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SEO_ _keywords_ _image_and_alt_tags
| SEO - keywords - image and alt tags
Last time we talked about the always visible
elements on the page, specifically headings and visible
text. If you have done a good job, you have 'threaded' your key
phrase into the headings, title and content and still have
excellent copy. It is important to get high rankings on the
search engines, but that won't count if your page copy is
gibberish because its stuffed with your key phrase.
Next we will look at the 'sometimes visible' elements on the
page. Specifically these are the 'alt' tags on each image, and
the text descriptions associated with hyperlinks. I call these
'sometimes visible' as they only appear after the cursor has
been resting over the element for a little while.
The 'alt' tag on an image is an alternate description that is
loaded if the browser has its image loading turned off. This
used to be important when people surfed the web using slow
modems, but these days, hardly anyone has their image loading
turned off. This gives us an excellent opportunity to put
content into the page that can be loaded with our key phrase.
Again, be aware that the 'alt' tag description will show if the
cursor is left over that image for any length of time, so you
still have to write good copy, but as its an image description,
there is a little more latitude than with visible copy.
The same is true for hyperlinks. There is an optional elemt
called 'title' that again only shows when the cursor moves over
the hyperlink, and is really designed to give the user a bit
more information about the hyperlink.
Great! - another place for us to put our key phrase. Again, its
worth repeating that this text is still visible, so don't go
overboard, but some creative writing should allow you to do some
threading.
More later.....
About the author:
Lee is one of the principals at Spinnaker Systems which
provides Web related services to the small business owner. Lee
can be contacted at lee@spinnakersystems.com and is a regular
contributor to the Spinnaker Blog
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