Optimizing your business website for the search engines
As well as a full range of telecommunications services we are also able to offer business website services via our dedicated web marketing and hosting department. This includes a search engine optimisation service.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is a subject that many businesses think is extremely complicated and is some sort of special art. This leads them to paying substantially over the odds for some very limited services.
Basic SEO can be done by anyone, although it is amazing how many web design companies seem unaware of even the most simplistic SEO techniques. Here are some pointers to guide you what to do yourself to improve the ranking of your website:
1. Keyword research
What words and phrases will people enter into the search engines to find your products/services? Try to identify a dozen or so keywords/keyphrases. Will these be general keyphrases, such as “golf clubs” or localized such as “golf clubs Nottingham”? If your business only covers a small area then limiting your phrases to those that include this area will bring you better results. Remember, the more specific the search term the less competition there will be for a front page position and even a number one position.
2. Domain name
Does your domain name have your keywords within it? Keywords in the domain name are definitely a help for smaller sites with limited resources. If you have a website with your business name and no keywords you could also consider taking out a second domain with your main keywords, if available. You could use your main site as a business resource site and your keyword site as a dedicated SEO vehicle.
3. Meta tags
The most important tag is the TITLE tag. If you make a search request in Google the results will usually show you the contents of the title tag as the underlined headline. This means that your title tag should contain your main keywords and be compelling enough for people to want to click to find out more. Underneath the headling is usually the content of the DESCRIPTION meta tag. Again this needs to be well written, compelling and contain your keywords or phrases. Don’t worry about including a KEYWORDS tag or any other meta tags, they are no longer used in a major way by search engines.
4. Website content
The text on the page should contain your keywords, read well and point your visitors in the direction you want them to go (eg. fill out a form/complete an online purchase). Within the content you may often have a heading tag (eg. H1) which again should contain your keywords. Try not to overstuff the page with irrelevant keywords – ensure it reads well and makes sense. There will usually be internal links containing your keywords too.
Generally speaking bigger is better. The more pages on your website, and thus more content, the greater the chances of it being found, even for keyphrases you may not have thought of. Keep the content up-to-date and try to add new content as often as possible. A blog is a good way of doing this.
5. Links
Generally speaking the more links to your website the better. If people think enough of your website to link to it this is thought of as a “recommendation” by the search engines. It is a sign of trust and that your website is bona fide. Getting these links will involve submitting your site to directories, contacting partners and other sites within your sector to add links from their website, social networking and bookmarking.
6. Monitoring
Keeping track of your progress – page views, visitors, where they have come from, which pages are popular etc. is made easy with Google Analytics, a free program from Google that is easy to install on your site. Looking at the keywords people have used to find your site on there can give you an insight into your visitors mindset when searching and can provide you with inspiration.
These 6 simple steps will get you started and could result in some good search engine positions if the sector of business you operate in is not too competitive. It is also possible to pay a search engine to appear in their search listings (eg. Google Adwords) almost instantly, although this can be expensive when starting out and is a whole subject in itself.