Search Engine Optimization

Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of altering your web pages to comply with the factors that major search engines consider when they rank your website. While your XSite comes complete with an entire set of Search Engine Tools to help you influence your SEO rank positively, some of the most useful tools are those provided inside each individual page of your site. To optimize individual pages from your site for search engines:

1. Open the page you wish to edit in the page editor.
2. Be sure to name the page if you have not already done so.
3. Rewrite the body of the page so that it relates to your business. As you rewrite the page, keep these items in mind:
   • If at all possible, include phrases you expect your customers to use as "keywords" when they search for your services.
   • Avoid using our stock content without significant changes that tie it more closely to your business.
   • Avoid writing as if you're trying to influence search engine rankings. In particular, long lists of words that are beyond what you might call "practical" for a human to read in your page, are a form of keyword stuffing and can have drastically negative effects on your search engine rank.
4. Then, add any dynamic content tools or contact forms to your page.
5. In the Search Engine Tools section at the bottom of the page, update each of the following items:
   • Page Title — The page title appears at the very top of your visitors' web browser (not as part of your website) to explain the content of the page. Since it is also what virtually all search engine use as the title for your search listing, make sure it's short, to-the-point, and relevant to the content of the page on your site (NOT to your whole business or website. JUST to the single page you're editing). Since most real estate services are also local, including one or two of the most well known cities or counties you service is also a good idea.

     

   • Page Keywords — Your page keywords influence the phrases that someone can search for inside of a search engine to find you. Today, they hold FAR less significance than in the earlier years of the Internet and you should not spend too much time or effort altering them. Just put a few search phrases that you expect someone might use to find the page you're editing (NOT your whole business or website. JUST this page of your site). Try not to exceed 3 or 4 lines of keywords in the editor as most search engines will actually penalize you for putting too many keywords into your site (Keyword Stuffing).
   • Page Description — The page description is another significant contributing factor to your page rank. For many search engines, it's also what your visitors will see listed below your page title in a list of search results. The most important thing to make clear in your page description is what you do and where you do it as it pertains to JUST this page of your site (NOT your whole business or website).

     

6. Check the boxes to the right side of the Search Engine Tools section to tell search engines about the existence of the page. Options include:
   • Submit your page to search engines — Actively submit the page to search engines. DO NOT do this more than once. Most modern search engines penalize you for repeatedly "submitting" your site pages in this manner.
   • Add this to your Google/Yahoo Site Map — Google and Yahoo both use "sitemaps" the modern form of "submitting" a page to search engines. Think of this as a "don't call us, we'll call you" approach to submitting your site to search engines. It IS something you should do for all important pages of your site once you've activated your Google Sitemap and Yahoo Sitemap.
   • Add this page to XSites Site Map — The XSites sitemap is a generic form of a Google/Yahoo sitemap that all search engines can read. It IS something you should check for all important pages of your site.
   • Create a link to this page in your XSite Footer — Add a convenient link to this page to the footer of your website. While this IS something you should do for the MOST important pages of your site, it is NOT something you should do for more than around 10 pages. It does have an impact on your search engine ranking, but too many pages (more than 10) in the footer can also make it more complicated for a human to use your site.
7. When finished, click Save and Close to save the page.

Then, be sure to check the page and click Save in the My Content step to active the page on your website.