by 90PercentAttitude » Fri Jun 09, 2006 11:35 pm
Hi Mindy,
It's hard to say why there was a sudden change, but there are a number of things I'd do differently and I belive you will see a change in the ads being served -- not to mention a boost in your seo.
1. Page Title - get rid of the word index in your title and also the :: and change it to something along these lines:
Learn Italian | Italian Language Forum | Impariamo L'Italiano
2. Name your banner something like italianlanguagebanner.jpg and insert alt tags that say learn italian, italian language skills, impariamo L'Italiano
3. The "first" text Google would read on your page is "Designed by MelissaDesign.com" (Google reads from left to right by column and looking at your code, that text is the first text that shows on the page) You need to have descriptive site text appear as high and to the left of the page you can.
4. Rework your center bullets to be a little more keyword rich and not contain as many throw away words -- like
Those few things alone should make a difference; but if you can, also add your keywords to the last line of the page -- after the copyright line. If not for ad serving purposes, just on general seo principle.
Mind you, once you make these changes, if you don't see immediate results wait 2-3 days. At times, I've made similar changes and the ads change right away (in real time) but other times, I've discovered that it takes a day or two. So don't make the changes and think it didn't work and keep tinkering or it may not be a fair test.
If this doesn't work or you have any questions, let me know.
Have Fun & Fortune!
Stephanie
P.S. As a web designer, I really have to comment... It is really not standard practice for someone who does your site to put their link that high up on your page. That "plug" is usually found toward the bottom of the page. (Don't put it after the copyright though) And also, the link should display in a new window, and not navigate away from your page. Sorry if this person is a friend or relative; otherwise, it's not real cool.