Drupal 6 Search Engine Optimization

Rank high in search engines with professional SEO tips, modules, and best practices for Drupal web sites

• Concise, actionable steps for increasing traffic to your Drupal site
• Learn which modules to install and how to configure them for maximum SEO results
• Create search engine friendly and optimized title tags, paths, sitemaps, headings, navigation, and more
• A practical, step-by-step guide that takes the mystery out of Drupal SEO

In Detail

The earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. Despite several advantages, many Drupal sites suffer with poor search engine standings. Perhaps you are aware of the importance of SEO for increasing traffic to your site, but do you know how to apply it to your Drupal site? Here comes the first book about search engine optimization for Drupal sites.

This practical, step-by-step guide takes the mystery out of Drupal search engine optimization (SEO) by showing you the tricks of today's top marketing pros to achieve top ranking in the search engines. This isn't a book of Drupal SEO theory - it's a practical guide showing you which modules to install, which settings to use, and dozens of the most closely guarded "tricks of the trade" to get your web site optimized, higher in the search engines, and more profitable.

With this book and basic Drupal 6 knowledge - how to log in, create content, and install modules - you can build a perfectly search engine optimized web site. Each chapter uses easy, step-by-step instructions to walk you through the Drupal SEO modules, configurations, and content you will need to increase traffic on your web site. You start by reviewing the modules and tools that you should use to optimize your site, how to set up your analytics, and so on. Each subsequent chapter gives detailed instructions on implementing these features in Drupal. Later chapters cover topics like site organization, A/B testing, and automatic content tagging to maximize SEO and increase the conversion rate of your web site. When you have completed the book, you will have implemented the changes to your site required to rank well in the search engines. If you want to maximize the return on investment of your Drupal 6 web site and gain a significant advantage over competitors who are not using Drupal, then this book is for you. Imagine how great you'll feel when your site is optimized to increase the number of visitors and convert them into paying customers.

What you will learn from this book?

Working through this book you will:

• Explore 10 SEO mistakes you must avoid to achieve top ranking and increase traffic on your site
• Get to grips with all the Drupal modules that are essential for SEO and may help your site rank well
• Create page titles and paths that search engines (and users) will love
• Learn about the 3 critical SEO problems that plague most Drupal sites and how to fix them
• Optimize video, images, and other media in your Drupal site so that search engine spiders can read their content
• Write content that users and the search engines will love and fix problems with duplicate content, robots.txt files, and .htaccess
• Set up systems in Drupal to automatically tag and organize your content
• Maximize the value of RSS, site speed, and Page rank in your Drupal site
• Implement usability testing, A/B testing, and conversions best practices to turn visits into revenue for your business
• Keep your site on a path of constant and never-ending improvement

Approach

This is a practical, hands-on book based around sound SEO techniques specifically applied to Drupal. Each chapter starts with a brief overview of the important concepts then quickly moves into practical step-by-step actions you can take immediately. Throughout the book, you'll get clear instructions and detailed screenshots, so you can see exactly what to do each step of the way. You will install and configure a selection of Drupal modules - each of which will move you one step closer to optimization. Chapter-by-chapter, your Drupal site will become more optimized so that by the end of the book, your site is 100% ready for Google.

Who this book is written for?

This book is written for Drupal site owners and those who create Drupal sites including themers, developers, programmers, and consultants. A basic understanding of Drupal will be helpful: what a node is, how to create nodes, how to log in to the admin sections of your Drupal site, and how to properly install and enable a module. No knowledge of SEO will be assumed but a basic knowledge of search engines is expected.