There are basic techniques for getting higher rankings in the search engines.

Including appropriate keywords on your site is extremely important because the search engines are
text-centric. They base their site rankings primarily on the keywords you select and implement.

Although keyword selection and placement are primary ranking criteria, methods exist for optimizing
graphical content. This includes adding text captions to pictures and other media. Even Flash animations can be optimized by designing the page to include alternative content.

Some general SEO techniques considered appropriate by the search engines include:


Using a unique and relevant title to name each page.
Editing web pages to replace vague text with specific terminology relevant to the subject.
Providing unique, quality content to address visitor interests.
Using an accurate description meta tag to make search listings more informative.
Developing link strategies that allow websites offering interesting content or novel features to accumulate large numbers of backlinks that refer to your site. Writing useful, informational articles under an open source license, in exchange for backlinks.

Recently, accessibility, the practice of making web sites easier to navigate and read even for those with disabilities, has become an important tool for search engine optimization. Google underscores the importance of accessibility by including it in their ranking criteria and giving priority to accessible websites.


Along with these basic SEO techniques, there are basic SEO strategies that can be employed as well. For example, not all sites have identical goals for search optimization. Some sites seek any and all traffic. They may be optimized to seek high rankings for common search phrases. Such a broad optimization strategy can work for sites that have broad interests. For example, a magazine site, general news site or any site that uses an advertising revenue model may benefit from broad optimization strategies.