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Search engine optimisation 2/3


SEO has been described as both a science and an art. Here are five basic steps that must be considered when optimising your website:

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Key words & phrases

Create a list of about 30 keywords, i.e self catering, Donegal, Ireland. Use the above words to create phrases, i.e self catering Donegal. List all pages on your site, each page optimised specifically and individually.

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Metadata

Metadata refers to information about information found in the source code of a website. Search engines use metadata to rank websites in search result lists. Create a different title and description for each page including keywords where relevant.

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Images & alt tags

Alt tags are the texts associated with images. To create one, write a short sentence that describes these images. Used by screen-readers to help visually impaired users, they are also taken into account by search engines, so they're important to include.

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Content & headings

Your content and headings should also contain keywords and key phrases in order to get the most out of search engine optimisation.

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Inbound links

Inbound links are links from other sites to yours - important from an SEO point of view as they're like votes for your site. Coordinate with other sites to build links to yours. Contact businesses you could link to and agree on a plan.