e spent any time on the Internet lately, you should know what Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is. It’s the process of making adjustments to your site so it displays high in the results of search engines when a person searches for a word related to your business. Here are 7 things you should know about SEO, whether you are already doing it or just thinking about starting:
Fact 1 – SEO is a long, ongoing process
Optimising your site isn’t something that can be done quickly, or just once then forgotten about. It’s an ongoing process that needs constant work and attention. When a new site is launched, it can take Google anywhere from 3 weeks to 3 months to even find the site and store it in their database, and then another couple of months for the site to earn a place in search results. Then, once you’re site is up and running, boosting your PageRank takes time and effort – updating keywords, writing new content and organising links are all time-consuming, and then you have to wait for Google to find your changes. So be patient – it won’t happen overnight.
Fact 2 – You must do keyword research
You need to use keywords throughout your site so it gets listed in the results when a consumer conducts a search using those words. Therefore, you need to know what words your target audience are searching for so you can use them in your content. This is called keyword research – first you brainstorm a big list of all the words and phrases related to your business, then use keyword generator tools to narrow down this list. You also need to look at the competition for keywords and choose more specific words – “massage” is far too common, so try something like “corporate massage Sydney”. Keyword research is essential for SEO – learn more about it here.
Fact 3 – The playing field can change at any time
The algortihm that Google uses to analyse and rank websites is not guaranteed – Google can choose to change it whenever they want. Websites that don’t keep up-to-date with the changes will slide down the rankings and get overtaken by sites that follow the new algorithm. It’s very important that your website developer or SEO consultant stays up-to-date with the algorithm so they can make any changes quickly and keep your site ranking high. If you are serious about your SEO and want to focus on it as a strategy for getting customers, you will need to employ a professional to help you, not only to keep up-to-date, but also to do keyword research, update your content and get other websites to link to yours.
Fact 4 - Black hat techniques don’t work
When SEO first became a hot topic, some ‘smart’ people tried to trick the search engines by keyword stuffing (putting long lists of keywords in pages), using invisible text (putting keywords in the background colour so users couldn’t read it but search engines could) and creating fake pages. These techniques worked in the short-term, but soon the search engines figured out what they were doing and penalized them. Now, the search engines are on the lookout for unethical things like this and will immediately ban any website that engages in black hat SEO. So no matter what anyone tells you about how quickly it can boost your ranking, don’t do it! It’s definitely not worth it.
Fact 5 – Quality content is the key to success
The hardest thing about optimising your website is creating content that is balanced between the needs of search engines and the needs of your target market. If it’s too SEO-focused, it will be gibberish for users but if you don’t use enough keywords you, won’t rank well on search engines. The main thing is to only use keywords in your copy when they make sense and not to overuse them (the recommended ideal balance is about 3 of the same keyword per page). Try to use variations of your main keywords through the text, because search engines will pick up on those too. Overall, the best thing you can do is research your content thoroughly, tailor it to the needs of your business and write it well – the search engines can tell if your copy is good, and they’ll reward you for it.
Fact 6 – Updating your site regularly will make you search engine friendly
As mentioned, SEO isn’t a one-off thing – you can’t write really good copy with lots of keywords and then leave it on your site for 2 years. You need to constantly update and improve it by adding in new research, updating statistics and product descriptions, rewriting and tweaking copy and fixing broken links. Changes like this will draw search engine spiders back to your site, which will help you climb the ranks. Constantly updating also ensures you are using still using the right keywords to reach your market and that your content is fresh and interesting for the humans that use your site!
Fact 7 – Getting links is essential
So you’ve done your keyword research and have great copy on your site, but do you have any other sites linking to you? The content of your site is only half the battle in SEO –you need to have lots of other websites linking to yours so the search engines think you are important enough to put at the top of their rankings. Don’t get links using schemes like linkfarms, because Google will penalize you for this, and also try to avoid reciprocal links (“I’ll link to you if you link to me”), because Google doesn’t place much importance on these either. Build links by sharing your content with other reputable sites – sharing articles and ebooks, commenting on blogs, listing your business in directories and showcasing your work on community sites. Just make sure you include a link to your website every time you contribute something to another site.
Put some of these ideas into action and you might just see your site start to climb the search engine rankings. This article is not designed to be a complete SEO guide, but it should educate you about SEO and how important it is to get it right. If you want some expert guidance on optimising your site, click here to see the SEO services that Bloomtools offers.