It’s not just what you say that matter’s, it’s how you say it.

Sometimes it’s how you code it.

If you’ve got something important to say, you want people to see it. So what do you do? You can make that sentence bold, italicize it, increase the type size, or put a bullet point in front of it. That way the reader knows that sentence is more important than others.

But how would a search engine know what was important on the page? Simple, by properly coding the webpage you can let both the reader and the search engines know at the same time. Here’s how…

    • Header Tags
      Header Tags tell the search engine “This is important” By default the text is black, the type size is increased and bolded, however they can now be custom programmed to look however you wish. There are eight levels of Header Tag, <h1>through <h6>. <h1> showing more importance than <h2> which is more important than <h3>. You should utilize their hierarchical structure logically. If you use <h1> for the main headings of your content, the next level of subheadings should be <h2>, and so forth. Include keywords and phrases within header tags for the best bang for your buck.
Properly coding the webpage you can let both the reader and the search engines know what is important.

Properly coding the webpage you can let both the reader and the search engines know what is important.

  • Emphasis Tags
    Emphasis tags include bold <strong>, italics <em>, and underline. There is no difference in value, so you can utilize them all to spread emphasis around “organically” within your content. But don’t overuse them. Bolding or italicizing too much text takes away the emphasis for the search engine as everything seems to be important.
  • Bullet Points and Number Lists
    Using the ordered (number) and unordered (bullet) lists offers an excellent way to put emphasis on content in short, quick bursts. Using keywords and phrases within lists is a way to boost the emphasis you’re placing on pieces of your content. As with any of these emphasizing features, only use lists when it makes sense and when they flow naturally with the page’s content.
  • META Descriptions
    The description tag is one or two sentences (about 25 words) describing the site. This tag often appears on the search engine results page as the description of the site. Proper use of keywords in this tag can help the search engines find you.
  • META Keywords
    The keyword tag is simply a list of the keywords a person might put into a search engine when trying to find a site that deals with what your company does.

Summary

Good text is essential. Proper coding of that text is just as important. It not only lets the reader know what is significant, but tells the search engines as well. Take a look at your website. Does it emphasize your key points? Are those points coded so that the search engines can see the emphasis? If you need help checking these points, please let us know.