Mod_Rewrite can Rewrite your URLs

Throughout this blog post there are many references to the importance of proper URL structure for search-engine optimization. The mod_rewrite module of the Apache Web server gives you the power to rewrite poorly formed URLs on the fly as well as manipulate the appearance of any file name you choose. Using the mod_rewrite module may appear difficult at first, but there are tools available to simplify the complex parts, and the benefits of using this module to its fullest extent far outweigh the steep learning curve.

Mod_rewrite is an Apache Web server module that enables you to redirect users from one URL to another URL without the user experiencing any indication that the redirect took place. Mod_rewrite can be used in conjunction with what you have learned about proper URL structuring to generate both search-engine-friendly and user-friendly URLs with ease.

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Structuring your URLs correctly is a critical step

Structure URLs Correctly

Structuring your URLs correctly is a critical step when developing a search-engine optimization plan of attack. Both the search engines and search-engine users appreciate static-looking, descriptive URLs. From a mechanical standpoint, they are easily spidered, and from a user’s standpoint, they are easily understood. The search engines also take into consideration the keywords and phrases contained within your URLs and use these to influence your rankings.

Properly designed URLs provide a solid foundation upon which to build more pages while maintaining an efficient organizational structure. Make a strong effort to create your URLs correctly the first time through because changing URLs later can be a daunting task.

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Duplicate content can ruin your search engine ranking

Avoiding duplicate content is critical to achieving and maintaining favorable, long-standing, organic search-engine rankings. A trustworthy content writer understands the importance of writing and maintaining original content on a Web site. Search engines award original content and penalize identical content, making it absolutely necessary that you write unique content for your Web site. You also want to ensure that no plagiarists utilize your content for use on their pages.

The discovery of duplicate content on your Web site

The discovery of duplicate content on your Web site prompts search engines to penalize you with lower rankings or omit your pages from the search results altogether. Tools exist that allow you to scan the Web for instances of duplicate copy and prevent plagiarism of your work from ever happening.

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Proper keyword density is a fundamental component of SEO

The goal of search-engine optimization is to make sure that your Web site ranks at the top of the search results when high-converting, target keywords related to your product or service are typed into popular search engines as search queries.

Using proper keyword density is a process that includes the strategic repetition of select, target keywords and the minimization of nontarget keywords throughout your content, so that search engines deem your Web site relevant to search queries that you want to rank for.

Proper keyword density is a fundamental component of on-site search-engine optimization. By using available tools to maximize optimal keyword density, you can incorporate a substantial number of target keywords through your content without compromising the natural flow of the writing.

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Using Latent Semantic Content

Search engines use latent semantic indexing to determine a site’s thematic relevance to a particular search query. Latent semantic indexing allows the content writer to establish a site’s relevance through thematically linked terms. You can use latent semantic content to create relevancy while maintaining the organic flow of your content.

For example, if your page is about the Washington Redskins, you can use words like “football” and “Washington, D.C.” in your content to establish relevancy. You can use these connected terms to legitimize your site as relevant without inundating your copy with the keywords “Washington Redskins.”

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How to keep my content current?

Keeping your content current is essential to maintaining favorable organic search-engine rankings. It is vitally important to your Web site’s success that you update content on a fairly regular basis. Search engines consider fresh content to be of greater value than outdated content, penalizing Web sites that remain unchanged and stagnant and rewarding Web sites that maintain fresh content.

There are many ways to keep content fresh and original. Manually changing your content on a routine basis is time consuming, tedious, and often results in less authentic prose. Self-perpetuating systems of content creation are preferred over the manual insertion of fresh content. User-generated content from testimonials, forums, and blogs, as well as content through content aggregation networks, are highly recommended methods of supplying your site with fresh, stimulating content.

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Attaching a nofollow attribute to a link

Attaching a nofollow attribute to a link is your way of telling the search-engine spiders that they should not follow that link or view that link as anything of significance when determining ranking. Although the nofollow attribute was developed to prevent the influencing of search-engine rankings through spamming blogs and guest books, it can also be used to funnel relevance and authority throughout the individual themes of your Web site.

The nofollow attribute can also be used to link to other Web sites that are not directly related to the content of your own Web site. More recently, Google has asked that all paid links be tagged with the nofollow attribute to indicate that the links should not affect ranking influence.

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Why and how to create a Robots.txt File?

Proper Web site design and structure is an integral part of any search-engine optimization campaign. Many Webmasters are not even aware that these issues exist let alone know how to deal with them when they arise. Mastering these tactics requires the willingness to dig deeper than the surface and delve into some fairly technical tasks. Ultimately, the world’s premier search-engine optimization experts must develop advanced skills and techniques to keep their Web sites on top of the search-engine results pages.

The search-engine ranking algorithms are constantly evolving. More and more Web site owners are losing their spots in the rankings as their competition becomes more technically competent and adept at the technical side of search-engine optimization. You can use these techniques to streamline much of the tedious work involved with search-engine optimization.

For example, using the mod_rewrite module discussed in the “Using Mod_Rewrite to Rewrite URLs” task can, depending on the size of your Web site, shave hours or even days off the amount of time normally required to rewrite every URL on your Web site.

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Create a Privacy Policy and an About us page

Create an About us page

Regardless of the type of Web site you have, creating a privacy policy page adds credibility and authority to your Web site in the eyes of both search engines and users. Like a company information page, search engines now try to detect the presence a privacy policy.

A basic privacy policy details all your company’s marketing information practices and polices. It shows users how seriously you take their personal and private consumer information and that you are committed to protecting it. A privacy policy page informs your Web site visitors that you will not, under any conditions, sell any personal information, including credit card and contact information, to other companies.

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XML sitemap creation - an index of your Web site

Designing a Sitemap

An effectively designed sitemap increases the likelihood that your site is indexed by search engines. A well-built sitemap displays the inner framework and organization of your Web site’s content to the search engines. A sitemap should reflect the entire navigational framework of your Web site so that search-engine spiders can find and index all your content.

Create a Company Information Page Adding a company information section to your Web site enhances credibility and provides visitors with important information about your business’s history, your management team, and any notable accomplishments or awards received.

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Linking structure that allows search engines to find every page

In order for search-engine spiders to locate and index all your Web site content, you need to develop a linking structure that allows search engines to find each and every page.

At the same time, in order to maintain relevancy to particular topics, not every page on your site should be linked to each other because it would cause different categories, or themes, of your Web site to “bleed” into each other. Search engines favor pages with similarly themed content and tend to dislike pages that are not part of a larger subject or theme.

Think of your linking structure as a means to logically progress from one page of your site to the next. By avoiding a haphazard linking structure, you ensure maximum effectiveness for both the search engines and your users.

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Plan and Design a Web Site Structure

An effective Web site structure enhances user experience and allows search engines to determine the subject matter and relevancy of your site. You should create a blueprint of your site before you begin your design and content creation. It is important to keep all related Web site content grouped together into categories.

For example, if your Web site is about gourmet food, you would have a cheese section, a sauce section, and a section on dry goods. Each of your categories should have unique directory and file name structures, so that when your Web site is indexed by search engines, your site demonstrates a wide breadth of content related to the subject.

By doing this, your Web site can be viewed by the search engines as an authority across various areas of gourmet food. You need to spend time working on your Web site structure. Failure to have a properly structured site can make it difficult if not impossible for search engines to properly index your Web site. Such a failure may lead search engines to omit your Web site from the search results and conclude that you are not an authority on the subject matter of your site.

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