There are a number of Search Engine Optimization issues to consider when looking at deploying a content management system. This article looks at the key issues related to optimizing a site and the specific requirements from your Content Management System.
Page Name, Page Descriptions and Keywords
When most people think about optimizing their site, the most they consider is the "Meta Data" as the key area of performance. While the Meta Data is not the main tool that Google and the other search engines look at in identifying a pages relevancy, it still helps to ensure that page names, keywords and descriptions match your Search Engine Optimization phrase.
Your CMS should allow you to set the meta data for each page, and allow you to modify these as required.
Domain Name
One of the key areas that the search engines use in identifying a websites relevancy is the domain name. Your content management tool should allow you to automatically add new domain names that you purchase and point them at your website.
Page Headings
Google is specifically noted on the h1 tags as an identifier of a page topic. The h1 tag is simply the code identifying main heading on each page. Your CMS should allow you to put different heading types throughout the page for stylistic reasons and automatically tag the page correctly for the search engine.
Alternative Image Descriptions
For accessibility reasons any image on your website should have an alternative description (an alt tag) for the visually impaired. Because the search engines are not able to "see" a picture, they also use the image description to understand the topic. Ensuring your image description also contains your search phrases significantly helps your optimization. It is important that your Content Management System allows you to add and modify the image descriptions.
Copy
The actual copy of your site is the bedrock which Google will use to identify the subject matter of the site. Regularly updating the site will improve the "page rank" of the site, which will improve your optimization. It is important that your Content Manager is very easy to use to allow timely updates.
