SEO Demystified: Optimizing Your Pages

Page optimization is probably the easiest step in the SEO process. I don’t mean to minimize its importance. The truth is that you’ll need to have or hire the skills to address several key elements. But so much is written about this aspect of SEO that many people see it as the starting point. If you do plan to tackle SEO internally, resist the tendency to start on this step. If you blast past Keyword Strategy and Site Design & Structure, you will be like the proverbial thug who brought a knife to a gunfight.

A word about vendor selection

Let’s assume that you don’t want to attempt SEO yourself, but would rather farm it out. As you begin thinking about or searching for a vendor to deliver higher search engine ranking, remember this. Many so-called SEO consultants will focus primarily on the technical aspects of page optimization. Often they will rely on you to give them the keywords and many will try to steer you toward “more focused” (meaning obscure) search terms so that they can maintain their claim to get you in the top 10 for your keywords.

I worked with one SEO company that is pretty large. Their entire focus was content. Content is huge; I concur. But in my estimation they did not have a comprehensive approach to SEO. Basically they had the customer choose the keywords and they sent me copy to add to the site. The result? Very poor, to say the least. I only wish I was more vocal with the customer about their choice.

A good SEO consultant will certainly get your input regarding search terms. But they will also do a comprehensive analysis of your competitors as well as what search terms are the money makers – meaning those that are more likely to lead to conversion traffic, not just more traffic. Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, let’s talk about what goes into page optimization.

Key components of page optimization

I said this is the easiest of the steps. Perhaps I should have said most straight forward. Let’s take a closer look at each one. They are:

• Good copy writing
• Technical considerations
• Page layout

Don’t skimp on good copy

I used to write quite a bit. Short stories, songs, poetry. You name it, I tried to write it. In fact, there was a time when I fancied the idea of becoming an author. You may have your own aspiring writers on staff. Perhaps you’ll task them with writing your Web copy. If so, keep this in mind. Writing for the Web is different than the high-toned language a university professor may require, or the no-nonsense approach of a project proposal or manual. Successful Web copy is often less formal and more personal. And the balance a writer must strike with SEO copy is to be able to appeal to the reader and search engines simultaneously. That’s not an art that is taught overnight. A good SEO copy writer will not only keep the user first, but will also understand how search engines “see” text. They’ll be able to work awkward search phrases into the copy without it sounding forced. They’ll also be more “thematic” and not just load the page with keywords.

Technical aspects of optimizing

In today’s Web development arena many of the technical aspects of optimization are addressed by most developers. A growing number of content management systems also include SEO-friendly features such as how the URLs are rendered and CSS vs JavaScript menu systems. Be sure your vendor(s) used for SEO and Web development are crossing the “T’s” and dotting the “I’s” in terms of well formed HTML.

Page layout

You must know how and when to strike a balance between what the user sees and what the search engine sees in the area of page layout. Page design can impact how it’s interpreted by a search engine. For example, the most important content should be close to the top of the page. But other page elements such as graphics and use of HTML tables can push that content lower as far as a search engine is concerned. Your vendor will know certain tricks of the trade to help facilitate this while not sacrificing your page’s usability.

Final thoughts for on-page optimization

Make sure your vendor addresses all aspects of on-page optimization: copy, technical and page layout. It will be helpful to introduce the SEO consultant to your Web developers so they can work together to get the results you desire. Avoid the tendency to focus initially on this step and be wary of low-budget consultants who want to steer you to do so.

If you’ve done your homework in the first two steps, this step should be pretty straight forward. In my next post, I’ll address one of the more misunderstood parts of SEO – link building.

SEO Demystified: Site Design & Structure

This is the third installment in the SEO Demystified series. Since each post builds on the previous one, I decided to link them in the right-hand column. If you missed the first two, I recommend starting from the introduction.

It’s also worth repeating that these articles are written to educate you in the craft of Search Engine Optimization. They are not intended to help you implement SEO. In fact, if you’ve read the first two posts you’ll notice that I continually encourage you to hire a seasoned professional. You’ll fare much better in the long run.

Where to begin?

A huge factor in SEO is the overall site structure of your Website. If a search engine cannot crawl your site in an effective way, your ranking will suffer. Likewise, the site’s internal linking structure influences an individual page’s ranking in very subtle ways. So where do you begin? Well, as they say, at the beginning.

In an ideal world, you will plan SEO during the site design or redesign. I always try to encourage clients to think this way, even if they do not see an SEO project on the horizon. Spending a little time and money on the front end can save some headaches later on. But ideal is often not reality. In most cases there is a time crunch or budgetary constraint that prevents too much effort here. We always include basic things like descriptive page titles and hypertext links, a site map uploaded to Google and meta data that houses site description and key words. But these are basic steps; not intended to replace a well structured site.

From keyword strategy to site design & structure

In the most simplistic terms, the point in the Site Design & Structure step is to map the terms you’ve selected in the first step onto pages within the site. If you do this properly, it will help your visitor arrive at the best landing page for their needs. For example, some users will simply be gathering information, while others will be comparing alternatives or deciding where they will purchase. Each type of user will have different reasons for visiting your site and will arrive through different search terms. As a result, you will have different copy, graphics and navigation all designed to mesh effortlessly. You can see why it’s better to approach a site design with SEO in mind.

You will design and structure your site with these two questions in mind. Can search engines crawl the site? Will users be able to easily navigate the site? There are both technical and usability considerations here. Be sure your SEO consultant can address both.

Remember, your goal is to bring those folks who search on your key phrases to the pages that offer the best match for their queries. No matter where a visitor lands, you want to guide them to your site’s sales funnel, so not only will you want to be sure your site can be crawled by the search engines, but is also easily navigated by the user.

If you have an existing site and embark on an SEO campaign, it is highly likely that you will be asked to implement certain changes to improve a search engine’s ability to crawl your site and a user’s ability to navigate your site.

My next post will address what most people think of when they hear the term Search Engine Optimization — optimizing Web pages. Years ago, it was the primary area consultants focused on. Today, it’s really the easiest.

SEO Demystified: Keyword Strategy

In my last post, Intro to SEO Demystified, I defined SEO and introduced the steps or phases of a typical SEO campaign. Today, I want to delve into the first one — keyword strategy. As I stated at the outset, this isn’t intended to be an in-depth look, but more of a primer to help you make informed decisions and take the mystique out of what some see as a confusing, even dubious, aspect of the Web world.

Keyword Strategy

First and foremost to any SEO campaign is the research and analysis required to arrive at a solid set of keywords and phrases that you will target in your campaign. This is not an exact science, though a seasoned SEO professional will not only have good tools, but also a keen sense for what will work and what will prove less efficient.

Everything else you do flows out of the decisions you make during this step. Its importance cannot be overstated.

Be aware of SEO companies that guarantee top keyword placement. Oftentimes, the keywords are so obscure that even with top placement, you will not see any additional traffic because they are not words or phrases people are searching on.

A good SEO company will do a couple of things as part of the keyword strategy. First they will want to do a site analysis to see what technical or architectural aspects of your site may need to be tweaked for optimal search engine friendliness and to determine your current keyword phrases and modifiers, based on use and density. Second they will work closely with you through several steps of creating your keyword list. They may ask you to come up with an initial seed list, but be prepared to answer questions about your industry and competition. In the end, you will have keyword phrases, terms and themes that you’ll use for the other phases of the SEO campaign. Whatever you do, please don’t skimp here. Your participation and thoughtful reflection are crucial to the success of this step.

What if I want to do this myself?

Even if you decide to strike out on your own to try SEO, consider hiring a consultant to help you know what to do and what tools are available (free or subscription-based). I suggest this route because even the initial step of keyword research can be daunting. For example, keyword research involves looking at competing sites, perusing forums and newsgroups and utilizing search engine keyword suggestion tools.

But the final list of keywords is only part of the equation. You need them sorted according to the proper metrics such as popularity, relevance and competition. There are many tools out there, and some work better than others. Having a relationship with a trusted SEO consultant is an invaluable way to “apprentice” during your first campaign.

That said, it has been my experience that most organizations simply do not have the internal resources with the necessary skills to effectively go with this approach. A couple of years ago, a number of the non-profit organizations I served wanted to pursue SEO, but they didn’t have the budget. So I created a tutorial that gave step-by-step instructions on how to optimize their site. I gave them to several folks and as far as I know, not one organization ever utilized it.

More about Metrics

Be mindful of using too broad or too narrow keywords or keyword phrases. Very broad and popular keywords such as coffee will have fierce competition and companies pay big money to have their sites rank high for those. Very narrow keywords are less likely to be searched on. You may rank number two with a niche phrase but only have 10 people a month searching on that term. It’s important to understand and weigh the balance between value and competition. Then you can effectively evaluate search terms that are too competitive and ones that may be good opportunities. There are other pieces that come into play here such as a competitor’s external profile, on-page factors and any Pay-per click (PPC) campaign they may be doing.

In other words, you need to know how much effort has been put into their in-bound link strategy, how they have developed dedicated landing pages to targeted search terms, how well they have optimized their site for these terms and what sort of bidding and money has been invested for PPC campaigns. A good SEO consultant can provide a pretty accurate lay of the land, though it’s unlikely they’ll be able to tell you dollar amounts for any PPC campaign.

Keyword research and metrics is a very deep topic and there is no way to cover all aspects and stay within the stated bounds of this article. I only touched on competition here. Relevance and weighted popularity are just as important.

Sum it up in three words

I think it was 1992 when the Atlanta Braves went worst-to-first and won the division championship. I’ll never forget Otis Nixon’s comment in the excitement of the win. He said, “I can sum it up in three words; it don’t get no better than this.”

Well, I must confess that I’m beginning to sense the same thing happening to me. My goal was to write a couple of brief posts to give you a high level understanding of SEO. I’m on my second and so far I’ve only managed to define it and talk briefly about one of 6 steps. Like Otis, in the excitement of the moment I didn’t realize how many words it would take.

But the truth is that SEO requires a good grasp of the basics, an understanding of the tools involved and how to effectively use them. Perhaps most intangible and elusive of all, a seasoned SEO consultant will have a feel for search engine trends and how changes in a major player’s algorithms affect the way an SEO campaign should be approached. It’s the last characteristic that separates the veterans from the rest.

If I try to keep it too brief, I will not give you a good foundation. So that’s all the apology I’ll offer. My next installment will address Site Design and Structure. You can have the best keyword strategy on the planet, but if search engines cannot crawl your site, then you won’t get indexed. That means you won’t show up on the search results page. So stay tuned.

Intro to SEO Demystified

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, you’ve undoubtedly run across at least one resident computer guru in your company. Not just any nerd. I mean the archetypal geek with less than enviable social skills who sits alone in the server room, controlling the fate of all network users in his realm. He is mysterious and unapproachable — like the Great Oz. And just like the Great Oz, he doesn’t want any attempts to understand how he does it, or peeks behind the curtain.

Some people view Search Engine Optimization (SEO) with the same distorted perceptions. And some consultants approach the uninformed with the same attitude as our geek archetype. It’s as if they want to be seen as a mysterious alchemist who alone knows the ingredients to the magic elixir that is “Top 10 Organic Search Results.”

Now before I get email railing me for slamming SEO consultants, let me be crystal clear; not all of them are like this no more than all computer geeks have Klingon-like desires to rule the networked universe.

I often work with organizations unfamiliar with SEO. People have all sorts of questions and misunderstanding about what it is, how much it costs and what’s involved. And truth be told, many of them have crossed paths with “SEO alchemists” who bedazzle with strange concepts and vague objectives.

In light of this, I want to take a few minutes to demystify SEO. Before you hire anyone to do work for you in this area, be sure you have a solid foundation so you can make informed decisions.

I will also provide you with a few tips for selecting a good SEO outfit. The truth is that price and quality truly run the gamut. Do a quick Google on SEO companies. You’ll get about 1.2 million results. Prices can range from $500 to $10,000 for a typical campaign, and it’s often difficult to know when you’re being “taken” or when the consultant is legitimate and can deliver the goods. So let’s dive right in.

What is SEO?

Search engine optimization is neither art nor science, but more of a craft. It is the process of tweaking a Website to improve its natural or “organic” position on search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc.) for targeted keywords or phrases, and to increase the volume and quality of traffic that the site receives from search engines.

Another key term you should know is Search Engine Marketing, or SEM. SEM is any legal activity intended to bring traffic from a search portal to your Website. This activity includes SEO, Pay Per Click (PPC) and paid listings in Web directories. While many folks simply refer to the whole thing as SEO, there is a difference, and you should be aware of these terms as you discuss a project with potential consultants. Confused yet? Don’t be. Think of SEM as the broad term for implementing Search Engine Optimization, Pay-Per-Click and paid inclusion in Web directories. The objective is to rank higher in search results and to ultimately drive traffic to your site.

The SEO Process

Ok, so we’ve established a working definition for SEO and SEM. Now let’s look at the process. As we explore the steps or phases, it’s important to note that this isn’t that hard, which is why so many people have jumped on the bandwagon. Then again, neither is building a Website or laying out a brochure. The difference is quality and knowledge.

If you are interested in this topic, I’m sure you have discussed it with your friends and associates who are in marketing or have played with Web development. It’s been my experience that many folks have at least a cursory understanding of some elements of SEO, but lack the complete picture. As a result, they will encourage you to pepper your site with keywords or contact other sites to build a list of reciprocal links.

Those things are helpful to a degree but will not, in the end, yield the results you desire. Make no mistake, you can indeed tackle SEO and do it all yourself. You’ll find many tools to help you. But if you don’t have a decent grasp on Website creation and maintenance, you’ll be hampered. My suggestion is to find a vendor who is both knowledgeable and trustworthy. You will fare much better in the long run and probably spend less money in the process. With that said, let’s look at the general steps any SEO consultant will follow.

1. Keyword Strategy
2. Site Design and Structure
3. Optimizing Your Pages
4. Link Building
5. Getting Indexed
6. Monitoring and Adjustment

In my next post, I will unpack each of these. For now, let me close with this thought. It’s important to realize that once you decide to embark on an SEO campaign, expect 3-5 months before you will see results — assuming your consultant is not engaging in “black hat” techniques. To do SEM/SEO in a way that gives long term increased page rank takes time.

Bridging the gap

For some time, I have considered starting a blog to help our non-technical customers bridge the gap between the vision they have for their site and the Web technology through which that vision is realized. SystemTrends serves many organizations that have a clear message, but are fairly new to the medium, or they haven’t had anyone help them navigate the waters.

Further complicating matters is the fact that there are so many confusing aspects to creating and maintaining a successful Web presence and questions abound. How much does a Web site cost? What’s involved in building a site? What is SEO and SEM? How do I choose a vendor? How do I market my site? When should I use any of the availble free sites and when should I invest in a more robust one?

The purpose of this blog is to help you navigate these waters. It will draw from my own experience and knowledge as well as established best practices for this industry. While some technical explanation is inevitable, it is not a technical blog.

Instead, I hope to provide useful information from selecting a vendor to managing organizational expectations. I will explain why you should implement a project management process and how you can make any technical project more successful by using even a few simple project management guidelines. I will also share case studies that highlight certain critical aspects of Web creation and occasionally I’ll throw in a few technical tips to help you manage your site.

If you have a particular topic that you’d like to see explored, let me know. Otherwise, subscribe to the feed and stay tuned!