9 Essential SEO Tips for Web Developers
SEO is an ever-changing target. What worked one day may no longer work the next. In this article, we look at several SEO tactics that should stand the test of time. Although, nothing is guaranteed and you should stay on top of the latest trends.
1. Heading Structure
Making correct use of the <h1>, <h2>, and <h3> tags is essential. If these are not in place, webmasters are missing out on information relevant to search engines.
It is also important to make use of the <alt> tags. An example of where they would be used is with images. Quite often, an image might have a cryptic name such as 054.jpg which is not descriptive and offers no SEO value. Using the <alt> tag in combination with descriptive text will offer useful information to the search engines, for example, use something such as alt="deadly whirlpool caused by hurricane andrew"
2. Put Web Analytics in Place
This is an essential step and one of the first things you should do when setting up your site. Doing so will allow you to track keyword usage, what pages people are visiting and it is a great way to learn if there are any problems with your site
3. Include a Site Map Page
An essential part of any site is a site map page that lists all the relevant links. The site map will help spiders find all of the relevant information on your site. According to one source, a maximum of 75 links should be used. If there are more than that, build another site map page.