Search Engine Optimisation
The roots of our business are in Search Engine Optimisation (SEO). Each of us has been directly involved in optimising websites since pre-Google... the equivalent of a Formula One driver before the wheel was invented!
In fact, out of all the strands of online marketing available to you, there's no greater achievement than earning and retaining #1 spot on a client's chosen 'dream search term'. We've been known on occasion to have a little jig around the office when this happens, and we're pretty much ready now to take our dance show on the road...
Search Engine Optimisation Explained
There are an array of tried and tested SEO tactics that can be used to ensure your site is successfully crawled, indexed, and positioned in the major search engines, Google, Yahoo! & Bing. Though SEO tactics have evolved through the years, with the technologies used to produce Web sites, certain fundamentals have remained constant.
How can you tell if your site adheres to current SEO best practices? A quick 20-step check we always implement before discussing Optimisation with a client includes the following questions. You need not worry though, these are the questions we review from your website, not necessarily directed to yourself!;
Are the keywords you're targeting relevant to site content?
Are targeted keywords popular phrases used in search engine queries?
Do page titles start with your targeted keywords?
Does your site employ H1 header tags for prominent content titles?
Is your permanent body copy contextually sufficient and keyword-rich?
Do text links include targeted keywords that point users to pages within your site?
Do you use CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) to define image replacement in graphical navigation on the site?
Do graphics used in the site have descriptive, keyword-rich alternative attributes that are useful for visitors?
Does your Web site have a site map with text links?
Do the URLs of your dynamic, database-driven pages look simple and static?
Does your site have a flat directory structure?
Do your site's home page and other key category pages have PageRanks?
Is your site listed in DMOZ Open Directory?
Do you routinely list your site in other trusted, human-reviewed online directories?
Do all the pages in your Web site have keyword-rich meta descriptions?
Does your site have a custom error page?
Do the site's filenames and directory names include targeted keywords?
Does your site avoid using pop-ups?
Is the exact same content visible to both users and search engine spiders?
Do you avoid free-for-all linking offers?
If each box is ticked, then you already have all aspects of your SEO under control and you should be receiving a creditable level of site traffic, assuming you may be monitoring your site with a web analytics tool?
However, if these areas of key importance have either never been tackled, or have been, but unsuccessfully, then why not call Webformula to see how we may assist?
There's no point in striving for high rankings on keywords and keyword phrases no one, especially your potential clients or customers, search for. If you're not certain what keywords your site's well positioned for, start digging through your referrer logs or Web analytics data to determine which search engines send your site considerable traffic for which phrases.
If you can't access your log files and search engine referral data, use a programme such as a tag cloud generator to get some visual clues as to how the search engines interpret your pages. You might be surprised as to what any particular page in your site is actually optimised for!
Despite the popularity of individual words, we always feel it's best to target two- or three-word phrases on a page-by-page basis. Because of the vast number of Web pages indexed by the major search engines, competing for a listing or two on the first or second SERP (Search Engine Results page) for a one-word keyword is a losing battle. Trying to make one page optimal for a multitude of unrelated keyword phrases is also a potential time waster..
It should go without saying, but the keywords we select for you will target relevant searches to your business and your site's content. Permanent body text should consist of at least two to three sentences on every page, ideally more. Opportunities vary from industry to industry. At the very least, try to build about 250 words into key category pages.
Of course, site structure plays a large role in how well your site's indexed. The search engines have improved their ability to crawl through dynamic URLs, yet static URL structures tend to rank better. Flash and AJAX present additional search engine visibility issues that can't be addressed in this brief column. For example, a new client launching an online accountancy package requires long-tail search structure in order to build presence for a vast array of professions and geo-targetted terms such as "bookkeeping advice for pub owners"
If you have an all-Flash site and answered "yes" to visible text links, you may want to reconsider your answer. Use the control-A function in your browser to see what words are really visible on a page.
Better rankings come with better linking. Better linking starts within your site. Having a site map is a no-brainer, as are nongraphical site-wide navigation, footers, and related deep links.
Pursuing well-ranked inbound links is an art form and an ongoing endeavor for nearly every Web site. Just make certain you execute on the fundamentals first, which should include submissions to key directories. Once your site is listed in DMOZ, the Yahoo Search Directory, and similar directories, continually grow you inbound links with vertical directories, local listings, business partners, vendors, and so on.
Implementing the elements discussed above and adhering to SEO best practices and avoiding the pitfalls of worst practices should provide you with a straightforward approach to better visibility for your Web site in the major search engines.
Essentially,
we're your in-house online marketing department. We respond to your
requests and action the most cost-effective and productive approach in
order to succeed and enable your business to meet and exceed its short- and long-term online
targets.
