Several plugins are available for the Firefox web browser which are useful for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) purposes, such as analyzing pages to determine if they are sufficiently optimized or quickly learning what type of websites have linked to them. Here are some details on each of these plugins.

SEOpen: When installed, this provides Firefox users with a variety of SEO related data on the websites they visit. The information includes statistics on backlinks, related pages, and keyword density. It also provides a site’s Google PageRank and Alexa traffic ranking, along with indicating whether or not it is listed on dmoz.org.

SEO For Firefox: This plugin can be used to check an assortment of linking, history, directory, and ranking data about a site. According to seobook.com, it displays estimates on the number of each type of inbound links to the site (.gov, .edu, blogs, all), its approximate age, various rankings, amount of del.icio.us bookmarks, and other information. It shows if the page is listed on Yahoo’s directory as well.

SearchStatus: Another one of the SEO plugins for Firefox, the SearchStatus tool shows users the rankings for particular websites from Alexa.com, Google.com, and Compete.com. It can also highlight links with the “nofollow” attribute, find the keyword density, and supply backlink information.

Smaller task-specific SEO plugins are also available for this web browser. These tools might be preferable if you are only interested in performing a single SEO related task in Firefox, such as checking the PageRank or keyword density of individual pages.

Keep in mind that there are some privacy concerns associated with the use of SEO or other plugins which transmit data about your online activities. For example, some of these plugins send the URLs of each webpage you visit to Alexa and Google so as to check their rankings. It is possible that this information might be intercepted by a third party.

Gathering all of this data about each page also puts more strain on your internet connection, your computer, and the servers of various search engines, directories, and ranking systems. It is best to only have SEO plugins activated when you truly need this sort of information about a website.

The Firefox web browser is available for Windows, Macintosh, and Linux operating systems. A wide range of plugins have been developed for it. Firefox has seen increased popularity during recent years, surpassing all browsers other than Internet Explorer.

Google, Yahoo and MSN are the major search engines right now and each of them have lots of rules and algorithms to try and ensure the best results are returned in searches. The purpose of search engine optimization is to have your site rank high in relevant categories. But, there are some tactics to avoid as the major engines see them as unscrupulous and will punish you if they think you are deceiving searchers. Here are a few big ones to avoid.

1.    “Cloaking” redirects, which display different content to search engines and to your visitors.
2.    Having broken links or 404 redirects.
3.    Having duplicate content on your site.
4.    Having non-relevant or artificial links to your site, such as with link farms.
5.    Cross linking to falsely increase a site’s popularity. This is when the owner of multiple sites links all of his or her sites together, even if they aren’t relevant to one another.

Doing any of these along with a number of other “black hat” search engine optimization activities can lead to your site being banned or dropped from search engine rankings. If that were to happen then not only will you lose traffic immediately, you may never get linked to again because other sites will not want to be associated with yours.

There are two dominant ways to track a web site’s statistics these days. The first is analytics, also called page tagging. Analytics basically means putting a piece of code, usually in JavaScript, on each page of a web site. Then, every time one of these tagged pages is opened that piece of code is executed and the visitor’s public information such as IP address, browser, operating system, referrer, etc. is collected and stored for you to analyze later. The second method is a log file analysis. This simply refers to the data that your web server collects.

There are advantages and disadvantages to each type of tracking. One of the main advantages of using an analytics program is that they are better at tracking actual people because they track browsers instead of server requests which gives you a more realistic view of the visitors to your site. Using an analytics program also allows you to collect more information on your visitors’ web design parameters such as browser versions, platform version, connection speed and screen resolution which will help you in the design and layout of your pages. Finally analytics collects data on the client side so you can avoid any proxy or caching problems. Some disadvantages include not being able to track non-html pages, possible errors on pages due to the insertion of the code and the inability to track search engine spiders.

The advantages of having a log file analysis include the ability to easily track both page errors and search engine spider activity. You can also track non-html pages, such as PDF downloads using this method. Additionally you can see all of your historical data and there aren’t any firewall issues when using a log file analysis. However, if a page has already been cached then no new record is logged onto your web site. Besides that you can’t see as many of the web design parameters of your visitors.

Basically, both of these methods focus on different things. If you are a marketing/business person analytics is likely the most sensible choice. Google Analytics is a particularly good program that is free, but there are also others out there. If you are going to use log file analysis then Clicktracks is one of the best out there because they tend to be good at segmenting out and robot activity, thereby giving you more accurate information about your visitors.

When using images in a website design which incorporates SEO (Search Engine Optimization), the way search engine spiders will react to them should be taken into account, as well as the most effective ways to make them appear in Image Search results. Search engine spiders cannot directly evaluate what images contain or look like, aside from their resolution and file size. However, they can read the alternative text provided for an image, which is specified by using an “ALT” attribute in the “IMG” tag for each of the images - thus, these are likely to have some impact on SEO. The words also appear on text-only web browsers, when a user places the mouse pointer over an image, or on pages where the graphics fail to load.

A benefit of using content-related images is that they give a website the potential to receive traffic through the Image Search features on search engines like Yahoo, Google, and AltaVista. Using images which are not too small, but display acceptably when reduced to a relatively small size, will likely produce a greater number of clicks. While of less significance, it should also be noted that large images are visible on search engines and directories which show thumbnail graphics next to their results, such as Alexa.com or Del.icio.us.

Some image search engines, including Yahoo, display the filenames of images below them. On the other hand, if a webpage has a caption directly below an image, this will likely be used as the caption for Google results. Google Webmaster Tools users can freely opt-in to the Enhanced Image Search feature. According to Google.com, this helps them more effectively index images on a site, partially through using an interesting feature called “Google Image Labeler”.

Words displayed within a picture will not affect the webpage’s SEO keyword density, and the page won’t appear in search results for words that only appear in the image-based text. Putting text which is unrelated to the page’s subject in an image might improve its keyword density for relevant words, which is useful for SEO purposes. Examples of such text may include contact information, advertisements, ordering instructions, or product specifications.

Using relevant images also frequently makes web content more interesting, useful, and attractive. This is beneficial to SEO efforts because it encourages people to voluntarily link to the page and makes it more likely to receive attention on social bookmarking services.

Launching a new web site with SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in mind is less time consuming than waiting until it has been completed to begin SEO efforts. Putting an emphasis on this from the beginning will prevent the web site owner or designer from wasting time on the creation of pages which aren’t search engine friendly. Here are some tips on launching a new site with SEO in mind.

1. Web site owners who create their own sites should learn about META tags and how to achieve the best keyword density. It is also helpful to understand how search engine “spiders” (or “robots”) work, including the types of content they can and cannot read.

2. If you have someone else design your new web site, find a web designer with SEO experience who is willing to optimize the site in the process of designing it. Some designers have little understanding of SEO and create sites which are very unfavorable in this manner.

3. When initially launching and promoting the web site, be careful not to use advertising methods which are frowned upon by search engines. Such methods include posting to FFA link pages or buying links without the “nofollow” attribute/tag.

4. If the new website needs to have text-based content produced for it before launching, it is best if a writer who is skilled in SEO creates this material. This type of content may include informational articles, blog entries, press releases, or product descriptions.

5. Although it may seem more visually appealing or easier to create, designers should avoid putting paragraphs of text inside images. This is detrimental to SEO in most situations, because search engine spiders can’t read this type of text. Navigation systems should also be search engine friendly, and it is a good idea to create a site map before launching the new website.

6. Some types of SEO oriented promotional techniques can draw attention to a new web site as it is launched, while also improving its search engine ranking. These techniques include submitting the site to article directories, posting it on social bookmarking systems, or using it in a forum signature.

Keeping SEO in mind while launching a new website provides some incidental benefits as well. Sites which are search engine friendly are often less difficult to access for people who have less common web browsers or are visually impaired. Sites designed with SEO in mind also tend to have easier navigation and are better-organized.

Google’s universal search returns results that include web pages, video, news postings, images and even maps. With all of these varied results you may be wondering how to take full advantage of universal search. Never fear, Google itself has posted tips on how to do this. Here are the highlights.

If you have a site that has news content you should submit it for inclusion in Google News. Once Google includes your site you can submit a News Sitemap to let them know about your most recent articles. This feature only works for English sites currently though. You can also submit any past news content for inclusion in the News Archive Search.

Additionally, if your site has images you can opt in to enhanced image search in your webmaster tools. This will let Google gather metadata about your images that can help them decide if your images should be returned as a search result.

Also, you can use your location to your advantage. Provide your geographical information to Google’s local business center and they will return your business when it’s relevant to a local search.

Finally, if you have any video content host it on any video hosting service such as Google Video or YouTube. If your video is relevant to the search then Google will show it in the results. Better yet, that video can be played directly from the search results page.

All of these tactics will help you place higher in Google’s new universal search. But, continue doing whatever was working for you before to make sure that you still turn up for regular results, too.

Backlinks are a web site or web page’s incoming links. Generally, the more backlinks a web site or page has, the more popular or important it is. Backlinks are also called incoming links, inbound links, inlinks or inward links occasionally. The two main benefits of backlinks are increased traffic and higher Google PageRank. Here are 5 tips to help increase the backlinks to your site.

First you need to submit your site to directories. There are many free and paid directories that you can submit your site to. Once your site has been submitted theses directories should begin showing a backlink to your site. Make sure your check any of the requirements they have as well as any waiting period for backlinks to become available.

A second way to increase your backlinks is to comment on blogs or web sites similar to your own. You should find several blogs, forums and sites in your market and become a regular contributor there. Then include your website in your signature.

Third, take advantage of social bookmarking. Post your articles on sites like Digg and StumbleUpon. This will increase your exposure, but will also create more backlinks if people Digg your article.

Fourth, you can create your own WordPress theme and then give it away for free. The trick to this is putting a link to your web site in the footer of the theme you design. Once you upload it and give it away, any one who uses it will create a backlink to your site.

Finally, you can hire someone to do the work for you. Companies such as PayPerPost let you pay to have bloggers review your site. Although, this is a little dangerous. Make sure the blog writing about your site has some common interest or Google may determine that the links aren’t valuable.

All in all getting backlinks is a part of being actively involved in your community as well as knowing your field. If you are competent in these two fields then people should want to backlink to you automatically.

Applying no-follow tags to links prevents search engines from using these links to evaluate the linked web site’s search ranking. Using them when appropriate can prevent your web site and/or the sites you link to from having their rankings penalized by Google. Here are some specific details on how to use no-follow tags on your web site or blog.

Open the HTML file for the page you plan to use these tags on, using a text editing application such as Notepad. Then locate the link or links you will be adding them to (A HREF). After the quotation mark to the right of the link URL, add a space and the word rel=”nofollow”. Here are a couple examples of no-follow tags in use:

<A href=”http://www.google.com/” rel=”nofollow”>Google</A>

<a href=”http://www.google.com” rel=”nofollow” target=_blank>Google.com</A>

If you use a web design software program such as Adobe Dreamweaver or Microsoft FrontPage, somewhat different steps will have to be taken. If you cannot find a way of automatically adding this tag in your web design program, HTML code can be directly edited (by following the instructions above) when you use the Code view in FrontPage or Dreamweaver.

As for blogs, the process for adding or removing no-follow tags from your links (and/or those of people who comment on your blog) will vary depending upon the blog system or software in use. No-follow may or may not be the default for comments, and might have to be turned off, edited in a template, or replaced with an appropriate plug-in. Some blog operators apply the no-follow tag to decrease the incentive for “comment spam”, although spammers may keep posting just for direct traffic from their links.

Web site operators can use no-follow tags to comply with Google’s rules on paid or reciprocal links; Google requires all links which have been sold or traded to use no-follow tags. You can also apply no-follow tags to deny search ranking benefits to a web site you’re linking to; for example, when linking to a competitor’s site to show that their prices are higher.

Be sure not to use no-follow tags excessively. Generally, there is no need to use them if you are voluntarily linking to a web site/page you recommend. Other useful tags for links on your web site include “target=_blank”, which opens linked pages in a new browser window, or “onmouseover”, which can activate various functions when a user’s mouse pointer moves across a link.

Using social media for advertising purposes can be of benefit, but it is more likely to prove effective if excessively promotional techniques are avoided. Social media web sites include such services as YouTube, Wikipedia, Del.icio.us, and MySpace. Here are some more details on using particular types of social media to your benefit.

VIDEO SHARING: Web sites like YouTube are often used to promote other sites, usually by displaying the site’s address at the bottom of a video or at the end of it. They can also benefit efforts to market a particular product by showing it in action. A few marketers use YouTube to host openly promotional videos linked from their sites as well, thus reducing bandwidth costs. A drawback to using this method is that it is somewhat time-consuming and requires audio/video recording equipment, along with relatively recent computer hardware.

ENCYCLOPEDIA: Using the “External Links” or “References” sections of social media online encyclopedias (like Wikipedia) to add a link to your web site is another way of using social media to benefit your promotional efforts. You can also add a new encyclopedia page about your company or product, but biased information should be avoided; it will also have to be periodically monitored to see if others make unfavorable changes. For the best effect, efforts aimed at using this type of social media to your benefit should be carried out in the context of making a positive, useful contribution to the system.

NETWORKING: Some companies create a profile at one or more social networking systems (especially MySpace) to promote their businesses. However, automated or bulk promotional methods should be avoided on social networking sites; this can result in account deletion, or (in severe cases) legal action. MySpace also has a job search feature, which businesses can use to benefit their employee-finding efforts. To list a job on it, follow instructions provided on the “Submit Feed” page at simplyhired.com.

BOOKMARKING: Using social bookmarking services for your promotional efforts is another option, including sites such as Sphinn, Furl, and Digg. It is more effective to submit your site’s recent informational or entertaining pages, rather than pages which are specifically designed to sell a product or service. It’s also to your benefit to submit links from other interesting web sites, and to avoid posting links from the same site excessively, to prevent being labeled a “spammer”. This technique requires less effort than using the above-mentioned methods.

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a process of making your site easily accessible and understood by search engine spiders. Usability is doing the same, but for human visitors. While many people see these two as a constant conflict they are actually working hand-in-hand because many of the things you can do to improve usability will also improve SEO.

For instance, think of your site’s navigation. If its structure is clean and easy to follow for a human visitor then the same is true for a search engine spider. If it is full of pictures and hard to find links then it isn’t benefiting anyone.

Instead of asking yourself what is more important – SEO or usability you should instead focus on other questions that will help you figure out exactly what your web site needs. Consider what the goal of your web site is and who is your target audience. You’ll have a completely different layout if your site is trying to get people to click on an ad versus if you want them to buy a product or are offering information. By considering what you want your site to do and for who you will get a clearer idea of how to lay out your site and what to include in the content – both of which will improve usability and SEO.

If you can manage to build your site with both types of visitor – human and search engine – in mind then your web site will be stronger, more accessible and easier to navigate for everyone. And that’s when you’ll return higher and higher in the search engine results.