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Web Development Resource Guide  :  Self Help Guides  

Search Engines

GoogleKUMC web developers can request a search engine from Internet Development if the size and complexity of their site warrants the need for keyword searching. Examples of department search engines include:

Contact Internet Development at X8-7387 to discuss a search engine for your site.

Optimizing Your Site for a Successful Search

You can improve the quality of the search results for your site by following these guidelines:

  • Make sure there are no spaces in the directory or file names. These create a wide variety of undesirable problems for search engines.
  • Assign meaningful page titles to all documents (PDF, Word, and Excel), not just HTML. The information contained within the page title should provide a descriptive summary of the page content. Failure to add a title returns a search result with the document listed as "No title available".
  • Keep materials not intended for publication off of the web server. Your main web directory is not a place to store old versions of your site, outdated HTML pages or incomplete documents. A common mistake is to store this material on your web site and assume it's not getting picked up by search engines because you haven't linked to it.
  • Placing your site within frames without knowing how to optimize for search engines will decrease your chances of being found on a search (see link below).
  • Every misspelled word is an opportunity missed if someone is searching on that word.
  • Meta tags can be a useful tool for helping readers locate your information (see link below).
  • Consider the design of your site in relation to keywords on the page. If your pages are primarily graphical there's little chance it will be found on a search.Words you think your audience will use to search on should be placed near the top of the document for best results.

These are only a few basic recommendations. For addition questions feel free to contact a member of Internet Development. We recommend a visit to these selected pages at the web site Search Engine Watch.