Get your web page closer to the top of search results: also called Search Engine Optimization.

*Title: Your web page should have a descriptive title. It helps if your title includes key words that people would use to search. See the title bar at top of the browser window. Put the most specific, important words first so it will make a good bookmark. Google results only display about the first 64 characters. For online PDFs, use Control D in Acrobat to add titles.

*Metadata: Metadata means descriptions, etc. that define your content. This is posted in the HTML code, visible when you use the “View/Source” feature of a web browser. (The search results Description line for Google displays approximately 140 characters from Meta Description.) It is extremely important that your Metadata matches the content of your web pages and web site. Not doing so can cause rejection from the search engine as well as the possibility of being banned.

*Content: The content of a page should use sentences that make sense for the title of the page. Use key words frequently, but don’t overdo it. DO NOT add keywords over and over to the content area of your page. Search engines can pick up on this and the result will be rejection or being banned. Be brief: if there are over 100 words on your page, each word, used once, is less than 1% of the page content, and scores lower than it would on a very brief page. Include common-language synonyms for jargon and academic language, spell out abbreviations. Headings and subheadings should include keywords. Proofread and fix typos.

*Link structure: If you use graphics to mark your links, be sure that there is alternative text that describes the link in words. Links should include descriptive key words. Don't use more than 100 links on a page. Site maps help also.

*Link destinations: Link to other organizations, and encourage links from others, especially universities. Fix broken links.

*Update frequently: Recently updated pages are favored.

*Register your site at Open Directory Project, a web directory of Internet resources, including Google: http://dmoz.org/add.html.  Or use http://www.google.com/addurl.html .

See Google's Webmaster Guidelines for more details.

Amy Hartman