Just a handful of terms here to get newbies started in understanding SEO.
Alt Attribute
Alt tags are attributes in the HTML code that allow the added description of an image on a web page. Visually impaired persons can get a better knowlege of what a web page is about if this field is filled in. For government agencies and firms that work with government agencies, alt tags are a must. Congress amended the Rehabilitation Act to require Federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities - Section 508. What does Section 508 mean to You? ex: <img src="http://www.searchenginefriend.jpg" height="100" width="400" alt="SearchEngineFriend Logo" />
Breadcrumbs
A type of navigational tool utilized by some web sites. Can be extremely useful for both viewer and search robots.
Best used with 'deep' web sites, which some times have slightly confusing navigation. ex: Home>Products>Tools>hammer
Usually used as an alternate way to navigate a site.
Links
Hypertext or image linking from one web page to another.
Best to have 'incoming' links coming from well ranked web sites linking to yours. However, interlinking within your own site is important as well. Be sure to lable your links with ALT tags.
Link Farms
Pages or web sites that have huge amounts of links to unrelated or related sites, but provide no actual content for viewers. Some links are brought in via a text link crawler and are automatically submitted to a site. Beware. Some people are listed in link farms as a result of poor SEOs. (Meaning- they promise to give you links to your site, and do, but the links are from link farms and have no real value.) Google and other search engines often penalize those listed on link farms. If you find your site listed on such a site, it may prove best to contact the web site owner and ask to be removed.
Meta Tags
Description & Keywords
These tags are in the HTML document <head> area, and are unseen to the average web page viewer. The "description tag" is important, as it's what will be viewed by most search engines as the description of your web page. Make sure you describe only what is actually on your page.
Keywords are sometimes used by search engines to locate what your site is about, however due to keyword "stuffing" by web masters, this attribute is being utilized less and less by search engines.
Title Tag
At the beginning of an HTML page, there is a <title> tag which gives search engines the name of the page and basic information on what is on it. Maximum 75 characters is allowed. Vastly important tag for SEO.
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