One of the key factors we often look at when building or rebuilding a website is Search Engine Optimization. The term “Search Engine Optimization” is well known as “SEO” and has been a hot topic for the past several years. Ever since Google was just a twinkle in some tech-guys eye, back in the ’90s.
SEO is one heckova buzzword that gets used extremely often. In many cases the demand from a company is “We want to be on the first page of results when we search” or “If we aren’t number 1, then why do we have a website?” – some may find this odd, but increasing SEO is no easy task. There are a number of activities that can be done to help increase your company searchability.
Here are a few items that will ultimately help:
Name that image.
Any image (JPG, GIF, PNG) featured in the content of your website could incorporate title or alt text (alternative text). The key here is to not only use keywords that would help those looking for you online, but that the actual image is relevant to the topic, too.
Get as social as social can be.
Increasing your digital footprint on the interwebs will help. Social is a boost in this regard as any of your clients and potential clients can interact with your network. Linkedin, FaceBook, YouTube, Twitter, and so on, provide links or tracks back to your website. In some cases interaction on one, or all of these social networks is enough to justify scaling back a website.
Get interactive with your audience.
Utilize features and or run promotions that will drive interest. These are best for consumer based brands, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t work for those companies that make their bread and butter off of services. Perhaps create a campaign, or suite of campaigns that can be run year round with slight adjustments from year to year. For example an accountant can run promotions just before tax season to try to pull in new business before April hits.
Read. Write. Revise… Repeat.
Reviewing your website to incorporate better more relevant content and keyword changes.
Goooooooooogle your company.
Update yourself on Google (before your wreck yourself). Location information is one of the most sought after data. Make sure it’s accurate before you send a possible client to Beirut!
Add Company News, Announcements, Events.
Consider utilizing a news section. Clients often mention not having much publicity or promotion in print. Frequent press releases and being proactive in getting published in local papers and magazines definitely help in that regard. BUT remember your company website is about your company there are tons of items that are noteworthy. Promotions, new hires, new clients, community service… these are all things that can provide viewers with a better idea of your company.
Remember your website is not static.
Think of your website as a living thing. It’s out there doing it’s work 365 & 24/7. Making your website more search-friendly is a process. Since much of it is content driven, your content is key to all of it. The most difficult part of all of this is updating content, as it relies on your company direction, marketing plans, and anything else that supports your message.
For additional info on Marketing, Branding and Identity, Rescuing a project, viewing our work, and/or Strategic Planning visit 4cdesignworks.com for more details!
Nice article . You made a lot of really goods points, thanks :).I think Forum and blog commenting are two other things to boost your seo campaign.