Search Engine Optimization:
How do people find your website?
Everyone knows the figure of speech "A Needle in a Haystack". Launching your brand new website is not enough to begin your online marketing campaign. You'll need to start focusing your efforts on bringing in web traffic. Users have to be able to easily find your business online through search engine results.
While there are certainly a number of ways to move to the top of search engine results, search engine optimization (SEO) is an extremely effective process for improving rankings. Here we'll cover some of the basics to get you started.
What exactly is search engine optimization?
Every search engine has algorithms at its core. An algorithm is really just a set of step-by-step instructions. These instructions inform every search that is made on an engine. A user enters a search phrase, and the engine does everything it can to give the user a quality website.
This type of search is called an "organic search". It differs from paid advertising in that the search results and rankings cannot be bought or influenced by money alone. Since the results are based on a set of instructions, search engine optimization is a process that analyzes the search algorithm and finds ways to influence rankings.
Search Engines Provide a Service
Search engines are really just like any other business. Their service is competing
against other search engines. They satisfy customers by providing excellent results that help users find exactly what they're looking for. Their ultimate goal is to give users the most relevant and valuable search results from simple keyword phrases.
The ranking algorithms are constantly developed and overhauled. This consistent updating is what separates their search engine from the rest of the crowd, and it allows the algorithms to adapt to new changes throughout the web. The inner workings of the instructions are never disclosed, but many of the most important ranking factors are highlighted by the search provider. Some of the ranking fundamentals include:
1. Content - The content on a web page ought to match an organic search. This often comes down to keywords or phrases. The more often a certain keyword
appears on a page, the higher its ranking will be related to a matching search query. However, great care has been taken to eliminate keyword "stuffing"—the repetition of keywords without context. All content needs to use natural language, as it is continually compared to billions and billions of other websites that contain real content.
2. In-bound Links - Web links that point to a page also help affirm its content. If that link is on a page that has already been related to a keyword, often that same keyword will apply to the page the link sends visitors to. They're sort of like
references that vouch for your website.
3. Relevancy - This is an encompassing term for the topics that a web page's content is geared towards. A single website for a shoe store will be considered relevant when a search engine user is looking for tennis shoes, high heels, and even shoe repair. Relevancy is greatly influenced by content and in-bound links. 4. Authority - One of the greatest things about the Internet is its accessibility.
Virtually anyone can start their own website. A search engine, however, does not want to give equal weight to a blogger and an official news site. Thus, the search algorithm will consider a number of factors that favor websites that would most likely be considered an "authority" on a certain topic or keyword.
5. Anchor text - Every hyperlink is a series of words that can be clicked and lead to another page. This text is what is known as "anchor text", and it is highly valuable for search engines. The words will be considered a short description of the page that is being linked to. "Click This!" and "National Football League News" are both considered anchor text, but it should be obvious that the latter is much more helpful.
The Optimization Process
Search engine optimization always starts with the keywords that your visitors will use in a search query. Some are extremely obvious, but other keywords might surprise you. SEO targets the phrases that are the most relevant for your website while considering the search volume of those phrases. It's also important to abandon any phrases which are too costly to pursue. There is little point in battling for the phrase "search engine" unless your return on investment is high enough.
Once the vital keywords have been chosen, it's time to start optimizing web pages. Things like title and H1 tags must be changed with keywords in mind. An H1 tag is an HTML tag that defines the largest heading on a website, and is often more important than other HTML tags for search rankings.
Written content needs to be engineered so that your targeted keyword phrases are used throughout the website. Note that the copy should use natural language that won't distract your users. If you try to artificially inflate certain keyword phrases on a page, current search algorithms will actually detect this, and search results will suffer. No matter what, don't let the quality of your content suffer by stuffing keywords all over the page.
Link Building
This is the part of the optimization process that relies on other websites. Generally, it's extremely helpful to have credible websites linking back to your website. The goal is to have links that point to your most important pages. Prime targets are parts of your website that are consistently updated with appealing content. A professional copywriter is your best bet when trying to generate content that other websites will want to link to. Social media is a great tool for putting focus on your content pages. Each and every time those pages are updated, make sure you send out updates through your social networking channels. Raise awareness to entice other websites to keep tabs on your pages. Certain websites rely on content from other websites, so it's best to make it easy for them to know what you've been publishing.
Due to the nature of SEO and updates on algorithms, ranking trends and industry best practices take a lot of dedication to keep up with. You'll see the best results from search engine optimization when it is handled by experts who do it day in and day out. Each business takes their web project and investment seriously, and there's every reason to be just as serious about your SEO efforts.
Contact Us
Looking to start the SEO process to get your website to the top of the search rankings? Talk to SiteWired Web Solutions to find the right solution for you!
Visit http://www.sitewired.com for further information on web design and development, online marketing, and website optimization.
