Your website must be optimized for search engines so it will rank well in search results, right? But what exactly does that mean? What makes a website "optimized?" How do Google, Bing, and Yahoo know how to rank one website over another in the same category?
There are a ton of elements that influence how search engines rank websites. By using best practices and cutting-edge methods, your site can improve its rankings. The goal is to send the right signals to search engines so they'll know the purpose of your website and pages.
Let's Review
I'm going to go over three Search Engine Optimization (SEO) examples of things you can do to help your website rank better.
One: Page Naming
How you name a web page makes a huge difference. It needs to tell the search engines as much as possible in the file name. For example, if you're selling "red baseballs" on your website, which page file name do you think Google would like more?
1. website.com/product-1.html 2. website.com/baseballs.html 3. website.com/red-baseballs.html
If you chose 3, you would be correct. The more information you can give Google and other search engines, the better. Makes sense, right?
Two: Directory Naming
Okay, so the page name is only a part of helping search engines. Another way is how you name the directories on your site. Which option do you think Google would like the best?
1. website.com/shop/red-baseballs.html 2. website.com/products/red-baseballs.html 3. website.com/products/baseballs/red-baseballs.html
Again, 3 is the right answer. The website address (aka URL) now lets search engines know that your page features a product, that it's a baseball, and that it's red. So if a user searches for "red baseball" this would greatly improve your website's placement in the search engine rankings.
Three: Content is King
A strong URL is a great start, but at the end of the day, content is king. If you write quality content for your products, company, services, and so on, that will go a long way in your SEO efforts. And, the more quality content, the better. Not redundant copy, but fresh, original content.
Blogging
If you have a blog, how often do you update it? We suggest at a minimum you publish one new post a week. And if you don't have a blog, why not? A really good way to add weight to your site through the eyes of search engines is by adding content via a blog, and adding it frequently.
Need SEO Help?
As you can see, there are several SEO factors that go into a successful website. If you need help with site redesign or adding a blog to an existing website, we can help. Or, if you want to create an SEO plan to get your website moving towards the front page of Google, we can help there, too. We've helped several companies in Louisville with their SEO strategies–you could be next!
Search Marketing Expo
I had the privilege of attending the Search Marketing Expo (SMX) back in 2013. This is the largest search marketing conference of its kind. I got to talk with SEO specialists from around the country, and hear firsthand from Google and Bing software engineers about SEO. I learned about the ever-changing search engine algorithms, the latest trends, and techniques used by the biggest brands on the planet. Since I attended SMX I have been plugged into the SEO community and have been keeping up with what's happening in the SEO world.
