Contrary to popular belief Search Engine Optimisation is not just a case of inserting some appropriate key words into a website and then leaving Google to do its job. When the internet was first realised search engines used to operate primarily in this way using “meta” tags to index content and return results. The problem was that this system was open to abuse; it allowed developers to gain high search engine rankings using keywords that did not reflect site content.
Today search engines use complex algorithms to index websites, crawlers take a detailed look at website content and a lot of attention is placed upon the quality of site content in order to allow accurate and relevant results to be returned. Meta tags are still important but a much greater relevance is placed upon tags which conform to standards such as the Dublin Core Meta data standard; in addition links to your website from quality sources has a significant impact.
We are delighted to work with companies in order to assist in identifying ways to improve search engine results, but before we look at your specific site here are our top tips for improving your websites search engine ranking:
- Does your site content contain your keywords?
It sounds obvious but if you want a search engine to return your site using the keywords that you believe your customers will be using then you need to make sure that your site content contains those keywords. If you don’t include the keywords in the text, search engines can’t possibly be expected to return your site. BE WARNED – it’s not about including a list of words that you want Google to index, this is likely to do damage to your site’s ranking position. It’s important to entwine the keywords into the text so it is clear that your site is about the words that are being searched.
- Have you included your key words in the sites metadata?
Meta data is less important today than it was 10 years ago, but it’s still relevant. Your keywords should be included in the meta data and to give extra credibility the meta data should be defined according the Dublin Core Meta data standard. It’s also important that the keywords contained in the metadata are embedded in the text as discussed in point 1, if you use meta data that is unrelated to the content this is likely to do damage to your site’s ranking position.
- Are Google Analytics and Google Webmaster Installed?
Google Analytics and Google Webmaster tools are free tools provided by Google to assist you in analysing your site's search engine performance. It’s really easy to set up and the tracking information available to you as a business owner is outstanding. Go to www.google.com/anaytics for more information.
- Are people linking to your website?
The more links to your website from other quality websites the more respect search engines will show to your URL; it gives your site credibility in the same way as you would be more likely to use a service if it had been recommended by several people. The internet is an web of interconnected links so use that to your advantage by asking people to link to your site if it contains information relevant to their website. Similarly you can help people by returning a link. BE WARNED: this is not about creating a list of links to lots of websites, credibility will be given for embedding links into the text of your site when it enhances the content.
- Other questions to ask ….
Is your site built using good practice? Try and validate your site using http://validator.w3.org; sites that validate have been built using good practice and as a result are likely to be ranked higher.
Is your site accessible? As a business it is a legal obligation to make reasonable efforts to ensure that your website is accessible. It is widely accepted that sites should meet W3C Accessibility Guidelines Priority 2 as a minimum. Try running an automated check to see how your site performs at http://www.cynthiasays.com you can also review the accessibility checklist at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html
If you need help with any of the above, or if your site already does all of that and you want to discuss how else your site ranking can be improved get in contact with us and come and have chat with our team.