Book Image

Drupal 6 Search Engine Optimization

By : Ben Finklea
Book Image

Drupal 6 Search Engine Optimization

By: Ben Finklea

Overview of this book

The earlier a site appears in the search results list, the more visitors it will receive from the search engine. Despite several advantages, many Drupal sites suffer with poor search engine standings. Perhaps you are aware of the importance of SEO for increasing traffic to your site, but do you know how to apply it to your Drupal site? Here comes the first book about search engine optimization for Drupal sites. This practical, step-by-step guide takes the mystery out of Drupal search engine optimization (SEO) by showing you the tricks of today's top marketing pros to achieve top ranking in the search engines. This isn't a book of Drupal SEO theory ñ it's a practical guide showing you which modules to install, which settings to use, and dozens of the most closely guarded "tricks of the trade" to get your web site optimized, higher in the search engines, and more profitable. With this book and basic Drupal 6 knowledge ñ how to log in, create content, and install modules ñ you can build a perfectly search engine optimized web site. Each chapter uses easy, step-by-step instructions to walk you through the Drupal SEO modules, configurations, and content you will need to increase traffic on your web site. You start by reviewing the modules and tools that you should use to optimize your site, how to set up your analytics, and so on. Each subsequent chapter gives detailed instructions on implementing these features in Drupal. Later chapters cover topics like site organization, A/B testing, and automatic content tagging to maximize SEO and increase the conversion rate of your web site. When you have completed the book, you will have implemented the changes to your site required to rank well in the search engines. If you want to maximize the return on investment of your Drupal 6 web site and gain a significant advantage over competitors who are not using Drupal, then this book is for you. Imagine how great you'll feel when your site is optimized to increase the number of visitors and convert them into paying customers.
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Drupal 6 Search Engine Optimization
Credits
About the Author
Acknowledgement
About the Reviewers
Preface
Drupal SEO Case Study for Acquia Product Launch

Chapter 1. The Tools You'll Need

Congratulations! You're about to embark on a fun and interesting journey into the world of online marketing. Whether you're trying to sell more products, generate leads, or get more pageviews on your sponsors ads, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) will take you where you want to go.

And, you're using Drupal 6! You've picked a great platform for building your web site. It's widely held that Drupal is one of the best choices if you want to rank well in the search engines. I personally believe that it's hands-down the best possible platform for SEO. I've seen clients triple their traffic within a few weeks of switching from a lesser platform. Believe it—Drupal is the best! But, you already knew that, didn't you? In this chapter, we're going to dive right in and cover some of the top tips for Drupal SEO:

  • Drupal—which version you should use

  • How to install 99% of modules

  • The essential SEO modules that you'll need for your Drupal site

  • Installing and using the SEO Checklist module

  • Setting up a Google account

  • Installing Google analytics and Webmaster Tools on your site

  • Some great paid tools to help you with your SEO

Note

Helpful web sites:

There are some great resources online to help you along:

www.DrupalSEObook.com: The web site of this book. Visit for additional tips, updates, module suggestions, and to discuss Drupal SEO. The author often participates here so it's a great place to ask questions.

groups.drupal.org/search-engine-optimization: The Drupal SEO group on www.Drupal.org.

tips.webdesign10.com/drupal-seo: Another resource for Drupal SEO tips.

The right tools make the project go smoothly. When you decide to SEO your Drupal 6 web site, you'll need the following:

Drupal 6

You can download Drupal 6 from two sources:

  • Drupal.org: This is where you can get the latest release of the open-source Drupal 6.

  • Acquia.com: Acquia is a company co-founded by Dries Buytart (the founder of Drupal) and Jay Batson. Acquia has produced a corporate version of Drupal, creatively called Acquia Drupal. Acquia Drupal has some of the better modules pre-installed and provides some great extra services like uptime monitoring, version updates, and advanced support to your installation and modules. Downloading and installing it is free but the services do cost a bit extra—starting at a few hundred dollars per year. That's well worth the extras you get.

Note

Are you running a corporate site and you're not quite up to speed on Drupal? Consider signing up for Acquia's support services. Acquia Network subscriptions provide commercial-grade support and network services for all Drupal 6.x web sites (not just Acquia Drupal) to help you implement Drupal with confidence. Visit http://acquia.com/ for more information.