We've attended enough tech conferences and listened to enough so-called experts speak about the perils of Black Hat SEO techniques (think the Dark Side) versus White Hat techniques (you guessed it Luke).  It's probably safe to assume if you're reading this article, you must be familiar with SEO or are seeking insight into what works with search engines.  Depending on whom you ask, answers will vary from the value of inbound links increasing your SERP ranking (Search Engine Results Page) and overall site relevancy to the value of unique content with proper use of Meta tags and Title tags.  So, here's your opportunity to learn from Load's marketing staff and Web designers and forego those hefty tech conference fees and horrible box lunches. :)

Common SEO Techniques Explained ...

• Hidden Text Is a NO-NO - Are you part of the late 90's Web design team that thinks placing white text on a white background still works?  If you're trying to hide text from your users in hopes of hoodwinking Google or any of the other search engines, BAD CALL.  This technique is more commonly known as hidden text and could cause your site to disappear from search engine rankings for the keywords/key phrases that you're trying so desperately to rank for. Ultimately, this "shady" technique may get your site banned completely. 
   
• Read Your Content Out Loud - Many site owners claim that keyword stuffing is an effective method for increasing page rank or increasing the likelihood that your site will pull up higher in search engine results.  What's keyword stuffing?  Well, if you have content on your site that uses the same key word or key phrase multiple times in a sentence, you're probably going to get flagged by search engines as a "keyword stuffer".  A good test is to read your content out loud.  If the content on your site does NOT sound natural, there's a good chance you're going to get flagged.
   
• A Picture Isn't Really Worth a 1,000 Words - Did you just learn photoshop or discover a really cool font that you've just got to use?  Well, you may want to refrain from making large graphics containing your marketing message.  AVOID creating page titles or writing site content in images. Why?  Images will negatively impact your site's keyword density, but search engines won’t be able to spider your content either.
   
• Take Advantage of ALT Tags - If you MUST use images -- sometimes it just helps the look and feel of your site -- then try to remember to use ALT tags where available.  This signals to search engines what the content/context of the image is and how they should validate your images to count positively towards your site.
   
• The 300 - I'm not referring to the movie about 300 Spartan soldiers.  I'm talking about the number of words in your content per page.  Every search engine is looking for content relevancy.  Each takes into account page titles, headers, meta tags, links, and most of all, your content.  The more valuable content your site has to offer about a topic relating to a specific key phrase, the greater the likelihood that your site will appear in the search results.

As always, we'll continue to add content and tips about search engine techniques as we discover them and/or learn about them.  So check back often and feel free to write if you have questions or need help.