So you want to publish on the Internet. Great! You'll reach farther than you can with print, or with an electronic document that is distributed locally. Now, literally millions of people will read what you have to say. That is, they will if they can find your document.

How can you reach the readers you want? How will those readers look for topics like yours? Most will use search engines. Therefore, you must do everything you can to be sure search engines find your document and place it at, or near, the top of their list.

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What Search Engines Do

Search engines find documents using keywords or phrases entered by readers. If a reader wants to find a document about creating Internet graphics, he or she might enter the phrase, creating Internet graphics, or simply the keywords, Internet and graphics. If a writer uses these words in a document, most search engines will find the document and rate it well. But if the writer uses the words, Internet and picture, the search engine, if it finds the document at all, will place it much lower on the list.

Choose Your Keywords Before You Write

Because keywords are so important, you should try to choose them before you write. Examine your topic. Reduce it to its lowest terms. Use as few words as possible to describe the essence of what you are going to say.

Take the keywords you select and use them on the Internet to find documents like yours. Then, try variations of your keywords to produce a better search result. Look at the words others use to describe your topic. These are probably the words readers will use to search for it as well.

Based on your Internet trials, select your keywords. Do you want to say graphic or picture? Do you want to say Internet, Web or both?

Finally, make a list of your keywords for reference. Don't let attention to keywords interfere with your creativity. You may use a variety of words when you write and then change them to match your keywords later on.

Use Keywords Early In Your Document

We've all seen Web pages that begin with graphics. But graphics at the beginning of a document can penalize it in a search. Some search engines place a higher value on words used at the top of a document. The farther a down the page a keyword appears, the lower the page is rated by the search engine.

TIP: Text means computer text. Graphic text cannot be read by search engines. Splash pages that consist of nothing but graphics are often ignored during searches.

Use Keywords Often

In addition to ranking a keyword's position on a page, many search engines count the frequency with which each keyword is used. To get a better rating from a search engine, it helps to be redundant. Here are some ways you can do this.

Use Keywords in Headings
Use keywords in headings. Also, make subheadings specific. For example, if you're writing a document about transparent graphics, use headings like these:

Making a Graphic Transparent

Why Make a Graphic Transparent?
Directions for Creating a Transparent Graphic
Examples of Transparent Graphics
Tools for Creating Transparent Graphics

Replace Pronouns With Keywords
When you're making a final check of your document, replace any pronouns (which have no search value) with keywords. Most occurrences of the words, it, they, them, etc. can be replaced with keywords without making your document sound redundant.

TIP: If you're writing a business Web site, replace all occurrences of we with your company name. In addition to providing more keywords, you'll be surprised how much better it sounds.

Don't Use 'Spam'

Some authors use a technique called spamming to load their documents with keywords. Spamming involves placing invisible text containing nothing but keywords at various locations to increase a document's keyword frequency. Search engines that detect spamming often permanently de-list spammed documents.

A good writer shouldn't have to use spam. There are plenty of legitimate ways to add keywords to your document.

Give Your Document a Title

This isn't as ridiculous as it sounds. To a search engine, your document's title isn't the one you type when you begin to write. The title search engines look for appears in your document's HTML code.

Some Web authoring packages may provide a way for you to enter the HTML title. If yours doesn't, you'll need to display your document's HTML code in the Notepad and enter the title there.

Here is what the top of your document's HTML code should look like:

<HTML>

<HEAD>

<TITLE>Creating Internet Graphics</TITLE>

TIP: Filling in the HTML title also makes your document look more professional. If the title isn't filled in, the document header will say untitled when the document is printed. Search engines that use titles in their lists may also identify the document as untitled.

Use the META Tag For An Added Edge

The META tag is part of the HTML <HEAD> element, and normally appears after the document title. The two important attributes read by search engines are description and keywords.

Again, some Web authoring packages may provide a way for you to enter META information. If yours doesn't, you'll need to display your document's HTML code in the Notepad and enter the META information there.

Here is what your document's META information might look like:

<HTML>

<HEAD>

<TITLE>Creating Internet Graphics</TITLE>

<META NAME="description" CONTENT="Taking the Mystery Out of Internet Graphics">

<META NAME="keywords" CONTENT="Internet, graphics, transparent, interlaced, image maps">

</HEAD>

TIP: The META tag is essential to provide keywords for documents that contain little or no text, and documents created with frames. You can also use the META tag to add keywords you did not use in your document.

Register Your Site With Search Engines

If you're creating a Web site for the first time, you'll want to register it with the various search engines. To do this:

• visit the search engine and follow its procedure to add a URL
• use a registration service. Most are free. To find one, enter the words search engine registration in your favorite search engine.

Advertise Your Site!

One of the most effective ways to generate traffic is to advertise your site. If your colleagues publish on the Internet, ask if they will place a link to your Web site on their sites. Also, be willing to advertise the work of others.

Quick Reference Guide

When you publish on the Internet, your document may be one among thousands that cover your topic. Use the techniques described here to be sure yours is the one that is found!