SE reps on web development

Another recap post from last week’s WebmasterWorld PubCon event, this one from the blog of Matt Cutts, a Google rep. who turns his blog over to another Googler, Vanessa Fox for this post recapping the Organic Site Review session. This is a panel where reps from the main search engines review business web sites and offer tips on how to make them more search engine-friendly.

Fox covers some helpful material for any small business interested in improving its search engine visibility, including topics like subscription-based content, Flash-based web sites, and even file names. Here’s a bit that addresses the need to include your search words and phrases in the text of your pages:

You know what your site’s about, so it may seem completely obvious to you when you look at your home page. But ask someone else to take a look and don’t tell them anything about the site. What do they think your site is about?

Consider this text:

“We have hundreds of workshops and classes available. You can choose the workshop that is right for you. Spend an hour or a week in our relaxing facility.”

Will this site show up for searches for [cooking classes] or [wine tasting workshops] or even [classes in Seattle]?

It may not be as obvious to visitors (and search engine bots) what your page is about as you think.

Along those same lines, does your content use words that people are searching for? Does your site text say “check out our homes for sale” when people are searching for [real estate in Boston]?

Again, here’s the link to read the full post.