diff --git a/readme.md b/readme.md index 401ef50..8df02c8 100644 --- a/readme.md +++ b/readme.md @@ -34,62 +34,62 @@ A helpful checklist / collection of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) tips and te ## URL * **Descriptive URLs:** use a descriptive page url, which should reflect your targeted keyword -* **[Subdomain or subfolder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MswMYk05tk):** subdomains are seen as separate domains -* **[Hyphens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQcSFsQyct8):** split words using hyphens -* **[www or no-www](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/44231):** provide both domains, but set a prefered version in Google Webmaster Tools -* **[Localisation](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/62399):** choose a country-specific domain, for better local search results -* **[HTTPS](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal.html):** Security is a top priority for Google -* **[URL builder](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033867):** Use this tool to add custom campaign parameters to your URLs * **[File extension](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSG6C33GwsE)**: do not strip out the file extension on URLs +* **[HTTPS](https://webmasters.googleblog.com/2014/08/https-as-ranking-signal.html):** Security is a top priority for Google +* **[Hyphens](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQcSFsQyct8):** split words using hyphens +* **[Localisation](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/62399):** choose a country-specific domain, for better local search results +* **[Subdomain or subfolder](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_MswMYk05tk):** subdomains are seen as separate domains +* **[URL builder](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/1033867):** Use this tool to add custom campaign parameters to your URLs +* **[www or no-www](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/44231):** provide both domains, but set a prefered version in Google Webmaster Tools ## Accessibility * **403:** provide a 403 - Access denied page * **404:** provide a 404 - Page not found page +* **[Custom Search](https://developers.google.com/structured-data/slsb-overview):** with Google Sitelink search box, people can reach your content more quickly +* **File not found:** avoid `404 FILE_NOT_FOUND` errors +* **Layout:** use `divs` instead of `tables` for layout. Using `tables` is not semantically correct. +* **Moving a website:** redirect all your links to the new location via `.htaccess` +* **[Pagination](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/1663744):** implement the `rel="next"` and `rel="prev"` attributes to links +* **[Performance](https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/common-mistakes/slow-mobile-pages):** performance and loading time is important +* **Redirects:** avoid redirects if possible. Use 301 redirect instead of 302 +* **[RichSnippets](https://schema.org/):** markup your code with rich snippets, they show up on the search results page * **Robots:** block pages which should not be indexed via the `robots.txt` file or `` -* **File not found:** avoid `404 FILE_NOT_FOUND` errors -* **Redirects:** avoid redirects if possible. Use 301 redirect instead of 302 -* **[Pagination](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/1663744):** implement the `rel="next"` and `rel="prev"` attributes to links -* **Moving a website:** redirect all your links to the new location via `.htaccess` -* **[Performance](https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/common-mistakes/slow-mobile-pages):** performance and loading time is important * **Validation:** write valid code ([HTML Validator](https://validator.w3.org/) [CSS Validator](https://jigsaw.w3.org/css-validator/)) * **[WAI-Aria](https://www.w3.org/TR/wai-aria/):** use WAI-Aria tags to help machines understand your code -* **[RichSnippets](https://schema.org/):** markup your code with rich snippets, they show up on the search results page -* **[Custom Search](https://developers.google.com/structured-data/slsb-overview):** with Google Sitelink search box, people can reach your content more quickly -* **Layout:** use `divs` instead of `tables` for layout. Using `tables` is not semantically correct. ## Meta Information -* **Title:** each page should have a unique speaking title (60 - 100 characters) -`Website Title` * **[Description](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W4gr88oHb-k):** each page should have a unique description (max. 160 characters) `` +* **Title:** each page should have a unique speaking title (60 - 100 characters) +`Website Title` ## Keywords -* **Single:** every page should have a single unique targeted keyword -* **Research:** rank for keywords with high traffic and less competition -* **[URL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAWFv43qubI):** keyword should appear in URL name -* **Title:** keyword should appear in page title -* **Heading:** keyword should appear in headings * **Content:** keyword should appear in ~3% of article length +* **Heading:** keyword should appear in headings * **[Meta Tag](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK7IPbnmvVU):** you can ommit the ``, search engines do not use this meta tag +* **Research:** rank for keywords with high traffic and less competition +* **Single:** every page should have a single unique targeted keyword +* **Title:** keyword should appear in page title +* **[URL](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAWFv43qubI):** keyword should appear in URL name ## Content * **Content:** content matters the most in SEO +* **Flash:** avoid Flash content and Flash pages. They are not accessible on mobile phones and will be ranked lower +* **Freshness:** new content is important. Updating pages or posting regularly is recommended * **Headings:** clear structure `H1` -` H6` max. 70 characters long +* **Length:** article should be at least 300 words * **Strong:** use `strong` tag to highlight your targeted keyword * **[Uniqueness](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQZY7EmjbMA):** do not provide duplicated content, use unique content types -* **Length:** article should be at least 300 words -* **Freshness:** new content is important. Updating pages or posting regularly is recommended -* **Flash:** avoid Flash content and Flash pages. They are not accessible on mobile phones and will be ranked lower ## Images -* **[File name](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2SWuUobbr0):** use a short descriptive name * **[Alt tag](https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/114016):** add an alt-tag this a description of the image (60 - 70 characters) * **Dimensions:** add the `width=""` and `height=""` attributes to the image +* **[File name](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2SWuUobbr0):** use a short descriptive name +* **[Optimization](https://imageoptim.com/):** Optimize images by removing some meta information * **[Responsive Images](https://www.w3.org/TR/html-picture-element/):** serve the most optimized image corresponding to the window size * **Size:** keep the filesize as low as possible -* **[Optimization](https://imageoptim.com/):** Optimize images by removing some meta information ## Videos * **Controls:** add controls to playback and control your video @@ -98,41 +98,41 @@ search engines do not use this meta tag * **[Unplayable content](https://developers.google.com/webmasters/mobile-sites/mobile-seo/common-mistakes/unplayable-content):** avoid unplayable video content. Use HTML5 `