META Tags and Domino
So, with the obvious importance and usefulness of META tags, it's a wonder that there was no intuitive mechanism for generating META tags within Domino. While I don't want this article to turn into a shameless self-promotion, I can't resist telling you that my company has developed <META4>. <META4> is a native Notes application that can be added to your library of tools and utilities, allowing developers and Web masters alike to create Domino sites which fully leverage the power of META tags.

Developed as a Notes subform, <META4> covers all of the standard META tags and META tag classifications: HTTP-EQUIV, HTTP NAME, and TITLE. As a developer or Web master, all you need do is create a new form, and <META4> will automatically prompt you if you would like to use META tags within this new document. Once set up, you will be able to select from over 20 META tags. To use any of the META tags, you simply click on the associated check box, and then fill in the appropriate parameters.

[We normally don't like to allow authors to promote their products in their articles, but <META4> seems genuinely useful and Tony waxes poetic for only two short paragraphs. --DG]

META keywords
One of the often misunderstood and misused META tags is the keyword list. In the following section, I will share with you some tips and techniques for refining your keyword choices, helping you to improve your placement and rankings.

Keyword strategy: targeted vs. blanket
This is something you have to decide right from the beginning. It's quite simple. A blanket strategy works like this: if you have a large list of keywords, your pages will be found with a broad spectrum of search strings, but they're less likely to be at the top of the results lists. A targeted strategy is different: if you use a limited number of keywords, it increases the density of those few keywords and therefore puts them high up the list.

So, if your keyword list is naturally short (i.e., you're confident that users will search for these above all others) then the target strategy is for you. If you have a long list of products, then the blanket method is for you.

Empathy with your customers
Imagine that you're one of the people who's looking for your type of product or service. If you had to put a search string into a form, what would it be? The most obvious words are the ones you want to use. If you have to think too hard you'll probably come up with an obscure word that nobody else would think of searching for, which defeats the object.

For example, to find DominoPower, you'd most likely enter "Notes", "Lotus", and "Domino". You'd be considerably less likely to zoom into DominoPower by entering "journal", "tips", "magazine", or "cheeseburger" (even if that's one of Editor-in-Chief David Gewirtz' favorite foods).

Important: Don't limit yourself by thinking, "What do I sell?" Instead, put yourself in your customers' shoes and ask yourself "What problems and needs is my product solving?" Here's a really helpful hint: if any of your keywords are routinely misspelled, include the incorrect version in your keyword list.