In order to effectively market online you must have a solid understanding of how Search Engines work.  The basis for most internet marketing is found in search engine optimisation.  Here search engines are explained and the importance of the meta tag is discussed.  First, learning about how search engines operate will give you a boost when creating content for the web.

How Search Engines Work       

Well known search engines like Yahoo and Google use a specific type of software that creates a keyword list for every webpage they find.  This type of software is called a spider or crawler because the software reaches out all over the internet constantly looking for new websites.  Beginning with the most trafficked servers, the crawler software will explore to find all the web addresses stored on the server.  After collecting the addresses it will also create a keyword index that it stores on the search engine database.

The Meta Tag Explained

The single most used search engine is Google, so most search engine optimisation is focused on improving results specifically on Google.  The Google crawler focuses on the information contained in the webpage’s meat tag.  A meta tag is a short description of a web page and is the single most important piece of content you will create, simply because it will drive traffic to your site.  It is the meta tag that the search engine displays on a results page after a keyword search.

Choosing Keywords for your Meta Tag

Because search engines focus on the meta tag information to develop the key word index for a website, it is imperative to create a highly effective meta tag to optimise your website.  Research is the key to a solid meta tag for your website.  There are two methodologies for choosing keywords for you meta tag: niche and general.  Usually you want to include a combination of both in order to maximise the effectiveness of your website.

Consider the content of your website and then research the most searched terms surrounding that content.  Include the top two listing in the meta tag to help improve your search engine rankings.  Also, look at specific services that you offer that are different from the mainstream.  Include a few keywords that are highly specific to your demographic and product offerings.  The combination will help you gain hits from the general public and those more narrowly focused on what you offer.  Combining the two will give your site the ability to draw the most number of people to your site.

Writing the Finalised Meta Tag

When drafting your meta tags keep the information concise and relevant to the specific page.  If you are selling purses, make sure all the keywords focus on elements of selling purses.  Never repeat keywords, it is a waste of characters and search engines only show a line or two of text on the results page.  Make sure you include your company name in the meta tag so that current customers can find your website easily and new customers will be able to pull your website out of the mix of results.

Thanks!

Sean

Internet Marketing Academy

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