Now that you’re seeing all their dirty laundry, you’re going to look for their Meta Tags, which will be at top of code.

Meta Tags are code in HTML that visitors don’t see but search engines do. They used to be main way to get listed, but search engines have gotten smarter since abusers were loading up their tags with irrelevant keywords. They aren’t nearly as important as they used to be, but Title and Description tags are still vital. Many search engines use title for listing and description for, well, description. If your tags are relevant to your content, they don’t hurt and do help with some.

Find tags for Title, Description, and Keywords. Simply look for “title”, “description” and “keyword” at top of source code.

1. The title uses main keywords potential customers use to find sites. For example, TheLocalTourist’s home page title is “Downtown Chicago Restaurants, Bars and Nightclubs, Shopping, Events, Things To Do”. This title highlights areas of site where I want to receive search engine rankings based on number of searches on those terms.

2. The description is where sites give their metaphorical “sound-byte”. The trick is to pick keywords and write a compelling, succinct description without sounding like you’re trying to use all your keywords. Gee, it sounds so easy.

3. The keyword meta tag is simply a listing, separated by commas, of all keywords people would use to find a site. They should be different for each page because content is different. ONLY use keywords that represent your content. Don’t go crazy and don’t use same ones too many times.

Copy their tags and place them in appropriate rows in your spreadsheet.

Now go back to page itself and read through it. Take note of how they use their keywords in their content. It’s a good idea to print each one.

Finally, gather your spreadsheets and your competitor’s site print-outs and pull keywords and descriptions that reflect your site’s content. Analyze how they present their information.

This process is time consuming, but it forces you to take a look at your competition. It also, of course, makes sure your site is search engine friendly and therefore potential-visitor friendly.

Step By Step Optimization

Now it’s time to really get down to business.

Change your file names to include most relevant keywords for each page. You can’t do that with home page since it has to be something like “index”, but you can name other pages on site with relevant keyword for each page. Believe it or not, it does make a difference. Pick one or two so file name isn’t too long.

Write a title (not a meta tag, a real title) for each page as close to top of page as possible using best keywords to describe content. Format it as Header 1. (Most HTML editors have an easy way to format text without going into code if you’re unfamiliar with HTML.) You’re putting it at top of page because search engines read like we do: left to right, top to bottom. This placement and header formatting is a flag stating that “This is what page is about”.

Within content of each page, include a blurb that uses as many keywords as possible without being annoying or redundant. Make your keywords bold, but only once. A good, brief example is Things to Do page http://www.thelocaltourist.com/ThingsToDo.htm. This is one of most frequently visited pages on The Local Tourist from search engines.

Make sure every picture has an “alt tag” (alternate). That’s text that shows up while picture is loading. Search engines can’t “read” pictures, so alt tags show them what picture is about. On most HTML editors you add alt tag in picture properties.

Use your hard-earned knowledge from spying to create your own meta tags. Tailor your competitors’ usage for your own site. (Learning how to implement meta tags is beyond scope of this article, but you can do a web search for “meta tag tutorial” to find plenty of help.)

Ta da! You now have a website that’s ready to be submitted to search engines. It's a good idea to check your rankings on a regular basis and track them with your spreadsheets. Remember, this is not an instant process. The absolute best way to get impressive rankings is to have a content-rich quality site that addresses your target market’s needs.

Many SEO’s that I talk with about harmony tell me that of course I am right and that it is so obvious it isn’t worth mentioning. But truth is that not that many people (SEO’s included) are able to bring real harmony to their pages and website.

Putting keywords in title, meta keywords, meta description and heading tags, that’s easy. But that’s just most basic form of harmony in a web page. Just think of how keywords fit into text found in title, description, heading tags and copy. Should you just place keywords in there somehow, or may it be better to be a bit more considerate when choosing what to write in all these places?

What about topical structure? Is your site completely structured according to a logical topical structure? There are so many indirect factors that are as powerful as link building. And it is hardly possible to put it into words as it is more an art than a science to get it right.