Search Engine Optimization: For Dummies®, 3rd Edition

Chapter 2. Your One-Hour Search Engine-Friendly Web Site Makeover

In This Chapter

• Finding your site in the search engines

• Choosing keywords

• Examining your pages for problems

• Getting search engines to read and index your pages

A few small changes can make a big difference in your site's position in the search engines. So instead of forcing you to read this entire book before you can get anything done, this chapter helps you identify problems with your site and, with a little luck, shows you how to make a significant difference through quick fixes.

It's possible that you may not make significant progress in a single hour, as the chapter title promises. You may identify serious problems with your site that can't be fixed quickly. Sorry, that's life! The purpose of this chapter is to help you identify a few obvious problems and, perhaps, make some quick fixes with the goal of really getting something done.

Is Your Site Indexed?

It's important to find out whether your site is actually in a search engine or directory. Your site doesn't come up when someone searches at Google for rodent racing? Can't find it in the Yahoo! Directory? Have you ever thought that perhaps it simply isn't there? In the next several sections, I explain how to find out if your site is indexed in a few different systems.

Tip

Some of the systems into which you want to place your Web site aren't household names. If I mention a search system that you don't recognize, page to Chapter 1 to find out more about it.

Google

I'll start ...