On-Page Optimization Part Two - URLs, Formatting and Internal Linking

This is part two of a three part series regarding on-page optimization. Let's start with URLs...
URLs
Many people believe that if you have a special URL, especially one that contains the keyword you're trying to rank highly for, you'll be number one on Google. This is not necessarily true. The relity is that having your keyword in your URL can help in some instances but is virtually meaningless in the overall Google ranking algorithm unless many other websites are linking to yours. So where does having your keyword phrase in the URL help? It helps with search engines like Yahoo and MSN and when you are link building for Google. Each search engine has its own ranking algorithm, placing different weights on website criteria like URL, external links, and more. Another way that having your keywords in the URL helps is when it comes to link building for Google. Each time a website links to your website using only your URL, if that URL is comprised of your keywords, it provides a boost to Google search results.

Formatting
The manner in which you organize and format your web page can have a huge impact on your SERPs. There are a few basic things to keep in mind when formatting your website for top Google placement. The most important elements include content first, clean code (W3C, no flash), heading tags, alt tags, proper keyword placement, no flash and JavaScript external, and sitemaps.

Internal Linking
One of the most important on-page optimization opportunities you have is to develop a simple and direct internal linking strategy. Internal linking refers to the linking structure your site uses to link to secondary pages on your website. Said another way, how you link from one page to another is very important. Many sites have significantly improved their rankings based on a strong internal linking strategy. Internal linking provides direct access to your web pages in order of importance. The best practice for internal linking is to link to your main category pages from your website's homepage.

Friday I will be finishing up the series On-Page Optimization with Part Three : Keyword Development and Placement.