Since I’ve been wanting to take a break from SEO recently, I decided I needed to call in some help to keep things going on the blog. Enjoy!

7 helpful hints from Bobo the SEO Helper Chimp

1. Get Educated

Review your webmaster guidelines from the search engines before initial design work begins, during content structuring and prior to taking the site public. Make sure your site-to-be stays on the favorable side of their guidelines. Bookmark these bananas.

• Google Webmaster Guidelines (further)
  
• Yahoo Webmaster Guidelines (further)
  
• MSN Webmaster Guidelines (further)
• Ask Webmaster Guidelines
• DMOZ guidelines (optional)

2. Code The Clean Way

Clean HTML is happy bananas for everybody. Check under the hood with these tools so you won’t have to go all ape on your computer when your site explodes on you. More bookmark bananas.

• Check for broken links site wide with Xenu for Windows or you can use either of these online checkers
• Validate your (X)HTML for W3C compliance
• Validate your CSS for proper syntax and use
• Extra bananas for WAI validation to help elderly and disabled visitors on your site
  
• Or if you use Firefox or Flock, this extension does all W3C validations at once
• Spellcheck your pages or else you’re a big dumb gorilla (Firefox extension)
• Add in your Analytics codes (i.e. Google Analytics, HitTail, etc.)

3. No Browser Left Behind

Check your appearance with different browsers so all simians can enjoy your site the way you intended. Bookmark bananas.

• Windows Users: Newest IE7, Firefox or Flock, Opera, Safari
• Mac Users: Firefox or Flock, Opera
• Linux Users: Internet Explorer via Wine, Firefox or Flock, Opera, Konquerer (built on the same engine as Safari)
• Lynx Text Browser (spider emulation): Firefox/Flock extension, Web based viewer

4. Provide Directions
Deploy an XML site map as soon as all pages are made so those spider monkeys will index the pages you designate it to. Bananas.

• Pick an online one, however most won’t do more than 500 pages
• Or you can do it yourself via W3C guidelines

5. Hustle & Flow the Bots

Control future spider monkey traffic on 2 levels so they don’t steal bananas and share lice. Or for other reasons.

• Get your robots.txt file setup properly as far as allowable directories and files (1 2 )
• Add in the location of your XML sitemap to your robots.txt file
• Don’t forget to add in your robots META tag too!

6. Get Familiar With Indexes

Getting indexed with the search engines can happen either by them finding you naturally through back-links or you can kick-start it for them by submitting your XML sitemap. Important bananas.

• Google Webmaster Tools (definitely get familiar with this interface)
• Yahoo Site Explorer
• MSN URL Submission (can submit XML sitemap)
• DMOZ (optional but never hurts to try)

7. Publicity Stunts

My uncle Kong got famous by getting on stage and then subsequently destroying a city and leaving HUGE droppings all over 142nd & Broadway. If he knew how to publicize himself better, well he would still be with us. All you have left to do is get some quick links to your new site through keyword rich inbound links in press releases and blog post submissions if you have a blog. The final bananas.

• Download my Excel list of 28 free press release sites
• Check out this site for an absolute ton of social bookmarking sites. The list gets maintained and updated so keep this one!

Conclusion

I hope you enjoyed my tips and pointers. I also shared my lice and ticks with you. Happy bananas!

Tags: Bobo SEO Chimp, SEO, Web Development, Web Standards. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.