The first task is to properly identify the main subject of every page. Subject identification is a discipline that must be done dispassionately. We need to be careful not to let our natural self-interest influence this effort. This is library science, not library lobbying. It's tempting to characterize our pages in the broadest possible terms in hopes of increasing traffic from popular search terms. But the actual subject of any particular web page is usually much narrower than we might like to admit.

Let's take this page as an example. What is the main subject of these last few paragraphs? Well, obviously it's about Search Engine Optimization, right? Wrong.

Search Engine Optimization is a very broad subject. I certainly can't claim this page provides the best answers for every question about the huge subject of search engine optimization. Nor is it a broad overview of the subject of search engine optimization. So "search engine optimization" as a target phrase, while tempting, is much too broad to attach to this page.

If I'm to dispassionately characterize this page I need to get down to the real point of these words. What am I saying in particular about the broad subject of search engine optimization? I think something like "identifying the subject of a web page for search engine optimization" is far more accurate.

Of course very few people will ever perform a search using the phrase "identifying the subject of a web page for search engine optimization." But if I'm going to be a dispassionate, ethical assistant librarian, I'm going to have to be as precise as possible in my identification of my page's actual main subject--even at the cost of some potential traffic.


In order to stay on the SEO straight and narrow I need to have a genuine respect for searchers and search engines.

There are many websites that address the general subject of search engine optimization far more effectively than this one does. If search engines are working properly, those pages should be listed in the top search results for "search engine optimization."

As a searcher I want relevant results to my searches. I don't want to waste my time on pages that don't meet the intent of my search. So if I want search engines to provide accurate results to me, then I need to maintain my integrity when it comes to characterizing my pages to search engines.

Besides, even if I didn't value integrity, it's unlikely this page would ever rank on such a broad phrase like "search engine optimization." And even if I could get ranking, it wouldn't mean much. Again because of search intent. High ranking might bring visits to this page--but I'd also see a correspondingly high bounce rate. The degree to which this page does not match the intent of the searcher, the visitor will just leave. And what does that accomplish? Aside from ramping up the number of visits recorded in my stats, the end result is a waste of time.

On the other hand, if a searcher really was looking for advice on how to properly identify a web page's subject, they would benefit from this page. The golden rule of search engine optimization: as a page's content matches the searcher's intent, the better the results will be.

So for this page I'll narrowly define my subject as "identifying the subject of a web page for search engine optimization."

Now it's time to translate a bit.   next >