Index Page Content

**Vasili** · 04-03-2015, 04:59 PM

Re: Index Page Content

Think of a "Website" as if it was really a "Book" ...

The "index" page is the single most important page of a Website (usually called the "Table of Contents" in a Book), for as the first page visited it will provide a definitive "peek" into what the entirety of the site is all about. It should demonstrate to the Visitor and to the Search Engines alike a very carefully created overall Relevance (via tight continuity of emphasis in Content, Page Name, Navigation and linked Page Names, Page Titles, Image Titles and ALT Text, H-Tags, Keywords, Page Description, etc.) and a compliant cohesive Textual Composition, which should describe in natural wording and writing style the essence of the website as a cogent "introduction" and "summary" of what can be found on interior pages.

The most important Index Page "Content" needs be always "above the fold" (above the 600 line mark from the top, which defines the prominent area like a Newspaper when folded as the area most commonly seen in nearly all monitor displays despite the various settings of individual Users) in order to demonstrate status and significance, to set it apart from any other textual elements on the Index page, so that it is naturally the first element of importance to be "read" by the Visitor and the SE's.

Although there is the cache value allowance of 1,000 words (there is no limit on actual Page word allowance), in truth, only 300-500 are initially valued by the SE's as they visit your site, as they need only "read" this amount of Content to get a good idea of what they rest of the site likely is all about. This is also why it is so important to have the Index Page totally compliant with the Build Standards and to have precise Optimization methods applied, as the "intro Content" together with these other aspects provide the basis for the first evaluation values made upon your site: if this one page (the most important of the entire site) is shoddlily built, does not indicate any effort to create accurate Relevance, or does not have even the basic Meta Development that is expected, then it is very unlikely the site will be given any real SERP (Search Engine Results Page) Ranking, and the site will be pushed down in the results for Search Clients no matter how wonderful the interior Content is or what the Keyword niche may be.

Thus ... your Index Page should have at least 400-650 words as an organized and naturally composed "Introduction" on it, and that text should also anchor Key Words and mirror words used for Page Title, Page Description, Image Titles and ALT Text ... AND have properly created H-Tags (think back to the Newspaper example, and "H-Tags" being the "Headlines" or "Paragraph Introductions") woven into the composition overall to display the minimum expectation of compliance with the clear and basic Standards all websites are subject to. A clear example of proper Content format and H-Tag configuration can be seen in this Post.

Take a look at the majority of popular websites out there, even the new stylized "responsive" generation with "longer" Index pages and highlighted reliance on Bookmarks for same-page navigation to blocks of content framed within floating Headers and Footers .... they all display these minimum Standards, don't they? Even if the Content is displayed as single line paragraphs laid out in various parts of the page, they all have some type of H-Tag and obvious continuity of keywords and logical formatting, yes? In fact, they are preempting the April 21, 2015 Google Algorithm Update that again places greater emphasis on even stricter simplification of Core Site Valuation Elements, of which formatted Relevancy and optimized Content are singularly central. Rather than continue eschewing quality Content development on the Index page as a "design preference," the trend of full compliance has been re-introduced via the down-page-scroll that Mobile views has familiarized universally as simply convenient as it is acceptable (due to the one-finger User skill). There simply is no escaping compliance or consequences for non-compliance in web building, no matter how brightly it is colored.

* Not wanting to "re-design" a faulty design makes no sense, really, unless the entire Logic is overwhelming and making corrections to at least the Minimums appears too much a task. Even so, corrections need be made to a faulty design, or it will continue to suffer from justified penalty, sanction, and inferior promotability. Someone will eventually need to make corrections required ...

You will only get optimal results by having invested the effort to apply the approved methods in the manner required.

The Basics

Index Page Content: 1,000 words allowed for cache valuation, but the first 350-600 are most important to Search Engines. Although there is no actual "limit" on how many words you can have on a webpage (including the Index page), the Search Engines only create cache value on the first 1,000 with regard to establishing Relevance and site value within that Relevance, and any words beyond that are of less value as the Logic is that if there is no clearly obvious Relevance and Build Compliance demonstrated within that first 1,000 words, it is unlikely the site is of any real value to their Search Clients and may indeed be a "Spammy" Sales-Pitch type site after all, and not worth any priority further valuation of interior page Content. THIS is why the first 300-400 words are especially important, so to determine if the site is worthy, as it is not normal to not meet the Minimum Criteria beyond this initial amount of Textual Content ...

Keywords: 100 allowed, including phrases, but it is recommended no more than 40 words used total (who really needs more than 20 words to create clear Relevance?); Keep in mind, every Keyword you enter needs to be 'anchored' (actually used in naturally composed text) in the Page's Content, otherwise it is considered KW Spamming, a serious offense that the SE's are quick to apply sanctions.

Page Description: 100 words allowed, but recommended no more than 20-25 words as this is all can be displayed in Search results

Page Title: (what you see in Browser tab, not the URL itself) 65 character spaces allowed, but One-Word Page Title with no more than 2 keywords recommended - up to 35 character spaces total will show on the Browser tab, the rest is useless

H-Tags: recommended no more than 7 words or 75 total character spaces for each carefully crafted H-Metatag
* Here is a useful Post that offers a clear example of how to apply H-Tags, and what proper organized Content should look like to apply H-Tags >> Helpful Post

Images: A. Make sure you have 'optimized' image files (reduced file size by re-saving them via your Photo Editor, or via free PixResizer) to no larger than 100kb to keep the Page Code light and easily loaded;
B. Image Titles should be specifically page-Relevant (titled specifically to fit within the continuity of Page's anchored Keywords and optimized Content) and without using any symbols or spaces (use an underscore "_" or a hyphen "-" only, i.e. "Image-Title-Example");
C. ALT Text should be created and be obviously page-Relevant (to Image Title, Keywords, and optimized Page Content), and recommended no more than 7 words or 75 total character spaces;
D. Although there is no official limit to how many images you may use on a webpage, keep in mind that the fewer you use, the faster the page will load -- something especially important when images are displayed in a Dynamic Utility such as a Conveyor, Slideshow, Rotator, etc. "Less Is More" when using images, and keeping your pages "image-light" will not only produce a cleaner look overall and faster loading pages, but retain individual importance of the optimization you create for each. Yes, Visitors love images, but they prefer intelligent and simplified design overall: it simply "clicks" with the human psyche ...

Index Page Content

Index Page Content

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