“SEO” stands for Search Engine Optimization.
SEO considers two key elements – how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and associated coding with the objective of increasing its relevance to specific keywords, and removing barriers to the “indexing activities” of the search engines. If done correctly, the result should be increased visibility in search engines.
Optimized SEO is a critical element for any website, whether it be personal or business related. When evaluated correctly, optimization helps decide who will find your website. Without it, the chances of your website being found drop considerably, and your website will not rank high enough with search engines for your target market to find you. In today’s market, if you are not on the first page(s) of an online search, you won’t be found. The good news? There are steps you can take to ensure correct SEO of your site.
The first thing to look at is the “meta” information input into key elements of your website’s “back office”. This area is not seen from the outside, but it is clearly seen by search engines. There’s some debate about the relevance meta tags and descriptions have with today’s search engines (like Google and Yahoo), however, I believe it’s best to keep a site on focus with your main purpose. In my opinion, it simply can’t hurt for search engines to see relevance and consistency both in and on site.
It’s also important to ensure that you are using the correct keywords (another topic in its own right) in the content that’s on your website. Place relevant keywords (the words a person uses when searching for your site) throughout the copy on your page. Insert keywords into your title to help draw the targeted group to your site, and help the search engines out.
Use these same keywords (or words relevant and similar to your keywords) periodically throughout your site to link it together. A word of caution, however, don’t use the same words repeatedly. That’s considered “spam” by the search engines. Search engines are like us in this regard – neither of us likes spam! Linking keywords is also useful if your website contains a number of different pages. Of course you can use different keywords throughout the site, and it’s great to rank for more than just your main keyword, for sure. The more you use keyword relevancy throughout your site, the better.
SEO is something that few understand, and that’s ok. (Actually, that’s probably a good thing! ha!) It takes a lot of testing and analysis to understand what the search engine algorithms, which are used for calculations and data processing, are considering for relevance and ranking factors. If you’re concerned about the ranking of your website, and interested in boosting your page rank, hire a qualified company to help evaluate where you are, where you want to be, and how best to get there. At Success Aligned, we’ve seen websites that required just a bit of tweaking to get them on track, and others, well let’s just say the rise in the rankings was more of a challenge. =)
Regardless of the steps involved, we love helping business align with both their customers and success. The two are inseparable in today’s social world. Understanding this fact alone is a giant step in the right direction.
