I'm wondering what your ideas are for doing SEO for a tool-based website, or a website with little content. I've recently launched a simple tool called Gas Finder. You type in your zip code and it gathers the lowest gas prices from gas stations in your area. But because it is so simple, and because it doesn't have a lot of content, I haven't a clue about how to optimize for search engines. I thought about maybe creating some type of blog attached to the site that has articles relating to the site's content. That's the only idea I have.
Try and stuff as much content in your description tag, also add a abstract meta tag, it's an extension of your meta description tag, don't use pipeline characters in your title tag, comma's work better or hyphens. ie Cheap Gas Prices, Find Lowest Gas Prices In Your Area Via GasFinder.us Or something or another. Then just point loads of links to your site. You could also create some articles and add "Gas Articles" link in your footer, and have all your keywords that you want to aim for pointing to your home page, as well as other related articles on your site too. Also, try and set up another website, different IP, and preferably different web host via a different data center, and do another site again around Gas Articles, and place some adsense on it. Give it about 2-3 months of writing articles of both sites and pointing links to each of those articles, say, around 100-300 links to each article, you'll be just fine.
Sounds like a heavy task is at hand, but sounds like a good one. The only thing that kind of boggles is me how I will get a good hundred of links to each article. Did you have any ideas behind that or do I just cross that road when I get there?
It does sound heavy but it sounds like the wrong advice too. Abstract meta tag? Who uses that exactly Maybe add some content to the page explaining what the tool is. Write a few articles about gas pricing and maybe even at an RSS feed that pulls in gas related news. Find bloggers who are blogging about gas pricing and start leaving comments about their post - engage them with the topic.
Good advice above. Plenty of content can be developed related to your site. Top 5 best gas mileage suv's Top 5 economy cars Hybrids Alternative fuels (ethynol etc) Post the salaries of the CEO'S of all the majors to enrage/engage blog visitors historical price of gasoline in the us iraq should be giving us a break on oil costs blame the politicians Lay out any plan that materializes as the election jells Link all your articles to the gas tool within the content highest gas price in the country / lowest gas price in the country