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Search Engine Optimization - Where to Start
Posted:
12-31-1969 |
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According to 2011 Pew Research Center data, 78% of American adults are online, and 78% of them are on the Web, looking for information about a product or service they are thinking of purchasing. Marketers are faced with balancing the visitor's experiences with the necessary technical aspects that make a website perform well with search engines. When Web surfers type keywords into a search engine, like Google, the goal is for a site to have the highest possible ranking. Considering the fact that 94% of users never scroll past the first page of search results (Marketshare.hitslink.com), the closer to the top, the better. Ensuring this is call Search Engine Optimization, or SEO.
While SEO experts and marketers are constantly working to unravel a constantly-changing formula for success, there are certain things that you can do to ensure an easier 'hit-rate' among search engines. One important factor behind SEO success is having keyword phrases that are liberally sprinkled in strategic places throughout a website... the places and ways that matter most to search engines. Here are some tips to consider:
- Be selective. Quality of traffic is more important than quantity, so limit your keywords and keyword phrases to the most relevant to your business.
- Density, frequency, placement and prominence. All mean something slightly different and are important to search engine "crawlers." Simply put, use keywords frequently, place them at the top of your pages and repeat them throughout your site. Caution: Avoid overuse. Keyword "stuffing" can be a red flag to search engines. Viewed as spam, the site could be excluded from a search engine's database.
- Include your business physical address twice on all pages and in the footer. Spell out your state in one of the addresses (Texas) and abbreviate it in the other (TX). Variations help to match the range of terms a user might type into the search bar.
- Add a geography section like a "Contact Us" page that includes all of the cities, counties, and suburbs you serve. Include additional ways in which people might search (New York City and NYC). While most SEO is age by page, the geographic relevancy of a business helps to optimize the site in a more global way.
Also, keep it fresh. Search engines favor sites that are dynamic and with content that is updated regularly. Special promotions or offers for online customers, blog posts and announcements, press releases and new links to external sites are just a few of the ways to keep a website on the right track. |
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