To help gain top position on search engines, you need to include meta tags within your website.   To help with your ranking, include links to other websites, use key words wherever possible within your content and alternative text tags for menu items.  Making your page title a sentence rather than calling it just “contact us” and using key words also helps.

Tip: create your metatags AFTER you create your website’s text.  Look through your text and pick out your key words.

Metatags

Meta tags require a description that appears in search engines to describe your business’s website.  Use key words, locations, the name of the business and keep it no larger than the example below.  Each search engine allows only a limited amount of text.  If your description is too long, it will cut off half way, so make sure the important information is at the beginning.

<meta name=”description” content=”‘Cockle Shells’ is located between Middleton Beach and Emu Point – Two of Albany’s most popular family beaches. With it’s open plan style and modern living/dining area, Cockle Shells is fully self contained (including full linen) with three bedrooms, making it the perfect Albany holiday home.“>

Or

<meta name=”description” content=”Hothouse Human Capital is New Zealand’s premier boutique headhunting firm, operating locally, nationally and internationally.”>

Or

<meta name=”description” content=”‘Chitibin Heights Getaway’ is located off Goomalling Road, Jennacubbine, only 130km from Perth.  Relax and enjoy the spectacular country views from your own fully-contained unit.  Get a taste of the country life and explore the surrounds – you’ll love it!“>

Meta tags also require keywords.  These are the words that a client may type in to find your website.  Put yourself in your client’s shoes and think about what services they may be looking for.  Location is important so be sure to mention town names, state and country.  Use descriptive words, location, synonyms, and try not to replicate the same words.  Please place them in alphabetical order for me and put no spaces between the comma and next word.

Tip: use a thesaurus to come up with similar meaning words ie. bed and breakfast, cabin, chalet, cottage, farm stay, holiday house, self contained unit etc.

One example of this is…

<meta name=”keywords” content=”accommodation,Albany,Albany Golf Club,apartment,apartments,Australia,Australian,bay,bayside,beach,beaches,chalet,cockle,cockles,cockleshell,cockleshells,contained,Emu Point,feature,features,golf,holiday,house,luxury,Middleton Beach,modern,point,retreat,self,self-contained,shell,shells,trip,vacation,Western Australia,WA,west,“>

Another example is…

<meta name=”keywords” content=”AQTF,AQF,AQTF 2010,2007,accredited,assistance,audit,auditing,Australia,Australian,award,CIS,compliance,continuous,consultant,consultancy,course,CRICOS,English proficiency,framework,improvement,International Student registration,Peter Basell,management,NARA Auditor,NARA-endorsed,organisation,organization,organisation,policy,policies,procedures,quality,Quality Management System,registration,register,registered,short,start up,strategies,Student Management System,system,systems,training management,WA,western,“>

title and menu description

Each menu item should include a descriptive sentence.  These sentences should help to sell the page and make the reader want to read on, so treat them as advertising slogans where possible!  Each sentence occurs as the user rolls over the menu item, and also becomes the page’s title and should include key words wherever possible.  Here are some examples from the 2009 Hothouse website:

Philosophy

alt=”Hothouse is a purist, boutique headhunting firm focused on performance.”

How
alt=”Hothouse Human Capital was developed from the ground up with a unique and distinctive structure and vision.”

Why
alt=”Hothouse Human Capital has provided a breath of fresh air to the traditionally very conservative recruitment industry.”

Hot Tips
alt=”Hiring top talent…here are some Hot Tips from Hothouse Human Capital on how to get it right.”

HFX Systems
alt=”Getting top talent into your business is not rocket science, but you need the right tools.”

HotHouse Services
alt=”Hothouse offers high level, professional  headhunting and human capital services across all industry sectors.”