Help: What's wrong with my cousin's SEO on his website?

Hi Tim,

Obviously, the Title tag is the single most important element in SEO, that's a given. Besides the home page title being "page 1", it would be helpful if each page title began with the primary and perhaps a secondary keyword.

The use of overly general keywords could be replaced with more specific keywords. You need to do some keyword research to find suitable keywords to optimize your page titles.

Add some keyword rich text links in the footer to each section of the site. Add cross-links to the body text at every place it makes since.

Add a site map and a Sitemap xml file, add a privacy policy and contact page. Add more keyword rich content that engages the reader in a conversational manner.

create separate, keyword optimized pages for each individual item that is listed in your category pages. Add keyword rich headings and bold your keywords within the body content.

Write better, more compelling meta descriptions that offer an emotional benefit and a call to action. What good is it to be listed if your description is too boring to get click-throughs?

And all that is just your on-page stuff. After you do the on-page optimization, go and promote the site through backlinks from blogs, directories and social bookmarking sites. Be sure to use keyword rich anchor text and deep link where appropriate.

There is much more you can do to promote your website, but this will get you started in the right direction.

There is so much to be improve on-page and only when you get your website in-order, should you really start doing off page work.

To start with the website navigation is cluttered. It will have to arranged in a much simpler fashion. Easy to navigate and each page accessible from the home page or else visitors would exit the website. You could have home, store gallery, events and about us on the top navigation and everything else on the left panel under categories.

You have already covered the title bit and dburk has also give some valuable inputs.

The home tab takes you to a different url than the home url, when essential they are the same. Needs to be sorted out.

The url structure uses underscore to separate words when Google does not view under score as a word separator. It will treat two words as one. Use hyphen instead in urls.

The images used don't have Alt tags. Search engines cannot read images and use Alt tag instead. Make sure to use it for all the images. The Alt tag description should be keyword rich.

Each page will need to have unique titles and description. Use keywords but make it look natural.

Review content and use keywords in the website content. Make use to H1-H6 appropriately.

The list goes on. Short of time. I am thinking of a link that might help. Ok here you go. This link would give you the ranking parameters used by search engine. Knowing them would mean you can get them right.

I can't post a link yet. Search "seomoz ranking factors" and you would get the article.

Hi Tim, I like the site itself, but I agree with both of the above. There is also the question of whether Google has already gone back into tag searching (getting ready for universal and video reading) so, I'd change these tags to be less spammy
Antiques, Collectibles, The Alameda, San Jose, Furniture, Safes, Clocks, Jewelry, China, Silver, SilverLeaf Antiques, Rose Garden Stores, Rose Garden Shopping, Antique Store, SilverLeaf Antiques and Home Furnishings, SilverLeaf Antiques, Estate Sales, Estate Liquidators, Estate Sale Estimates, Estate Sale management, Antique Furniture, Appraisals, Antique Appraisals, Antique Silver, Gold, Home, Decor, Decorating,

It's as well to do that for Yahoo anyway. It may also pay to set up a video intro. Later this year Google is changing it's site appraisal system and video links will be a big part of this. So far they go can only read video text via Beta - but that will all change.

First of all please change the layout of the website.
The other thing dont try to fill in all the keywords on the home page....the keyword limit should be 200 characters......
no inbound links for the website......so build links thorugh link exchange,forums,articles submission, posting in forums and many more other ways..........
do search engine marketing for your website to bring in more visitors......