The following is a list of the best SEO practices that every web designer/developer should follow:
- Use clean markup with your xhtml. Don’t use tables unless it is for data. Check your code with W3C validator.
- Do not use Black Hat SEO. Practices such as hiding keywords on white backgrounds, keyword stuffing, and link spamming, are frowned upon. Such actions can more than likely get your site banned from search engine indexes.
- Make your images findable by using alt and title tags. Make sure the descriptions are relevant to the image.
- Integrate social networking sites into your site. Creating a Facebook, Myspace, or Twitter profile can help you to draw many visitors to your site. Be sure to reflect professionalism when interacting with potential visitors on these social networks.
- Trade links with other relating websites. Contact authorities of similar websites to see if they will post a link to your site in exchange for you posting their link on yours. Be respectful and courteous when asking. Do not berate them if they do not accept your request for a link exchange.