SEO Consult Blog

The case for Search Engine Optimisation

An essential tool for any modern business is search engine optimisation.  This is the process which leads to your website being listed as near as possible to the top of search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN.  And we all know that your potential customers are using these to find people they want to do business with, so make sure with search engine optimisation that you’re at the top of the list of competitors.

Search engine optimisation is part of the wider art of website optimisation, which makes it as straightforward as possible for web spiders to access and search your site.  Search engines use these spiders to produce their listings, and the companies who have used website optimisation will be at the top.

By using proven methods website optimisation, and more specifically search engine optimisation, can not only move you up the rankings of services like Google, but also will have the effect of increasing traffic to your site.  You know that your product sells itself when people see it, so with website optimisation, you can ensure that more people are aware of your product and then you’ll start to win more sales.

Main methods used in Search Engine Optimisation

When you’re trying to increase the volume and quality of traffic to your website, it means that you’re hoping to get new and unique visitors who are likely to want to buy what you have to offer.

The process starts with determining what people will be searching for if they are the type of person who is in the market for what you are selling.  Optimising a website can then use the type of keywords that the person is likely to search for and incorporates them into the website text.  The page is seen by the web spiders but also by the customer, so the copy has to be coherent and effective, as well as containing the right keywords.  The correct words also have to be used in the coding behind the main seen pages, but purely for the web spiders this time.

When optimizing a site, design and content management systems also need to be considered.  Web spiders don’t understand pictures unless they are accurately described with appropriate keywords.  Also Content Management Systems (CMS) are great for allowing people within your organisation to regularly update the website but need to be constructed in such a way that web spiders can access all the information contained within the site.

What to avoid with SEO

It’s also a good idea to be aware of so called ‘black hat SEO’ where less transparent methods are used to artificially bump a website up the search engine rankings.  These are at best frowned upon, at worst, will result in your website being removed permanently from the most famous search engines, which can effectively kill a business.

In these cases, terms to look out for (and avoid) include spamdexing, link farms and keyword stuffing.

With the current economic situation, more and more businesses seem to be getting in on the Search Engine Optimisation act, realising that the returns are much better than with many traditional marketing techniques.  In order to minimise costs as much as possible, many choose to try and attempt Search Engine Optimisation on their own rather than opting for working with a professional SEO company.

There are plenty of things that anyone with a bit of knowledge and research can do when attempting DIY Search Engine Optimisation.  It doesn’t take a huge amount of searching around to find SEO tips and work out the difference between Black Hat and White Hat SEO techniques so that you won’t find yourself penalised by search engines.

The danger of DIY Search Engine Optimisation is that the job is often only ever half done.  Maybe you choose some keywords using free online suggestion tools?  Maybe you re-write the content on your website yourself? Maybe you integrate a blog into your website to provide regular fresh content?  All of these techniques are great SEO tools, but how can you be sure that you are doing them properly?

Keyword choice is vital to achieving good Search Engine Optimisation.  Choosing ineffective or over-competitive words wastes your time and effort and keyword suggestion tools can only take you so far in deciding on appropriate keywords for your organisation.

Writing your own web content and copy isn’t as easy as it sounds when you try to consider your website users as well as the search engines - how can you make it appeal to both?

Writing a blog about your organisation may seem easy at first, but do you have the time and creativity to write several blogs a week or month on different themes within your industry, including keywords to attract targeted traffic and ensuring each blog is interesting and informative?

A good SEO company has years of experience in the multi-faceted arena of Search Engine Optimisation including the techniques mentioned and many more.  They have the knowledge and expertise to develop comprehensive SEO strategies which cover both on page and off page website optimisation.  They have tried and tested techniques for choosing the keywords and phrases that will bring you maximum success, far more than any automated keyword generator tool can do.  They employ professional copywriters who can transform your content to keyword-rich, high quality copy and blogwriters who don’t run out of time and ideas. A good SEO company doesn’t stop with the visible SEO changes but also works on the things that most people don’t see.  They have web development experts who can redesign your site, cleaning up code and tags to maximise search engine-friendliness.

A reputable SEO company can not only set up your Search Engine Optimisation campaign, but then maintain it and feed back detailed analysis as the SEO campaign progresses, so that you can see exactly how it is raising your profile and sales online.  Working with a good SEO company is the best way to maximise your website and bring a great return on your investment.