Web page design: Tuning up for visitors setting up search engine listings

Web Page Design Notes:

How to I get visitors to my site?

Is more really a good idea?
Making the site more attractive
Standardizing for accessibility
Getting recognized by search engines
Multi-lingual site options
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Do I want more visitors?

As long as you put the work into building a site, it might be handy to attract some visitors. Word-of-mouth limits visitors to a relatively small circle of people. Of course, some sites are only built to service a limited audience (friends, family, local hobbyists, etc.) In that case, stop reading. You've already got to much exposure. However, usually, if you built for the net, more visitors, up to a point, are why you built your web site.

Warning: Most providers have "bandwidth" limitations on the free web space of provided for noncommercial web accounts. Excessive quantities of visitors can lock out your access or cost you money. Most noncommercial web sites can list without any risk of a problem. Sites like this one, which specialize in topics that are far from the mainstream of interest are unlikely to exceed bandwidth restrictions. The same applies to typical personal web pages. Unless your page is an exceptionally unusual or hot topic, bandwidth restrictions probably aren't a concern.
Safety Concern: Just a reminder -- personal information (home address, family details, ect.) should not be posted on a web page. Most people on the internet are nice, but there a few weird people out there. Listing with a search engine increases the chance of this type of person reading your page. An e-mail contact address is as personal as is necessary.

Final Tips for Improving the Impact of Your Web Site

After all that work, what looks good on your monitor may not work when it downloads to someone else. Check with friends to see how it looks to them. (Get to know someone with a MAC for wider usability reviews.) Consider sending your HTML coded web pages to a validation site. (Validation checks HTML code for errors that might cause problems on some browsers.) Remember Jeff's tips and keep track of the buzz on how page design features impact web page viewers. If you have the money (I don't), professional designers list the following development tools as essential: Dreamweaver (site layout, design and production), Photoshop (image creation and manipulation), and Imageready (image optimization and animation). Additional tools that professional designers consider useful are Macromedia Flash, Director, SoundEdit, and VR Studio.

Getting recognition through Search engines

How does a search engine work?

Search engines learn about and classify web pages three ways. First, they learn when designers submit information about the site directly to a search engines listing services. If the screening mechanisms (sometimes, but not always humans) accept and approve the submitted information searches that match the keywords linked to the listing find the newly listed site. Second, some of the best sites, like Yahoo, use employees (or even client visitors) to scan and suggest new and interesting additions to the knowledge base. Finally, automated scanning of the Internet uses information imbedded in web page called "META tags" to automatically add new listings to the reference base. Listing procedures try to take advantage of all or these approaches.

How do I prepare my page for listing? (Adding META tags)

If your HTML editor automated this step, skip to listing instructions.

Before attempting to have your web page listed or indexed through search engines, make sure you have inserted appropriate "META" tags in the heading area of your web page to help the indexing process. I am a long way from understanding the ideal approach to designing the content of META tags, but I will use the tags from this site to help explain what I have learned to date. The code is on the left; explanations are on the right; the META tag area is in a lighter yellow color shade. (You can view the active original on any web page by clicking view, page source on your browser menu.):

<HTML>	This is the standard opening tag that informs the browser that the following data is a web page in HTML standard format.
<HEAD>	This tag opens the area that contains META tags, Javascript routines used within the page and other "plumbing" type page features.
<META HTTP-EQUIV="Content-Type" CONTENT="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">	This META tag is automatically inserted by most HTML editors to help standardize how browsers interpret page content.
<META NAME="Author" CONTENT="Thomas J. Gilbert">	This META tag is often automatically inserted by HTML editors to identify the page's author. It is not really necessary for content listing. (This line may also be incorrect if you used an editor that was not personally licensed to you.)
<META NAME="GENERATOR" CONTENT="Mozilla/4.04 [en] (Win95; U) [Netscape]">	This META tag is automatically inserted by HTML editors to identify the type of HTML editor and platform used to design the page. I'm not sure of its functional value.
<META NAME="Description" CONTENT="Information resource on applied assaying (mining industry), health, science for kids, introductory web page design, computer support, and links to ideas for family leisure." >	This is the primary description used to index a site by automated search engines. Keep it short, this may be to long. Sites like Yahoo! don't accept anything over 25 words. However, to short may decrease the potential exposure of your site.
<META NAME="KeyWords" CONTENT="assayer, assayers, assayer's, mining, chemistry, fire assay, instrument assays, sample prep, sample preparation, assayer training, technician training, method documentation, assayer health, geology, gold, Au, laboratory, skills, training, web page design, metallurgy, ore control, exploration, chemist, safety, environment, health, internet, web page design, computer support, LIMS">	This is the keyword set that helps a search engines classify the content of your site. Don't try to list everything, just a few key words that might lead people to your site when relevant. Unethical designers do all sorts of strange things to get their sites to list high in search results. (HotBot has some introductory comments on the structure of Meta tags that is useful.) As for the best way to design keyword content, I'll post it when I figure it out.
<TITLE>Tom's Assayer Library Home Page: Analytical Support in the Mining Industry</TITLE>	Every page should have a title tag to identify it. Most HTML editors automatically create this tag as part of the process of saving a page design.
</HEAD>	This closes the heading portion of the HTML page. (Javascript code may follow the META tags. This is the "plumbing" used to drive interactive features called within the <body> of the web page.

I am still trying to learn how to "tune" these features to generate interaction (visits) from interesting (and interested) people. Any design suggestions would be appreciated. In any case, once you are done creating these META tags, you are ready to attempt a public listing of your page.

For more information on META tags functions, try the following links:

"What can <META> Do for You?" is a VERY general introduction to the functional scope of META tags.
"How To Use HTML Meta Tags" by SearchEngineWatch is the best place for developing an in-depth understanding of META application. This reference also includes references to useful internet tutorials on META tag design.

Sending Your URL for index listing

To a degree, web sites that contain META tags are often automatically detected by the prowling automatic program engines of the major search sites. However, reliable listings require an element of design or intent. If you have the time, its best to begin by learning how search engines work. The best (and most complete) place I know to begin learning is with "Search Engine Submission Tips" in SearchEngineWatch's web master area.

A less complete (also less work) approach is to contact each search engine directly to ask for a listing "as is". HotBot's listing form is the most user friendly. Don't miss listing with Northern Light. Excite has two places for listing: a main location and one for Webcrawler. When you list with Yahoo, they may list a page like this one as "personal." Listing with Yahoo reaches an important audience, but it can be difficult to insure availability to appropriate target audiences. (Although Yahoo allows you to make a case for a link to other category listings, this approach can be chancy and restrictive.)

Note: Periodically you should reconfirm site listings. Automated "crawler" programs from each search site routinely re-confirm the current status of listed links. If the "crawler" calls when a server is down for service, listings may be deleted.

Another easier approach to search engine listing is to use a listing program or service. You can download one of the following utilities; they are designed to automate the process of applying for site listing. (Sorry, all of these utilities only work on win95 /98 / NT platforms. If you know utilities that work on other platforms, let me know)

Dynamic Submission 2000 from Apex Pacific Information uses a single screen form. You fill in the details of your site; the trial version randomly selects and completes registration at 10 engines. The registered version does a full sweep to register at over one hundred search engines. (Shareware: Free trial, $99.95 to keep)
Traffic Builder from PBD Technologies has you fill out a database form. A tabbed interface gathers the metaname keywords, title and description data you created, then submits the data to your list of Web directories selected form over 450 engines. (Shareware: Free trial, $49.95 to keep)
WebPromo from Hurricane automatically and rapidly registers your domain to search engines, directories and free-for-all promotional lists. The promo version only reaches 33 directories, but registration brings tech support and registration to over 300 promotional channels. (Shareware: Free trial, $39.95 to keep)
Submit It doesn't require a download. It has an on-line form to fill in keywords and select categories. This information is rapidly formatted to fit the submission forms of the major search engines; one URL is registered to up to 16 sites in about 10 seconds. Registration (Submit-It! Gold option) lets you submit three URLs and registers your domain(s) to locations you select from a list of 300 sites (organized by category). (Online trial is free, full registered use costs $59.95)

Of course, once your site is registered, it may be that your keyword design doesn't reach your intended audience. You can evaluate how it all worked out by downloading WebPosition. The evaluation version is limited to checking 3 search engine listings, but the full product tells your site rank at dozens of Web search engines. It also gives tips on improving your site's ranking. (Shareware: Free trial, $99 to keep)

Multilingual, Anyone?

Canadian contacts of mine asked about tools for making a web pages multilingual. If you are trying to reach the widest audience, there are automatic translation tools and encoding assistance for the ambitious. I'm fairly illiterate in this area, but I'm posting a list of tools to help more ambitious visitors. (Be aware that if you go beyond automatic translation assistance, this can get pricey. Consider using WebBudjet to help estimate translation costs before the money starts flowing.)

Rather than manually rebuild a translated version of a web page, it is possible to semi automate the process with translation tools. The sites are also useful for reading web pages that are posted in languages you don't understand. Translation is rough (literal translations can have odd results), but here are several free translation resources for several major languages:

FreeTranslation.com translates phrases and pages into spanish, french, german, italian, and portuguese.
AltaVista's translation service translates phrases and pages into french, german, italian, and portuguese.
Babel -- Internationalization of the Internet offers tips for creating multilingual sites. The site provides help for a much wider set of languages, but it does not seem to provide automatic translation tools for visitors web pages.

If you don't speak the language your translating into, automated translation product may generate misunderstandings. Human translators are better; several services have listings of translators to hire:

Aquarius Dictionary has a large database listing of translators.
eTranslate and partner Glenn's Guide to Translation Agencies together offer both advice and listings of translation services.
Local cultural meanings and symbols can be tricky. The Global information Network, Global Business Center, or the Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA) might be able to provide help with this problem.
If you're building a commercial site, remember that the language of money also changes between countries. Oanda's Currency site offers currency exchange calculations. The site even offers a currency exchange calculator to include in your own web page.

Changing languages is more than changing words. The underlying HTML coding also changes. (This includes, but may not be limited to, changes in "content" and "charset" header specifications.) Several web sites exist to help sorting through this problem.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) sets the web language standard in section 8 of their HTML 4.01 specifications site.
W3C also provides additional advice on multilingual technical issues on their Internationalization Localization site.
The Unicode Standard site provides assistance in encoding characters for the different written languages of the world.
Microsoft also has a help site entitled "The Localization Process: Globalizing Your Code and Localizing Your Site."

Translating a site into multilingual formats is ambitious. If you find this useful or have suggestions for better tools, let me know! Good luck!

Additional URL Listing Notes

There are commercial services with sophisticated techniques for obtaining the most visible index ranking, but I haven't found any free advice that I can verify as useful. (WebPromote may serve that function, but I haven't really taken the time to follow their advice.) E-mail me if you know of sites that provide amateur site designers with better help.

Whatever happens, don't take your internet presence as an amateur very seriously. In a medium full of cheaply published false or misleading information, people that publish to the web for fun shouldn't expect too much. Be honest . . . and enjoy creative experience.

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