By Robin R. Nobles

We all agree that it's important to check your search engine rankings periodically. After all, unless you monitor your rankings, you won't know when pages have slipped in ranking or fallen from index altogether.

While there are some excellent software programs for checking your rankings, such as our favorite, WebPosition Gold, until recently, there hasn't been a Web-based reporting service.

But why would you want to use a Web-based service? Let's look at a few reasons.

Advantages for Using a Web-Based Service

Believe it or not, many people still access Internet using a modem. If those people have a lot of search engine marketing clients, or if they're dealing with hundreds (or thousands) of keyword phrases, using a software program could really tie up their resources for literally hours.

While you can certainly run ranking reports at night, that doesn't mean you won't be "booted offline" sometime during night, to where you'll have to start all over again next day or night.

Also, if you have a lot of clients, you've probably found that ranking reports take up an enormous amount of space on your hard drive. In fact, some companies devote entire computers just to ranking reports.

Another reason for using a Web-based service versus a software program is if you're in a location where you still have to pay by minute or hour for Internet access.

Finally, some people like idea of turning over various search engine marketing functions to someone else, to where they can concentrate on other areas. For those people, Web-based reporting is ideal.

Introducing WebRank (http://www.webrank.com). . . a new Web-based Reporting Service

Besides doing its job quickly and easily, there are two things I look for in a software program or tool: intuitiveness and good customer support.

Like most people in search engine marketing industry, time is crucial to me, and I have none to waste. WebRank is so easy to use that you can get started immediately, without even having to access help files. However, to help you get started, they have a "SupportMail" follow-up system, where new subscribers receive little tips through e-mail on how to use WebRank.

And, I found that if I had any questions or problems, their technical support folks answered those questions or concerns quickly and efficiently.

How does WebRank work?

Optimizing for search engines doesn't have to be a tough job. But you need to pay attention to detail. It is often little things that you do to your pages that will improve your ranking in search engines. Sometimes, it's also little things that can get you banned from same search engines. Pay close attention. First we will cover some things you can do to improve your ranking. Then we will get into what not to do.

* Did you know that some search engines read alt tags in your images? You don't have alt tags? Better include them in all your images. These tags were originally meant for browers that don't support images. This way, people with older browsers would have an idea of what image is about. However, you can place keywords in these tags. Use 2 or 3 word keyword phrases, as this is what most people search for. If your site does not have images, Don't despair. You can use a 1x1 pixel clear image, (which doesn't show up on your page) just to give yourself a place to include alt tag. Use these images as spacers.

* Your pages are probably peppered with headlines here and there. Instead of just using a larger font size for these headlines, use header tags instead. ( H1, H2, etc.) Search engines think that most important information is in header tags. Be sure to place your most important keywords here. If you don't have headlines on your site, start using them. This is better than meta keywords!

* The most important meta tag is title tag. Your title tag is within head tag. It is what shows up on your search engine listing and in title bar at top of your browser window. It is a must that you place your very best keywords here. Don't just put keywords in title tag. It must make sense. Most search engines put a very stong emphasis on title tag. Get it right and get listed.

* Use comment tags throughout you pages, especially near top. The search engines like to read these, and by having keywords, keyword phrases, and other pertinent data here you will boost your ranking. Comment tags do not show up on your page. They only appear in code. A comment tag begins with < !--- and ends with --- > Be sure to leave a space between tags and text.