Search engine friendly design

Search engines index text, follow links and measure popularity. There are 8 key things to know about search engine friendly design, according to "white hat SEO" proponent Shari Thurow, author of Search Engine Visibility and Grantastic Design's Webmaster and marketing director:

5 Basic Rules of Web Design
1. Easy to read from the end-user's perspective.
2. Easy to navigate, so users know where they are at all times.
3. Easy to find information users want.
4. Consistent layout and design that conveys the right image.
5. Quick to download--30 seconds or less on a dial-up modem.

3 Components of SEO
1. Keyword-rich text that uses words and phrases your target audience types into search queries.
2. Links that give search engine spiders easy access to content through site and page architecture.
3. Popularity measured by the number and quality of 3rd-party links pointing to your page.