I wanted to share some search engine optimization resources with you. As you’re writing content and coding you must take search engine optimization into account; it does no good to create a beautiful site if nobody can find it. These articles will give you a good foundation for creating pages that are search engine friendly.

You should see some common themes in all of the articles below:

1. Content is easy to read and rich with keywords.
2. Pages should use valid XHTML and CSS - Presentation and scripts should be in external files.
3. Make your pages accessible - use alt and title tags appropriately, don’t overuse images, avoid splash pages, use headings appropriately.
4. Page size should be small.

Using XHTML/CSS for an Effective SEO Campaign - While this article may seem “dated” (2003) it’s not. The article outlines good coding practices with XHTML and CSS and how these practices will help you with search engine placement.

High Accessibility Is Effective Search Engine Optimization - designing accessible sites not only benefits disabilites; search engines favor highly accessible web sites.

26 steps to 15k a Day - read, print, and paste on your monitor. These are easy to understand and follow steps to improve your site’s performance in search engines.

Top 5 Myths to Achieving High Search Engine Rankings -this page includes the top “myths” of search engine optimization, as well as, five steps for better search engine placement. This article provides information on researching keywords.

Getting To Done: SEO Made Easy - like the title says, easy search engine optimization tips

Search Engine Ranking Factors - a large list of the factors that can influence a web document’s rank at the major search engines (Yahoo!, MSN, Google & AskJeeves) for a particular term or phrase.

Search Engine Watch - articles, tips, forums, links and resources that pertain to search engines.

Keyword Suggestion Tool - unsure of what keywords to use in your titles, headings, and content? Try this keyword suggestion tool.

A few free sites that you should work to get listed in:

1. Open Directory Project - provides the “backbone” directory for many search engines like AOL.
2. Google - the most popular search engine.
3. MSN - Microsoft’s search engine.
4. Yahoo How to Suggest Your Site - says in a tiny voice “good luck”.
5. Search Engine Submission Tips - search engine submission, placement and marketing issues. It explains how search engines find and rank web pages, with an emphasis on what webmasters can do to improve their search engine rankings by properly submitting, using better page design, HTML meta tags, and other tips. This portion of search engine watch lists specifics about each search engine; it’s especially useful if you want to find out how to get listed with specific search engines.