Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

No one can claim to put a site at the top of a search. The search engines guard and change criteria to make the searches more salient to the user. The search engines DO protect the formula, but not the intent.

If you follow the rules, the search engines will reward, and if you don't they will punish.

Image Optimization

Images should always be saved at their lowest possible file size without sacrificing image quality. JPGs are for gradients, GIFs are for flatter images, and PNGs will be great once Explorer renders the transparent areas accurately. Yes, explorer again...

Strategies, Practices and Rules

Register Sites
Update regularly for the bots (they feed on change)
Link to other sites, and have critical sites link to you
Avoid sleazy practices
- duplicating your meta tags in text on the page but in the same color as the background will only produce punitive search engine results
Meta tags in Head:
- use ALL of the terms (keywords) that describe the page (do NOT duplicate in head)
- research to discover relevant tags
CSS Design is search engine friendly. Search engines look and use the H1 header titles in determining the importance and relevance to the search. It's vital to positioning the H1 element meaningfully.
Framed sites are not indexed by search engines easily
Standards Compliant websites
Content savvy text: copy like good writing should not use duplicated words, instead vary your language to include as many keywords as could be searched

Clean Code Measures

Don't forget NOTES:

commenting should be both consistent, and lean
lean code is always better: (big sites load slowly, and cost$$$ in bandwidth traffic)
- reduce redundant code (Dreamweaver)
  - padding, margins, borders
  - inline CSS
  - unnecessary DIVs
  - hierarchy, (children and ancestors)
    - until you get concept be careful
reduce bandwidth
- optimize media: the balance between quality and size