URL Rewriting

OK, so this one is a little complicated. If you're using a Windows server, it can be a lot more complicated. Have you noticed that some sites have URLs that clearly explain what is on the page - like http://example.com/blog/2007/february/all-i-do-all-day-is-blog.html ? The URL is organized, simple to understand, and readable. If you are using a CMS or even blog software - these URLs are created by URL rewriting. If your site does not have URL rewriting, the URL for that same page will more likely look like this - http://example.com/index.php?section=blog&STG=2398572&ID=947543 or something similarly confusing.

That jumble of numbers means a lot to your web server, so it displays the proper page - but to human eyes and search engines it says nothing about the page itself. If you received that URL in an email, you would have no idea if it was spam or something important.

By using URL rewriting for your CMS, you can insert keywords into your URLs, which helps a ton for Search Engine Optimization. Try searching for a phrase or keyword on Google right now. You'll notice that some of the sites listed on the first page have the words you are looking for in the title and some will have them in the URL of the actual page. As an added benefit, Google bolds the words you are searching for so they jump out at you. If you have those words in your Title and URL, that results in two bold lines for your site.

Be Bold And Strong With Important Phrases

Now we are getting to the content and meat of a page. This is the reason why people would want to come to your site in the first place.

Many sites repeat the title of their page at the top of the content area, and this is good. Content repetition, just like promo and spot repetition on-air, is a good thing as long as it isn't overwhelming and annoying. However, many pages don't bother to use the neglected <h1> tag, or its siblings, <h2>, <h3>, etc. The content title is the perfect place to use <h1> - which is your primary heading.

Search engines consider whatever is inside the <h1> tag to be the most important thing in your content. So instead of just giving that title/header a bigger font and making it bold, put it in a header tag, like <h1> or <h2>. If that makes the text appear too large on screen, then you can fix it with CSS - either in your stylesheet, or inline like this - <h1 style="font-size:14px;margin:3px;padding:3px">Heading</h1>. It is much more effective than just increasing the font size both for search engines and screen readers. When the visually impaired have a web page read to them by a screen reader program, using headers helps them navigate the page much more quickly as well as helping them understand what the page is about without having to listen to all of it.

Creating bold text should be done by the <strong> tag - which both emphasizes visually and to search engines what key words and phrases exist in the content. Use the <strong> tag to provide a brief highlight. On the web, many visitors don't read, they scan. Using bold text helps them scan your page quickly - and if you bold the right text, they should be able to pick up the main points very quickly.

Search Engine Optimization has much more depth than the few tips you see here - but this will get you started if you haven't already. If you make your pages clear, easy to understand and full of frequent quality content, good search engine placement will just naturally follow. Just make sure you don't fall prey to businesses that offer Search Engine Optimization guarantees or engage in deceptive practices. You'll not only be wasting your money, but also you may get punished by Google, Yahoo and others. Organizing your site with proper tags to highlight your content is not deceptive - its how every web page should be written.

As always, AllAccess has my “The Net Untangled Tip of the Day” each weekday and a column on Website Wednesdays. So check back and together we’ll get our internet presence focused on keeping radio strong in this world of increasing competition.

Do you agree with me? Or am I full of hot air? If you have comments or any questions about radio websites – either general questions relating to the industry or the web or even specific (HTML, PHP, .NET, Javascript, etc.) questions, send me an email through http://Preppermint.net/contact . I’ll answer your question quickly and maybe even use it for a future column.