In all cases, the accuracy of search engine results will vary according to the search query that is used.
For example, entries in a human-powered search engine might be more technically accurate, but the
search query that is used will determine if the desired results are returned.Page elements
Another facet of SEO to consider before you build your web site is the elements needed to ensure
that your site is properly indexed by a search engine. Each search engine places differing importance
on different page elements. For example, Google is a very keyword-driven search engine; however, it
also looks at site popularity and at the tags and links on any given page.How well your site performs in a search engine is determined by how the elements of your page
meet the engine’s search criteria. The main criteria that every search engine looks for are the site
text (meaning keywords), tags — both HTML and meta tags — site links, and the site popularity.Te x t
Text is one of the most important elements of any web site. Of particular importance are the key-
words within the text on a page, where those keywords appear, and how often they appear. This
is why keyword marketing has become such a large industry in a relatively short time. Your key-
words make all the difference when a search engine indexes your site and then serves it up in
search results.Keywords must match the words and phrases that potential visitors will use when searching for
your site (or for the topic or product that’s listed on your site). To ensure that your keywords are
effective, you’ll need to spend some time learning which keywords work best for your site. That
means doing keyword research (which you learn more about in Chapter 5) and testing the key-
words that you do select to see how effective they really are.Ta g s
In search engine optimization, two kinds of tags are important on your web site: meta tags and
HTML tags. Technically, meta tags areHTML tags, they just appear in very specific places. The
two most important meta tags are the keyword tag and the description tag.The keyword tag occurs at the point where you list the keywords that apply to your web site. A
keyword tag on a search engine optimization page might look something like this:<meta name=”keywords” content=”SEO, search engine optimization, page
rank”>The description tag gives a short description of your page. Such a tag for the search engine opti-
mization page might look like this:<meta name=”description” content=”The ultimate guide to search engine
optimization!”>35
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