Optimizing your site for natural search can be a great way to draw more traffic to your web site.
 
Any given Web search on a site such as Yahoo! can turn up thousands, sometimes millions, of 
results. So if you are trying to grow your business online, you will want to structure your 
site to improve your rankings in algorithmic (non-sponsored) search results. Consider 
implementing the search engine optimization tips below to help you achieve this goal.

Picking Target Keywords

Search engines look for keywords when scanning the Web for content in order to show relevant 
results. Thus, it's important to determine which terms your potential customers are using as 
they search, and make sure they are sprinkled liberally throughout your site. Two important 
things to consider when building this list are: 

Target keywords should be at least two words long. The majority of sites usually are relevant 
for a single word, which creates more competition. Having additional words will increase your 
chances of success. Colleagues, friends and customers may have some insight, so brainstorm with 
them when compiling keywords. They may have ideas that you haven't considered.

Positioning Keywords on Your Site

Search engine crawlers will scan your web pages for appropriate keywords, so it's important to 
place them where they're easy to find. The most effective locations to place your keywords are: 

· HTML title tags - Your site's title, which appears at the top of the browser window, is the 
first piece that crawlers will read. Write the titles of your headlines around your top two or 
three phrases. 
· META tags - META tags deliver information to the search engines for ranking purposes, explain 
the web page's content, and store keywords for search engines, which helps in the ranking process.
· Headlines - Include your target keywords in the headlines of your pages. Search engine 
crawlers scan pages from top to bottom, so the headline will be one of the first things they 
detect. 

Page Layouts

The layout of your web page also can affect a search engine's ability to find keywords. Search 
engines scan pages differently than humans do, so what appears normal to one may not appear 
that way to the other. Here are two things you can do to make your page layouts more conducive 
to natural searches: 

If you use tables, simplify the structure to keep your keywords higher on the page--while human 
visitors may see your keywords, tables may make keywords appear lower on the page to search 
engines. Make sure that your keywords appear in text - search engines can't read JavaScript or 
text that’s embedded in images. 

Additional Tips

Here are a few other tips to consider to get you even closer to a high search ranking: 

· Use HTML links instead of JavaScript - Again, crawlers can't read JavaScript, but they place 
a high emphasis on hyperlinked text. Try to include your keywords in your link text, too. 
· Avoid frames - Most search engines can't follow frame links, so make sure there is another 
way to index your site, like keyword-heavy META tags. 
· Make your pages static - Search engines may not be able to read CGI or database-generated 
pages, so try to make as many of your pages as constant as possible. 

Optimizing your site for natural search can be a great way to generate more business, but using 
sponsored search may be better for selling common products. If however, you sell a unique 
product or service, using the tips above in conjunction with good design can help you achieve 
the natural search engine ranking you seek.

Source: http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/nl/jul05st.php; Note: This article originally 
appeared in the Yahoo! Small Business newsletter, Insights. A wide variety of other informative 
articles is available in Yahoo!'s Small Business resources page.1