Mastering AltaVista: A Comprehensive Guide to Ranking High

Understanding AltaVista's Ranking System

AltaVista, which was a pioneering search engine in the early days of the internet, had a distinct approach to ranking web pages. Understanding these nuances is crucial for anyone looking to optimize their website's visibility. Here are several key factors that influenced rankings on AltaVista:

• Keyword Optimization: AltaVista placed a high emphasis on keywords. It was important to strategically place relevant keywords in the title and H1 tags. Tools like the "search term suggestion" tool at GOTO.com were recommended for identifying effective keywords.

• Title Tag Importance: The placement of keywords at the beginning of the title tag was particularly beneficial, as these were weighted more heavily.

• Significance of First Lines: The initial lines of text on a page were crucial. Incorporating keywords here could boost a page's visibility significantly.

• Meta Tags: While meta tags were less critical, redundancy in keyword usage between meta tags and text content could negatively impact rankings.

• Link Popularity: This was a significant factor. Links from diverse and reputable domains enhanced a site's ranking. The command +link:sitename.com -host:sitename.com was used to check inbound links.

• Usage of Rare Words: Implementing rare words could improve a page's ranking due to the "inverse document frequency" method, which favored unique terms over common ones.

• Phrase Preservation: AltaVista preserved all words on a page, making it crucial to match exact search phrases for higher ranking.

• Page Level Strategy: Higher-level pages generally received a ranking boost. Utilizing multiple domains as "doorway sites" linked back to the main site could enhance link popularity.

Case Study: Search for "mp3"

To illustrate these points, consider a search conducted on March 21, 2000, for "mp3". The top 10 results highlighted the importance of keyword presence in URLs and page names, and how home pages generally ranked higher. Interestingly, the presence of a "shopping cart" in the results indicated that internal site linking also played a role in boosting rankings.

Key Takeaways

From the analysis, it's clear that:

• Including the keyword in both the URL and page name is beneficial.
• Home pages tend to rank higher.
• A robust internal linking structure can significantly enhance a site's ranking.

Template for Top Results

Based on the insights from AltaVista's ranking criteria, here’s a template for achieving top results:

• URL: Incorporate the keyword phrase, using dashes for separation.
• Page Name: Include the keyword phrase if it's absent in the URL.
• Page Title: Start the title with the keyword phrase.
• Meta Description and Keywords: Use the keyword phrase comprehensively.
• H1 Tag: Embed the keyword phrase.
• Text: Position the keyword phrase prominently at the top of the page.
• Links: Link to and from sites that include the keyword in their content.

Ensure that any reputable sites linking to you are recognized by AltaVista. If not, you can register the linking pages to improve your link popularity using the AltaVista add URL page.

By adhering to these guidelines, webmasters could effectively optimize their sites for better visibility and ranking on AltaVista during its operational years.