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What makes for a great webpage?
I bet you'd like to know the formula for creating a superior webpage? I am also sure you would love to hear the secrets we have acquired over years of experience of what it takes to make a webpage that will stand out and be noticed by your visitors. One that keeps your visitors returning to your site, again and again. One that is indexed by the major Search Engines and appears within the first 5 pages of the search results. And finally what it takes to design a page that is 95% better than all the rest on the web.
Because it makes for great reading, and against the wishes of my partners, I will tell all in this three part article.
1. Never Enough Said About Good Keywords
The foundation of any really good website is picking the right keywords or keyword phrases. It is, believe it or not, the ultimate factor that will determine the success or failure of your webpage. You must do some serious research on keywords or keyword phrases that will draw attention to your website. You must ensure that you can construct good informative content using those keywords or keyword phrases.
It is vital and the single most important ingredient of your website. Do your homework assignment very carefully. Check the competition to see what keywords or phrases, they are using. Check the number of searches made each month for your keywords. Also check the keyword density of your page to see if it will register in the search engines. This last one requires some piece of software or an online solution.
2. Professional Design
Build a professional looking design. If you want an idea of what a professional site looks like take a look at our
home page. Make sure your site is readable, free of both spelling and grammar mistakes. Also check what your webpage looks like in all types of browsers.
Keep the topic of your website in mind, stay focused on your keywords and use them throughout your content. Use the header tag to draw attention. Make sure you include your primary keyword or phrase in that header. Place headers as close to the top of the page as possible. Use the bold tag to highlight a point. Use bullet lists to itemize.
Another point that is always omitted by many SEO experts and website designers is the ratio of code vs readable text. A 50% split is awesome but not easy to achieve if you want some sort of design. We can accomplish this feat but that information will cost you! No I'm just kidding I will tell you all about how to do it in my next article, I promise.
Keep your sentences short and the number of words on a page between 450 to 900. Many sites break up longer descriptions into multiple pages, this will be of some inconvenience for your visitors but you will have more room for advertising. We don't like that too much and think it is a waste of time for the visitor. Instead make each page topic related, start and finish it on the same page. Don't make the users run around. A well built page will always have room for ads. And Ads should be content related. Don't offer adds to children's books when you sell auto parts.
The Content on your website will be an important factor to firstly, attract and the keep visitors coming back. So learn what it takes to become an authority in your field. Act like an expert by writing rich engaging content. Optimize that content with the keywords and keyword phrases you have selected. A trick we use is that we prepare content for each page and we focus on three or four keywords or keyword phrases, only. So if the guts of our site has only 5 pages we will have around 15 keywords or keyword phrases. Make sure that you read your content. Ensure that it is clear. Re-write it several times if need be then choose the best version. Being known as an expert in a field has some amazing results and puts you above the rest, so get informed.
A great webpage will always have fresh content. Make sure you update your webpage often. Technology changes rapidly, make sure your material is current and still relevant. Remember, 90% of the time, the only reason a visitor is on your page is for information. Make sure you deliver. Make sure that information is recent and accurate. Besides, there is nothing like fresh content to keep your visitors interested and coming back for more.
In Part II we will explore Navigation, the WOW factor, and Content vs Code.
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 Author's Bio
Archie Glikakis is a search engine optimization consultant for Position Front Page. His expertise in this field, has lead him to write many articles and he is always in forefront when large clients come along. He also does some freelance work for a division of that same company, Position First Page.
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