Search engines

[tims15]

How can I get my site's position higher up in search engines?

Also, how can I get more traffic to my website?

[PeOfEo]

The magic way is just a good design, search engines tend to favor sites that do not use a lot of javascript or use frames bcause their spiders cannot get the content from those things too well. They like sites that are layed out with css generally.

[NogDog]

My understanding is that text within H1 and H2 headings is given priority. Also, you need links to your page from other pages which the search engine knows about so that its "spider" can actually find your page. Trying tricks like hidden text can have a negative effect as the search engines are aware of many/most such tricks, and if they detect them they will reduce your ranking or not even list your page.

[PeOfEo]

Originally posted by NogDog
My understanding is that text within H1 and H2 headings is given priority. Also, you need links to your page from other pages which the search engine knows about so that its "spider" can actually find your page. Trying tricks like hidden text can have a negative effect as the search engines are aware of many/most such tricks, and if they detect them they will reduce your ranking or not even list your page. the h tags are given priority (it depends on the spider though), but that is not to say that the h tags should be abused by putting all text within one. That may hurt your page too... it is also really unsemantic.

[Abhoth]

You might try googling "SEO tips" or something along those lines. There's plenty out there that covers things quite in-depth. I've gone blue in the face reading the vast majority of it! ;-)

But... here's another take on SEO. I was talking with a client regarding his small company and the benefits of redesign, SEO being one of them.

Client: Oh, I don't much care about search engines and such. We get enough business.
Me: oh, really...?
Client: Yeah, once we put an ad on PC World's website for a month... we were blown away with all the inquiries... we don't want to grow THAT much!
Me: O.K., so next thing.... aaarrrggghhhh.

[tims15]

Originally posted by NogDog
My understanding is that text within H1 and H2 headings is given priority. Also, you need links to your page from other pages which the search engine knows about so that its "spider" can actually find your page. Trying tricks like hidden text can have a negative effect as the search engines are aware of many/most such tricks, and if they detect them they will reduce your ranking or not even list your page.

What do you mean H1 and H2 headings?!?

[Abhoth]

If you code your site properly the information found in H1 & H2 tags should be section titles, page headings or arcticle titles and the like. Search engines look for the keywords found in those tags.

[PeOfEo]

Those heading tags are the semantic (meaningful) way to head a section so that when an older browser that may not be graphical (might be audio or braille) comes along it will know to hylight that content as a heading.