Here are 7 simple changes you can make to any web page to improve your placement in search results.

  1. Create a descriptive browser title, up to 70 characters long, that includes the specific keywords for your web page.  This is the number one structural change you can make to a web page to improve your search engine placement.  For example, the browser title for this page is "Website maintenance tips to improve your search page rank".  Total length of my browser title is 58 characters.  Keywords I'm promoting are "improve search rank".
  2. Add a meta description that is relevant to the content on your web page.  The meta description will not have a major impact on your search engine ranking, but it will display in search results after your browser title when someone searches for your keywords.  The length of the meta description should be under 350 characters.  Note that only the first 160 characters or so will display in your search results on Google.
  3. Create one, and only one main headline.  In HTML, this is an H1 tag.  Use your keywords or synonyms of your keywords, but avoid duplicating your browser title.  For example, if your promoting your website management tools, your browser title might be "Website management made easy" and your main headline might be "Managing your website is easier than you think".
  4. Include zero or more sub headlines for each sub topic on your web page.  In HTML, this is an H2 tag.  The H1 and H2 tags help search engines identify what's important on your web page.
  5. Include alt attributes that contain relevant keywords for each image on your web page.
  6. Use SEO Friendly URLs.  Change the URL for your web page to a search engine friendly URL format.  Make sure the URL contains keywords or keyword synonyms that correspond to the topic of your web page.
  7. Make sure your page includes concise, relevant content for the subject matter.  Be passionate about what you write.  Passion equals knowledge and other sites will link to your site if you are knowledgeable about your subject matter.  Links from other relevant sites will also improve your search page rank.

I've also included a video that illustrates how to make these web page changes using Ittrium to improve your search engine ranking.