A client recently asked me about creating a website. As I started to explain the process to him, I realized there are a lot of small details that many designers overlook and forget about.

I sat down and made a list of some of the basic rules to remember when it comes to creating a website. Here it is:

1. DEFINE A PURPOSE
What is the purpose of your website? Jot down a statement, it may be as simple as "to sell 7 products" or as complex as "manage employee calendars through a password protected area". Whatever your purpose, write it down to stay focused.

2. DEFINE YOUR KEYWORD
Without keywords, your website will suffer an identity crisis. Know the targeted keywords for your website and keep them in mind as you create your site and write your content. Use your keywords frequently but naturally. Additionally, using the same keyword, for example, if you are trying to get listed for "website", use the keyword as one word, not "web site".

3. YOUR DOMAIN
Make sure your domain includes your keyword, this will give you better search engine rankings for your websites keyword. Also, make sure your domain is not too long. Long domains are easier to mistype and are easily forgotten.

4. PAGE TITLE
Make sure your keyword is listed in your website title. This will also help your search engine rankings, as well as give your visitor a better idea of what your website is about.

5. DESCRIPTION TAG
The description tag should include your keywords as well. Are you beginning to see a pattern? Keywords are critical to let search engines and human visitor know what your site is about.

6. KEYWORD TAG
Your keyword tag should list your keywords in order of importance and relevance. Always place your most important keywords at the beginning and never include irrelevant keywords. This will only cause your site to decrease in search engine rankings for all of your listed keywords.

7. USE THE ALT TAG
The "Alt Tag" is one of the most overlooked tags in website design. Since images are not readable by search engine bots, it is important to add an "alt"ernitive tag so that they know what the image is. Remember to include your keywords in the alt tag.

8. BODY TEXT
The content of your website will have a huge affect on your search engine rankings, this is where you can use your keyword freely (and naturally) to let the visitor know what the purpose of your website is. Keep these points in mind when writing your body:

- Does your body text contain an appropriate amount of content?
- Is your body text readable by humans and does it make sense?
- Does your page have excess HTML that can be removed?

9. LINKING
All of your pages should link together, this allows both your visitors and search engine bots to find all of your content. Use a sitemap to "map" your website pages and allow for easy navigation throughout your website.

Remember these basic steps and you will be well on your way to having a growing and well optimized website.