Crafting Better SE0 - Guide to SEO TOPICS on Metalsmith BenchTalk Whaley Studios
January 31, 2013
This post will be a summary of information and links to relevant posts discussed in the Jay Whaley interview on Blog Talk Radio "Crafting Better SEO."
Artist and makers can be the Webmaster of their own domain. There are many free tools AND easy fixes that can improve the visibility of your art or craft reaching a larger audience. Just knowing basic SEO (Search Engine Optimization) skills can make a difference in riding the long tail.
Understanding online tools is as important to the savvy artist as the paintbrush, scissors or saw. Improving web site performance and SEO increases the chance that your web site will be found by customers, collectors, curators, writer, stores or galleries.
The information is organized by category or topic. Basic fix-its and best practices are at the top. More advanced skills are further down on the list. Just click on a link and start learning how to be a web master of your own domain.
Yes, this is too much work for one day...but try one post every other
day, or one a week. Subscribe to ASK Harriete for more SEO information coming soon. Take small
steps to the huge potential of the long tail.
SPAM
Did you know Spam Comments Hurt Your Site? Yes, this is true, for lots of reasons, but all you need to know is don't leave comments with spammy links. This post explains why.
COPYRIGHT DATE
Your next "fix" is to make sure your website copyright is up to date with New Day New Year 2013 Website Copyright. In addition to the legal protection copyright notice offers, no customer is going to feel comfortable buying from a site that looks like it hasn't been updated in years.
IMAGES
Images are the foundation of visibility for all artists and makers. This is true for your entire online presence including 2.0 social networking sites along with your website and blog. It is incredibly important to do everything possible to give your art or craft the visibility it deserves.
Images files should be written for better SEO. Learn the 4 TIPS to Improve Search for Your Images .
Simple, Sensible, Sensational, SEO Improvements
Search Engines Have No Vision - Play TAG, Your IT - Create Tags for better SEO from 2.0 sites
Search Engines Have No Vision - SEO for 2.0 sites.
Search Engines Have No Vision! So Help SEO "SEE" Your Images
Images on your web site, Are they lost or found?
EFFECTIVE URLs
A URL is the address for each page on the web. Learn how to create the best URL for each page. Avoid URLMistakes I Have MADE by reading this post.
SITE PERFORMANCE
Did you realize that site performance affects your visibility in search results and customer satisfaction. Google uses 200 or more criteria, but one of their most important is speed in downloading the page, images, and original content. Artists and makers do not have to be professional level webmasters to make huge improvements in the function of their website.
Your Site Performance Improves SEO
Does Your HOME Page Load Quickly?
Google Guidelines For the Best Your Site Can Be
REGISTER WITH WEBMASTER TOOLSVerifying your website with Google Webmaster Tools is an important steps that everyone can do. These free tools reveal
mistakes on your website that need to be fixed, and tons of information
about keywords and links to your website.
Don't let all the information overwhelm you. Tackle one problem at a time. Learn about one skill set and
apply it to your site....as you gain skill and familiarity.
Did You Register Your Web Site on Google Webmaster Tools?
Google Guidelines For the Best Your Site Can Be
PAGE TITLES
SEO Success: Fix Those Duplicate Titles
Titles RULE - Title EVERY ONE of Your Website Pages Differently
META DESCRIPTIONS
The meta description is the information that shows up in the search results. It describes the information on each page. Create the meta description for better search results.
REWRITE Short Meta Descriptions for SEO
Finding & Fixing Duplicate Meta Descriptions
SITEMAPS
Has Google found your site? Every page?
Create a Sitemap and Submit for Visibility
Create A Sitemap For Your Website Using a free 3rd Party Website
Artists: Submit Your Sitemap to Google
Subscribe to ASK Harriete to learn how to become the webmaster of your own domain. More information is coming in the next few weeks.
Engage in the conversation.
Leave a comment.(Comments require approval so give me a few minutes to post it live.)
Artists, makers, jewelers, metalsmiths, crafts person or creators can benefit from increased visibility as search is refined and original content is more important.
Advances
in search technology will also make images searchable in the future.
All of these reasons and more make optimizing your images, blog and website more
important than ever.
Harriete Estel Berman
P.S. At the end of the program I mentioned three additional resources.
ASK Harriete posts on Search Engine Optimization for Artists and Craftspeople
GOOGLE Webmaster Videos on YOUTUBE
Jill Whalen's HIGH RANKINGS NEWSLETTER