When developing your website, it’s easy to get swept away by some of the gorgeous creations your Web designer proposes. But while they may look great, it’s important to make sure that none of those images contain critical information or content. The reason is because the search engines cannot “read” any copy that is in an image.

If your site has large banners or graphics that include promotional or product-oriented copy, the search engines won’t be able to crawl and index that content – and you won’t rank for important keywords.

Keep a cool head during the design phase of your website. Make sure important copy is rendered as text and save the image files for pictures.

[Ed. Note: You can get more little-known secrets to staying on the search engines' good side at ETR's 5 Days in July Internet Business Building Conference. You don't need a product, a website, or any technical experience to learn how to build your own business. Learn how to create income for life right here.

And keep reading ETR for more search engine optimization Dos and Don'ts from Alexis Siemon, ETR's Search Engine Marketing Specialist.]