Search Engine Optimization - SEO

The Wall Street Journal is a long-time favorite. The Personal Journal Section is a treat. Today, in addition to the Personal Technology column by Walter S. Mossberg, there was a very enlightening and useful item by Julia Angwin. "It's a New Me (As Seen on Google)" addressed search engine optimization (SEO). She consulted with a SEO consultant Rhea Drysdale at OutspokenMedia.

Here are some tips to make unwanted items move further down the list and more current or preferred items to appear at the top of a Google search of your name.

• Link your online presences to each other. For example, if you have a website and two blogs, be sure they are linked. [Link your LinkedIN page to your blog -- to your bibliography on your work or professional association's website -- to your Twitter -- and so on. This blog links to my LINKEDIN profile.]
• Submit articles that show off your knowledge to key websites. Rhea suggests Squidoo.com, eHow.com or Google Knol and calls this a branding opportunity. First check out these or other sites to see if they are sites you'd want to contribute to!
• Keep checking. Julia warns us that "constant vigilance is required." It is easy to lose control of your ranking. Large businesses have their search results monitored full time!
• Website design - don't overdo the graphics in favor of descriptive words. Use text terms that Google can easily categorize when searching the Internet -- web crawling.
• Web or blog "title tag" needs to have text that describes the page to a search engine. This is also known as metadata. [Notice that the title for 2CoolTools now has a longer subtitle thanks to this tip!]

Thank you for the tips, Julia Angwin and Rhea Drysdale. Hope my one post joins many others to keep your SEO in good shape.