes and only 2 for seafood, would you really think that this was the best place to go for seafood.
Compare that to another restaurant that another friend recommends to go to for Seafood. You drive up and it is called Shrimp – Lobster – Crab Specialty Cafe. You see very tempting pictures of seafood in the windows as you walk up. You walk in and the specials are Alaska King Crab and Garlic Shrimp. You sit down and open the menu and you have 3 choices of Lobster, 2 choices of Crab, and 4 shrimp dishes. The waiter walks up and says welcome to the best seafood place in town.
Now which place – if you were a search engine – would you recommend to someone searching for Seafood, Lobster, Crab or Shrimp. The search engines just want to make a very relevant recommendation.
I hope that this helps to make SEO a little more relevant to your site. I just wanted to make a point about what search engines are looking for and that it is not that difficult when you get down to the basics.
