Search engine optimisation (SEO)
Making your website easy for your customers to find should be number one in your list of priorities when you build it. It's all very well having all that useful information if no-one knows it's there. The good news is that you probably don't have to spend a fortune on search engine optimisation if you follow our top 10 tips:
- Start with the domain name.
First off, make sure yours is relevant and concise. Also, it's very important that you get the country of origin right or your Google traffic will be limited. If you are a company based in the UK, make sure you can get the co.uk domain. - Decide your keywords.
This isn't going to be easy. Open up Google and start searching for your chosen keywords. Steer clear of the ones which bring back the most results as the competition is too strong. Get creative in thinking about what people might enter into search engines when looking for what you're offering. - Craft your content.
And by content I mean text. Search engines don't really care about images, they scan your text and catalogue it. Use plenty of descriptive text but keep it short and simple at the same time. Make sure you use your keywords around 5 times per 100 words and make sure you use include them in your page titles. - Think links.
Link popularity is very important to search engines. Find plenty of sites who's offerings compliment yours (steer clear of direct competitors) and offer them a link exchange. Also, find the directories that deal with your services and get your links on there. What you want is links going out and coming back to your site. You can use Google Toolbar to check page ranks. - Include a site map.
Even if your site is not that big you should make sure you include a site map which is linked from and to every page. This allows the search engines easy access to the whole site. If you really think your site is too small to merit it, then make sure your navigation is permanently available. - Describe your images.
You can't avoid using them or else your site would just look dull but where you do use images make sure that you include a proper description in the alt tags. This is also an accessibility requirement. - Start a blog.
If you don't have one already then now is the time to get on the bandwagon. Search engines love blogs and it's a great way of locating your site in the heart of a relevant community. This gives a high value to any links that are generated and you'll fly up the rankings. - Use headers.
When you're developing the content either by yourself or with a web copywriter, think about the structure of each page as if it were an essay. Make sure to include a header, this will appear in bigger text and carry more weight when the search engine comes across it. - Set out a schedule.
A website should be constantly evolving otherwise it's relevance drops away. Make a plan to update it regularly. Ideally aim for at least once a month and set aside time every 3 months for a proper audit of its success. You probably should invest in some analytical software but there are some free ones out there if you look hard enough. - Submit your site by hand.
It might sound simple but it's important that you do the work and submit your site to all the search engines you can think of. The main ones are Google, Yahoo and MSN (now called Bing) but there are also industry specific ones which you will probably turn up during your research phase.
With these tips in mind you will find the marketing of your site much easier, and you will spare the expense of those SEO consultants for the most part.
