Web Savvy Marketers

FAQ: What can I do to make my site appear on the first page of search engine results for this set of terms?

Search engine optimization is an art and a science and there are many things you can do in addition to what was done during the site build to continue to improve your search engine ranking. But keep in mind that SEO is an ongoing process and it can take time to get ranked and stay on the first page of a Search Engine.

Since search engines are trying to provide the most relevant search results to their clients, the best thing you can to do to improve your chance of ranking well is to build a content-rich, well organized website that is kept current with updated information.

Recommendations for keeping content fresh:

  1. Use a blog or user forum to make it easy to post new information and to encourage user participation
  2. Remove pages with outdated content, or pages without content.
  3. Use video – (customers and search engines like it)

Often you’ll notice that the sites that are coming up at the top of the SE list are directory sites.  They have a distinct advantage over an individual or small business site because in addition to having fresh content that is updated regularly, they provide multiple resources for someone searching – thus the SE’s consider them the most relevant result to the search.

Things you should do:

  1. Research your keyword phrases to determine the best terms to use and regularly add keyword rich content to the website.
  2. Ensure that keywords are used in page titles, meta tags, content and content headings.
  3. Get listed on appropriate online directories (professional directories, yellow pages, chambers of commerce, etc.)
  4. Submit press releases to online PR services
  5. Set-up a Google Adwords or other PPC program
  6. Review your site statistics or a program like Google Analytics to analyze what is working – what pages people are landing on and where they go once they get there. Make adjustments based on analysis
  7. Maximize your virtual network with professional networking sites like Linked In or Plaxo
  8. Participate on professional forums and offer your expertise
  9. Include privacy policy and terms of use pages on your site

Things to avoid:

  1. Pop-up windows
  2. Dead links
  3. Identical content posted in duplicate locations
  4. Overuse of Flash

Resources:

Writing for the web: A format that optimizes content for scannability and searchability

Writing for a website requires a different style than you may be used to when writing for “print” materials. Website visitors have notoriously short attention spans so you must provide information to them in an easy to read “scannable” format.

Additionally, each page of a website needs to be able to stand on it’s own as site visitors do not always enter the website from the home page nor does they view the pages in a specific order.

The following format is a good way to increase the reader’s scannability of a page and with a little keyword research it can be a good start to optimizing for search engines too. 

Heading (include keyword phrases for SEO)

Introduction also known as the “deck” (1-2 sentences defining what you’re going to talk about using keyword phrases for SEO).  Your introduction should simply define one concept which you will futher define using a bulleted list.  Any sub-concepts should be in a similiar format so people can easily drill down to the info they seek.

  • Bullets supporting concept defined in heading and “deck”
  • (list of elements supporting the introduction – again using keyword phrases)

Repeat format with next concept  or sub-concept.

This method makes it easy for users to scan a page quickly and know if they have an interest. Certainly you can deviate from this concept when the content warrants.  For example, you may want to add more narrative and  you might not always be able to use bullets (however in most cases you can). But in general using the heading, deck, bullets format  is a good way to get your material across to an online audience. 

Remember as you prepare your website content that usability and searchability are not exclusive from each other.  A well-written website that provides information to your site visitors in a clear, easy-to-scan format is likely to be easily indexed by search engines too. 

More about SEO (it’s not a magic bullet) coming soon…

Self-help for your website

When I started cgwebhelp in 1999 my goal was to provide web  services to small businesses that would help them navigate their online marketing efforts.  These services included:

  • web design
  • web site maintenance
  • web hosting
  • search engine optimization (SEO)

I still provide all these services but in the process of doing so, I often find myself in the role of website “mentor” or teacher.  There’s alot to making a website work…it’s more than good design, great content and SEO.  It’s a constant process of tweaking and updating.  It’s understanding what tools are available and how to use them on your website to improve the bottom line in your business. 

As I come across new ideas, or find myself explaining how things work to a client, I will try to use this space to post ideas and concepts so all my clients and business associates can use this space as a resource.

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Phone: 860-432-8756

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