May 31, 2007

Typo3 CMS SEO: Introduction

In this upcoming article series, my goal is to demonstrate how Typo3 is my Content Management System (CMS) of choice for Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Typo3 is arguably the most powerful and extensive enterprise-level open-source content management frameworks available today. 

SEO: Web Design for Robots

I tell my clients: “With Typo3, if you can dream it, then you can build it.” Usually, I’m referring to human interface design – meaning it is very easy to drop ANY visual interface on top of Typo3’s powerful and flexible backend framework. Well, the same is true for SEO – since SEO after all is ultimately the process of making the visual interface (that search engines see) more user-friendly. Good design, after all, must first consider who the target user is going to be – and then design for that. So, SEO is nothing more than good web design for robots. And since Typo3 can easily accommodate any design, with Typo3, SEO is a piece of cake.

For you programmer types out there, the logic is straightforward:

A) SEO is UI design for search-engine spiders
B) Typo3 can support any UI design
C) Therefore, Typo3 can support any SEO requirement

First, Which SEO Factors Should I Consider? 

Good question. However, for the purposes of this series, I’m assuming that you’ve already come to some conclusions regarding the set of SEO ranking-factors to consider. If you haven’t done this already, the following two resources will give you all the information you need to get started:

1. SEOmoz.org. One of the most authoritative, comprehensive, and freely-available SEO resources available today. According to their own description, SEOmoz “represents the collective wisdom of 37 leaders in the world of organic search engine optimization. Together, they have voted on the various factors that are estimated to comprise Google's ranking algorithm (the method by which the search engine orders results). The result is a resource of incredible value.” I would agree with their assessment.
2. SEObook.com. The number one ranked and most authoritative SEO e-book available today which dispels the myth that SEO is a hard practice. Instead, the author, Aaron Wall, a widely-recognized and respective expert in the field of search engine optimization, demonstrates how increasing traffic to your website is easier than you think. Not only is this book the definitive source in the SEO industry, it also comes with free lifetime updates; as SE algorithms change, so does SEO Book. A must read for any business or SEO professional.

Top Ten SEO Tricks with Typo3 CMS

In this ten-part series, I will show you how you can use Typo3 to implement ten of the most common on-page search engine ranking factors. And to keep things easier to digest, I’ll submit a separate article for each SE factor. The factors I have chosen are the following:

1. Title Tags - Customizing your <title> tags with Typo3
2. Page URLs - Generating simple, keyword specific URLs with Typo3
3. Meta Tags: Creating keyword targeted meta tags with Typo3
4. H Tags: Customizing your H1, H2, H(x) tags with Typo3
5. Image Tags: Customizing ALT tags and image titles with Typo3
6. Body Text: Using content elements to improve body quality with Typo3
7. Internal Links: Increasing internal link popularity with Typo3
8. External Links: Increasing outbound link quality with Typo3
9. Site Organization: Achieving better information architecture with Typo3
10. Site Maps: Generating textual and XML sitemaps with Typo3

Enjoy!

Is your CMS SEO-friendly? The following checklist will help you determine the capabilities of your...

TYPO3 would do well to learn from the growing success and core strenghs of Wordpress

If you're looking for a quality and affordable web hosting provider, look no further. Web Hosting...