When creating a new site, there are a lot of things you need to do before you “release” it and show it to the search engines.  Check out the list below:

  1. Make sure your URLs are clean!
    Don’t have too many PHP/CGI/ASP/whatever parameters.  Turn your yourdomain.com/something.php?id=991 into yourdomain.com/category/title-of-article.  In order to get the best search engine results.
  2. Get your title tags right!
    Having keyword rich title tags are a great way to increase your SERPS.  Make sure they are relevant and unique for each page.
  3. Make some meta tags!
    Try to have every page on your site have it’s own unique set of meta tags.  Some people say search engines don’t really think meta tags are relevant anyway, but it’s always good to have them just in case.
  4. Put ALT tags on all your images
    Same thing as with the meta tags.  It will help search engines know what your images are all about.  You shouldn’t spend a lot of time on this, but every little bit helps!  (Also, ALT tags seem play a larger role with Yahoo)
  5. Edit your robots.txt file
    If there are some parts of your site that are not yet complete, you should block search engines from viewing them using the robots.txt file. Robots.txt, if used properly, can be a huge help to your site.
  6. Make sure all your links are working.
    Google hates 401 errors… so make sure your links are all done correctly.  Otherwise, you will suffer from some harsh penalties!

These six simple things can make a big difference.  All the little things will eventually add up and work to your advantage.  Good luck with your new site!