Want to market your business more effectively online? Consider these three website design changes that may immediately improve your search enginge rankings:

Flash

1. If you have a 100% Flash website, consider changing it. Donâ''t get me wrong, Flash is nice. The problem is that search engines donâ''t like Flash â'¦ at least not sites that are 100% Flash. Flash handles text differently than a standard HTML page, so most search engines have a hard time properly indexing 100% Flash. Think about it â'¦ when was the last time you did a Google search and the #1 ranked site you found was a Flash site?

If search engine rankings are a goal, reconsider your 100% Flash site. Try a hybrid site instead. Make your pages HTML, or ASP based. Include great content, appropriate meta tags, anchor text, structured headings, and then embed your cool Flash elements into the page. You are likely to see dramatic improvements in your rankings.

Frames

2. If you have a frame-based website, consider changing it. Search engines have a hard time properly indexing sites with frames. You should not use frames, if there are other alternatives.

People often use frames to display the same header and navigation across their entire website for consistency. While consistency is good, this can be (and should be) accomplished without using frames. If you have a small site, you can hard code the header and menu into each HTML page. If you have a larger website, you might use an INCLUDE file to keep your maintenance work down. Eliminate frames from your website, include great content, appropriate meta tags, anchor text, and structured headings. You are likely to see dramatic improvements in your rankings.

Embedded Text

3. If your home page text is embedded in a graphic, consider changing that design. Search engine spiders are hungry little varmints that eat up text. If your text is embedded in a graphic, they canâ''t read it and they go away hungry. This is bad for your rankings. Not sure how to tell if your text is embedded in a graphic? Go to your web page and try to highlight the text (like you would in a word processor). If you can highlight it on the page, then it is text (which is good). If you cannot highlight it on the page, then it is a graphic (which is bad â'¦ at least from a search engine perspective).

If you minimize graphic embedded text on your home page and replace it with real keyword rich text, include great content, appropriate meta tags, anchor text, and structured headings, you are likely to see dramatic improvements in your rankings.

Sandra Waggett is the founder and principal designer of MSW Interactive Designs LLC (MSW-ID) major products and websites. MSW-ID provides custom website design, hosting, ecommerce and online marketing solutions to nearly 400 small business clients nationwide. MSW-ID helps small business professionals achieve an effective Internet presence.

Prior to founding MSW Interactive Designs LLC, she spent nearly 5 years working as a Senior Engineer for BAE Systems on the Lockheed Martin Mission Systems Team in Colorado Springs, CO.

While with BAE, she was the training lead for the proposal phase of the Integrated Space Command and Control (ISC2) program. In this role, she authored the 10 year training plan for the proposal and developed web-based training prototypes for presentation to to the Government decision makers. Sandy earned her Master of Arts of degree from the University of CO, Colorado Springs, in Curriculum and Instruction, Corporate Track. Her specialties include web design, interface design, instructional design, and computer-based training development.