What exactly is SEO and can it help me?

5.                  SEO helps to ensure that a site is accessible to a search engine and improves the chances of the site being found by the search engine. The term Search Engine Optimization covers those processes and actions that ensure that:

6.                  You cannot afford to ignore SEO. If you want people to find your website, look at what you offer ? and convert into leads or sales you cannot afford to ignore it?

7.                  Okay, that is the theory, but how does this work in practice?

SEO in Practice

8.                  In essence there are 2 sides to SEO:

On Page Optimisation

9.                  This is where many web designers, especially if they come from a graphic design, marketing or purist web design background, get it wrong! The design becomes the driving force and, in a bid to be ?innovative and eye catching? they lack the understanding both how search engines function and, equally importantly, the psychology of how to work with human visitors to your web site. Another problem that most designers get wrong is that they optimise after they have launched the site. It works so much better if the site is constructed with SEO in mind ? it looks so much more natural and it is so much more effective.

Here are the basics that need to be considered:

10.             Use correctly formatted Meta Tags. Meta tags are simple lines of code that tell search engines about your page   In the past, search engines used Meta tags to rank websites, but they have reduced in importance in determining your ranking. They still serve a useful function because many search engines use Meta tag information on their results page. Therefore, inclusion of keywords and persuasive text to encourage people to go to your page is still very useful. The use of benefits and a call to action are just as important in this short piece of advertising copy. You should try to enter your target word or phrase in the keywords and description Meta tags.

11.             Correct Use of keywords in the body of your web pages. The content of your web page is an important factor of on-page optimization. It has to serve 2 audiences, the search engine software and, more importantly, the human visitor. They both read your text differently. The search engines will expect to find the keywords that the searcher was looking for in the text of web pages. However, the search engine will try to pull out the keywords and ignore the filler words like ?the?, ?and? etc. However, the human being cannot make sense of information presented on this manner, so readable, succinct, high quality content is essential. 

12.             Try to place your keyword near the start of your content, certainly in the first paragraph of text. But do not take this to extreme, using your keywords too frequently is known as ?keyword stuffing? and search engines regard this as SPAM and will disregard that content. In addition, repetitive and inappropriate use of keywords will make it extremely difficult for your site visitors to read.  Search engines scan your website and web pages for keywords. Shoot for a keyword density of between two and eight percent. Google likes your page to be at the lower end of this scale and Yahoo at the upper end.

13.             A word of warning, when doing keyword optimization ensures that you maintain a balance between what is ?optimized? and what is ?useful?. There are too many websites where the Webmaster has concentrated on optimizing the page for their keywords, and they are left with content that is incoherent drivel.

14.             Another way to guarantee upsetting search engines is to use text that is the same colour as the background of your web page (for instance white text on a white background so that it is invisible or hidden). Nor should you ever use very small text, search engines may see both of these tactics as an attempt to spam and can lead to a ban.

15.             Use page formatting. One of the most important factors for most of the major search engines is to identify your keywords with header tags and to use well formatted text. Keywords should be emphasised in bold, italics, or underlining at least once on the page. Ensure your keyword is present as near the beginning of the heading as possible, but keep the heading as short to ensure maximum weight is given to that keyword

16.             Do not use graphics in headings. They may look great, but the search engines cannot read text embedded in images. There are ways of using Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to make your headings look more pleasing!

17.             Content is King and but fresh content is even better. Both the search engines and your human visitors love good, fresh content. The frequency and amount of page updates is monitored and recorded by search engines. The search engines treat mass updates of hundreds of files as spam and can get you blacklisted. But, too few updates to your website could see your rankings slide, unless your click through rate is good. So, what you need is frequent but relevant updates.

18.             Domain name registration period.  The search engines reason that the longer the domain has been registered, the more likely the owner is to be legitimate rather than a spammer.

19.             Link Anchor Text. This is the visible text in a hyperlink that is clickable. It should remain consistent with the main keywords on the website, but do not use your main keywords on every link exchange, because Google will see this as "anchor spam". As a rule of thumb, you need to use your top five to ten key words in various links.

20.             Public Relations and News Articles.  A website with more articles and news releases providing appropriate content that reflects relevant keywords will have a higher opportunity for ranking.

21.             Image Alt Text. Image alt (alternate) text is used by text viewers (web browsers that only display text ? no images) rather than displaying the image itself. Also, in the UK it is one of the components required by Disability Discrimination legislation because a visually impaired person might use a text viewer when browsing the web. 

22.             There is little to be gained by including your keyword or phrase in alt tags images on your web page, it used to be the important but no longer has an effect.

23.             Create and update your sitemap. Whilst not a major component of search engine optimisation, having a site map is a simple way of helping search engines to crawl your entire website.  Once you create a sitemap, submit it to Google and Yahoo.

24.             Ensure that all navigation is in HTML. Many websites create their navigational items in java script. Navigation technically still works in this format, but is not optimized. Make sure that your navigation is created in HTML to enhance internal links throughout the website.

25.             Use Flash content sparingly. This is a major area that designersoften show a lack of knowledge of search engine optimisation. There is no doubt that flash enhances presentation and the viewer experience, BUT SEARCH ENGINES CANNOT SEE IT.  A website programmed totally in flash will only show as one page. Flash has its place, but it should be used sparingly.

26.             Make sure that your website code is clean. Search engine software spiders are only looking at the source code of your website. Having W3C compliant code can make all the difference when optimising a site. Run your code through a W3C validator before promoting.

Off Page Optimisation by Link building

27.             Link building is one of the main ways to enhance the search engine ranking of your website. A link exchange programme or one-way links to your site using articles or forum posts can be beneficial. All major search engines value the importance of a website based on how many others websites link to it. However, BEWARE this is one area where you can do good or bad things to your website?s search ranking. Do it wrong and you could get your site blacklisted, do it well and your search engine ranking will improve. So let us examine what constitutes a good link:

28.             The Link should be related. The best links come from websites containing similar and related content, but not the same material or content. For example: A link for a website selling hand tools would benefit from a link that discusses woodworking. 

29.             Anchor Text. The anchor text (the "text" that is used in the link) should include keywords that relate to the topic covered on the web page that is being linked to. Anchor text should be varied; links that all have the same anchor text will appear manipulated and contrived to the search engines. Therefore, the text links should contain a variety of related words.

30.             Targetted Link. The links should direct visitors to a related page within your website.  It is a mistake to direct all of the web links to your website's home page.  The link should go to the web page that is relevant to the content on the website you are linking from. This is known as deep linking and it appears more natural to search engines. Directing all links to a single page or the home page will appear unnatural, and search engines may see this as an attempt to manipulate search engine ranking.

31.             Domain and Page Authority. Links from "authority" websites have more importance than links from lesser-known websites.  Many people believe that Google uses PageRank as an indicator of authority.  This may well be true, but remember PageRank is always some months out of date and is not the only factor used to determine a website's authority.  Authority websites should still relate to the website it is pointing to.

32.             Do not use the ?No Follow? command. The No Follow command directs search engines to not "follow" a link.  There is no search engine ranking benefit from a link that contains a "No Follow" command.

33.             Use Links from different sources. Links should be built from a variety of other sites and sources.  A few links from a larger number of websites is usually more effective than a large number of links from a few websites.  

34.             Use social bookmarking and forum sites. Social bookmarking websites provide good links. Bookmarking your website social bookmarking sites, like Reddit, Digg, or Del.icio.us will get seen by search engines and thus creates valuable links. 

35.             Obtain listings in Web directories. Large directories like the Yahoo! Directory, DMOZ and others will improve your overall search results. Many websites use these directories to display websites when users search on a particular term. But please note it can take a long time for DMOZ to publish your entry and you must follow their guidelines correctly.

36.             Submitting your website to search engines. If your website is correctly optimised, and you do other off page activities, it is less important nowto let large search engine directories know that you're out there. 

37.             Link Position. There are some search experts who believe that the position of a link on a page also has an influence its value. Some claim that footer links carry less value than links which are integrated into the actual web page content.

38.             Inbound or Outbound Links? There is no doubt that an inbound link has more value than an outbound link because the search engines see inbound links as a ?vote? for your site. Outbound links may still be good for your site visitor as a way of enhancing the available information. Out bound links should open in a separate window so the site visitor does no leave your site. A reciprocal link is better than an outbound link but generally not as good as an inbound link. That said it is often easier to build reciprocal links than in-bound links so they do have a value. A page with fewer links is better than a page with a large number of links.

39.             One area you may hear talked about is ?link juice?. ?Link juice? is the PageRank (amongst other things) passed from one site to another, via the means of a text link.  The more "link juice" passed along, the more valuable the link is.

40.             Does the age of a link matter? This is another area where there is great discussion amongst the ?experts?. The findings are inconclusive at this moment in time. .

41.             Does the age of the linking website matter? Again, an area for some debate, some believe that the age of website can influence link power.  It is far more likely that the age of the website domain has given it time to become a trusted source of information; links from trusted websites often have more value.

42.             Build links gradually. There is some evidence that building links too quickly can be seen by search engines as spamming or unnatural. Build links gradually, rather than all at once.

So that?s all there is to SEO?

43.             There some warning signs that every search engine expert loves or hates to hear. Loves them because there is a chance SEO have not been done well; hates it because it can mean unravelling a problem if a site has been blacklisted. What are those warning signs:

Summary

44.             The Internet is increasingly important to most organisations? marketing and sales strategies. However, more websites are being launched; the April 2008 Netcraft survey received responses from 165,719,150 Given that Netcraft estimates that there were 3.1 million new sites created in the month of March 2008, getting seen on the Internet becomes increasingly important. Many web design companies claim to ?do SEO?, but in reality many only have a cursory or outdated knowledge of the subject. Hence it is important that website owners understand SEO and what is required to ?do SEO? correctly. sites.

45.             With SEO there are no short cuts, and there are few companies who really ?do SEO?. It's hard work. True SEO firms follow a process for a reason -- there's more to this than just slapping up some words in a title tag and celebrating your awesome SEO prowess.

46.             In particular this whitepaper has described how you can enhance your current website?s search engine ranking compared with your key competitors. To facilitate this we discussed how Search Engine Optimisation works (available as a service from your local WSI Internet Marketing Consultant) and a little about what is involved in successful SEO.

Your WSI Internet Marketing Consultant can help you see the big picture and grow your business through a variety of tested industry best practices, such as Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing campaigns, email marketing, and website enhancements. Working with a WSI Consultant means that you can profit from their experience, research, and product offering, while still focusing your efforts on running your business.
If you are an online trader and are unsure if you can safely support your customers, leverage the experience of your local WSI Internet Marketing Consultant today, contact Gordon Diffey at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 01572 495007, and start growing your business! Check me out at http://www.wsitopinternetmarketing.co.uk