Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Effective Tips For Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization Search engine optimization or SEO is a web development concept that has been around for a while. However, as search engine companies like Google change their algorithms over time, websites have to keep up with these changes in order to ensure that their websites are optimized in the most effective way. There are basic techniques that are the foundation of good SEO. Read this article to learn what these are.
Keywords are the focus of any good SEO strategy. If your business has a target audience, you need to figure out what words this audience would typically use to find information on your type of business. Brainstorm for keywords. Visit websites of your competitors to see what kind of words they are using. Write down the ones that you feel are most relevant to your business and incorporate those in your website.
Focus your strategy on on-page SEO. This is the process of using keywords in the areas of your website as it is loading, like your text content, links and image “alt” attributes. The percentage of times that these keywords appear in your content in relation to all of your words on that page is called keyword density, and this is an important part to consider as you create content for each page. Keywords should also appear in your meta title tag and description tag because these are what web visitors see when your website appears in search engine results.
Social media is becoming more and more important in the overall SEO strategy of a good website. A lot of people are linked to their family, friends and other people in their social circle through popular social media platforms. If you can effectively reach a portion of your audience and they like your content, they will very likely share your website with their social network. Your customer base can potentially grow exponentially as people share your content this way.
People are also short on time these days, and an increasing number of people are browsing the web and staying connected through their mobile devices. In order to take advantage of this, your website need to display properly on mobile devices. Keep in mind the relatively small display screens that these devices have. That means the the content on your mobile website needs to be focused on the most important pieces of information, with strategic use of keywords so your audience can get the best value for their time.
Because people are short on time, they will not wait for a slow-loading website to finish loading. Hundreds of websites of any single industry compete to capture the attention of their audience, so if one website does not deliver, the web audience will just skip it and go to another. Do not lose your potential audience this way, and make sure to keep your website light on images and resource-demanding interactive media to minimize the time it takes for your page to load.
Always keep up with the latest trends in SEO to apply the best techniques to your website. Keep this advice in mind, and you will have a good, solid foundation.

The top 10 African fashion blogs


To celebrate Africa Express rolling out across the UK, here's a guide to the best fashion blogs from Lagos, Soweto and beyond

Orire Omatsola pictured on the blog One Nigerian Boy Photograph: Terence Sambo/onenigerianboy.com
African fashion is booming, and so is its web presence. Ever-expanding numbers of websites, blogs, e-tailers, Tumblrs and online magazines dedicated to African-influenced style represent a field of fashion that is as fast evolving as the social and online media that shows it love. A new generation of African and diaspora designers have gained attention in recent years, and African styles are a perennial trend on international catwalks too. With so much information to filter, here are 10 places to begin your African fashion odyssey.