A Four Fold Friendliness

"Does this contribute to 4-Fold Friendliness?"
(Just keep searching for a balanced chair.)

We are creating for users/searchers (potential customers) and for search engines. The Website is like a 4-legged chair.

• User friendly.
• Search engine friendly.
• Sales and marketing friendly.
• Development friendly.

User/Searcher Friendliness:

Subdirectories, File Names and URL structure.
Remember your end users when you create an URL structure. Many Web developers like to divide different site sections into subdirectories to keep related pages close to each other (on a Web server). On a larger site (250-plus pages), this site architecture makes sense. On a smaller site, this so-called SEO strategy may confuse site visitors.

domain.com/books/hiking is less helpful. Unless you scores of boots in a large clothing domain. domain.com/hikingboots.html is better.

Over 90 percent of the people queried prefer the URL without the subdirectory. It's easier to type and easier to remember. "Too many forward slashes" is a common complaint.

Whenever possible make the file names related not only the page content but also to the keyword phrases chosen for the Website. File names should be keyword phrase rich not only for the search engines, but for the user.

See Server Directories below.

See all other Site Architecture Guidelines that apply.

Search Engine Friendliness:

http://www.semconsultation.com/worksheets-articles/site-evaluation.html for Helps and Hindrances

Select a target keyword phrase for every page. See Sales Medium.

Whenever possible make the file names related not only the page content but also to the keyword phrases chosen for the Website. File names should be keyword phrase rich.

Text and Text Links: Remember that SE’s read text, not graphics and javascripts, flash etc. Text needs to be keyword rich and when possible have text links for the SE’s to follow.

Dropdown menus are ok as long as they are readable by the search engine.

Consider a text of 200-300 words with 3-4% of that in the keyword phrase a target. But, must be weighed with User Friendliness.

HTML Titles: Make each unique to the page and include the keyword phrase in the Title. Remember that most searchers never read the Title. When possible start with your keyword phrase first; first letter in Caps, the rest lower case; 9 to 11 words in length.

META NAME="DESCRIPTION" Be compelling but start with your keyword phrase. Use no more than 25 words. This may be the same text as your description in the observed text below.]

META NAME="KEYWORD" Us the most significant words first, repeat any keywords only once, and specialize in one primary keyword combination for each different file. Put no more than 3 keyword phrases.

Server Directories: As a general rule, pages closest to the root directory are considered the most important pages on your site. The two most important documents that should be in the root directory are the home page, commonly named contact.html, and the Robots Exclusion Protocol, commonly named robots.txt.

Generally 100 to 200 pages in the root directory is good. Most of these root-directory pages would be category pages, because a category page directs site visitors to more specific pages on a site, usually products or services.

Cross-Linking:Cross-linking is important for search engine visibility. When possible, integrate a system of text links in your keyword phrases.Basically, there are two types of cross-linking: hierarchical (vertical) and related (horizontal). These can serve as breadcrumb links, help with search engine ranking, and lead users to move through the Sales Process.

A few well-placed hypertext links can enhance both search engine visibility and page conversions.

Sales Friendliness:

See all other Site Architecture Guidelines that apply.

Developer Friendliness:

It is also essential to have a structure that can be easily maintained over the life the Website. A system should be easily understandable to any new staff member who comes on board

Unless absolutely essential, don’t use a database driven site, frames, or primary Flash pages with little text. Frames are a complete no-no for Search Engine friendliness. A database driven site can be search engine friendly, but need to be designed properly. For a one product site like yours it shouldn't’t be necessary. A little Flash program for accent on a text page won’t hurt, or course. (However, make it a simple. In truth, people don’t like to sit and look at things.)

Proceed to Chapter 4, Text is King.