Our Drupal websites allow you to manage your website content, including all the parts that have an effect on search engine results. Optimising this content for the best results is the aim of search engine optimisation.
SEO is a constantly evolving process, but the three most important aspects at this point in time are:
- The page title (shown at the top of the browser)
- The URL (see Creating a new page step 5)
- Your actual page content
Browser title bar
In most browsers, like Internet Explorer, the page title is shown in the bar at the very top when you are visiting a website.
The words appearing here are very important for your SEO. They should include keywords a visitor might use when searching for your site.
Using our SEO pack, you can customise this for each individual page. You should see these two boxes when you are editing your page:
The mandatory title will be used for the browser unless you enter something in the 'Page title' box, in which case it will be overridden.
Submit and view the results!
The URL
The URL or web address of your page is given great significance by search engines. That's why you need to include your keywords within the URL. Your Drupal website allows you to specify what your URL will be, but it also uses sensible defaults, usually based on your content title.
Page content
Page content is arguably the strongest and most important aspect of search engine optimisation. Think about what the search engines want to achieve - pages that give internet searchers the information they are looking for. If your content is useful to people, then it's in contention for a high position in the search results.
Keyword selection is key (pardon the pun). If you want people to find your page, you must use words they are likely to search for. While this sounds difficult, it's likely to happen naturally for well written content.
The style of presentation is also significant. Search engines attach greater important to headings and words in bold, so placement of keywords in headings and bolded sections will achieve better results.
A word of warning. Don't try to fool search engines into providing a better ranking that your page is worth by using tricks such as including all your keywords many times in bold headings. Or including all the key words you can think of in white text on a white background. This is likely to be picked up and your ranking penalised as a result.
Image and link text
Images and links are special content components that need a little extra attention.
Images can't be interpreted by search engines in the same way that humans do. Make sure you enter sensible alternate text, including a smattering of relevant keywords, when you insert your images. There are special fields where you can enter this.
With links, make sure the link text says something identifiable rather than just 'click here'. Keywords are good here too - relevance is the key.
Meta tags
Meta tags are words which are part of your site code but are not displayed visibly on your pages. Google doesn't use meta tags much, but some other search engines do. There are hundreds of meta tags; we commonly use the 'Description' and 'Keywords' meta tags.
Access meta tags via Administration > Content management > Meta tag.
The Settings tabs will display some global information. The most important setting to use is 'global keywords'. Enter your chosen search words as for 'Browser title' above, then click 'Save configuration'.
At the same location, access front page information by selecting the 'Front page' tab. Here you can enter a description for your site. This is important as it is often displayed in search results, so is an important marketing tool. Keywords can also be entered here before submitting.
In the same way you can select 'meta tags' when editing individual pages and enter a description and keywords for each page, but remember that this is not the most important SEO tool.
XML Site Map
An XML site map will automatically be generated for the purpose of informing search engines about your pages and how often to update each page. It also automatically requests reindexing of pages that have been updated. You don't need to take any action for this to occur.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics provides a wealth of information about the visitors to your site, and is particularly useful for assessing the success of your marketing strategies.To connect your website to the Google Analytics system:
- Sign up for an account via the Google Analytics website. You will be given a code which starts with 'UA' and is followed by a series of numbers
- In your own website, go to
Administer > Site configuration > Google Analytics
- Enter your UA number in the Google Analytics account number box
- Scroll down and 'save configuration'
You are now ready to start tracking results via the Google Analytics website. It will guide you through the process.
