Who's your audience - humans or spiders? SEO tips.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) - everyone with a website wants it - but do you know what is it? Or how to get started? Below are some tips that I hope will help demystify the process.

Why SEO?

The goal of SEO is that when someone does a search on a product or service you offer, your website appears in the results of that search. And ideally it comes up on the first page of Google. (The reason you want to come up in the first page is because few people click beyond that.)

What is SEO?

SEO is to websites, a little like what Public Relations (PR) is to print marketing. SEO is often referred to as "organic" marketing, meaning you don't "pay" to advertise your site per se. And Google searches sites using "spiders - or bots" (short for robots) using a certain algorithm meant to encourage the best sites to rise to the top and other sites, well... not so much.

How can you make your content more Search Engine Friendly?
First and foremost, make your content meaningful and interesting to your human audience. They are your PRIMARY audience. The spiders are not your audience, they are how you reach your audience. That's key. Then, beyond that, there are some tips below. 1 through 4 are ones you should be able to do yourself, assuming you have a website you can edit.

1. keywords in page titles: that's considered one of the most important place to put keywords, in the page title. Here's an article about this with some more detail and how to.
2. keywords in head lines: And also consider your headlines - its a great idea to start those out with a couple of keywords, so that's a bit different than writing for humans.
3. keyword frequency on a page: There is no set standard for how frequently to use key words within text - though unlike ordinary writing - repetition of keywords is a good idea. Some experts recommend 4 or 5 keywords within each 100 words of text. Others suggest using keywords or key phrases at least twice for every 400.
   
4. text length: And a well optimized site should have between 250-500 words of text per page. Though be mindful, robots like text and humans like pictures. If you're trying to attract both types of visitors, you need a design that balances both well.
   
5. keywords in domain names, site folders (for html sites), meta tags and links: These are tasks that will more likely have to be done by your web designer.
   

What should you expect from your SEO efforts?

1. Using good SEO techniques should help you increase your web traffic.
   
2. SEO doesn't guarantee you a top page ranking on Google, (which is usually the allure. ironic eh?)
   
3. SEO is an ongoing process not a one shot deal.
   
4. The one-time-only part would be more properly described as making your site Search Engine Ready. That means your web designer did few of those special things mentioned above. But the internet is an ever evolving beast. Key words can be fluid things, what got heavily searched last month, may be less relevant this month. Or perhaps the key word you're hoping to be searched on has too much competition to be effective. Or perhaps you've got a new product or service to introduce, and new key words to go with it... The point is, SEO is something you need to keep up with if you want results.
   
5. Making your site Search Engine Ready is an important function website design. And keeping it Search Engine Optimized - is actually a function of - marketing.
   

Can you do it yourself?

Sure. Do you want to? That depends on your resources, technical curiosity and patience.

Many people suggest that paying a company to do SEO for you is a waste of money. I'm not so sure. Whether you do it, or you hire someone to do it, it takes some time and effort. For some small business owners, its a great hands-on way to learn more about your audience, how to improve your website and how better to serve your target market. For other business owners, its time sapping activity and ultimately a poor allocation of resources. A few business owners I know who "did it themselves" found out first hand just how much time and effort it can take. That's because its not magic, its marketing.

In case you want to try, or just better educate yourself on it... here a few good articles to get you started

1. About creating a key word strategy
2. And the importance of link building
3. See what's really involved in terms of time and money

A few FREE Keyword Resources

1. Google’s Keyword Tool
The Keyword Tool provides keywords suggestions similar to the terms you entered. You can also see the local and global search size on Google. And you can check out what your competition is expected to pay for cost-per-click (CPC)

2. SEMrush

Type in some key words or key phrases and see who how many people search on that phrase and also what your competition is paying for CPC.

3. Key Word Density tool - this tool analyzes key word density of your site

My best advice:
Design a web site keeping the focus on your human audience (and us some of the principles mentioned). Then create and implement a smart targeted marketing strategy and the robots will naturally find you. As your business grows, begin investing in some mix of SEO, SEM and/or Social Media Marketing (SMM) using a professional designer to help you really reach your audience. Then begin to shape your brand.

SEO - the basics and a few tips and tools

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the fine art of getting your website ranked high enough by search engines like Google, so that when people do a search on your keywords, your site comes up on the first page. Sounds great. Though its not such a simple goal to achieve. The bottom line is that the search engines want the content and actual popularity of your site to be the determining factor of your rank, and they are always trying to adjust their methodology to encourage and ensure that.

Still a few basics to consider which can likely help you:

1. Page titles that start with and include keywords
2. Multiple folders (If your site is built in html) and the folders are named with key words - this helps
   
3. Text rich pages concentrated with keywords (but not so much that it turns off humans - they are in fact your primary audience!)
4. Use links with keywords when possible
   
5. Get as many people to (legitimately) link to your site - when your write an article online, or set up a blog - include your web link.
   
6. Link to other people - again keep it legit.
7. Keep the content on your home page fresh and new - this keeps the spiders (and the humans) coming back for more.
8. Of course meta tags and descriptions should also have keywords added.

If you have a great product or service, and great content which you make available for your audience, overtime your ranking will organically improve. If you want to give it a big boost, be prepared to pay - either in time or money.

SEO is a growing industry. You can pay companies to run SEO campaigns. Its often an ongoing process that takes time, frequent monitoring, trial and error, focus and patience. Web designers can incorporate some basic tactics to help boost your ranking, but this is making a site Search Engine Ready and not the same as SEO, which includes ongoing monitoring of results and tweaking the site until you have the results you want. You can do this yourself, but it takes time.

You can also consider SEM (Search Engine Marketing) and pay for a service like City Search, Reach Local or Context Web to run a targeted marketing campaign. Many of these services start at $400 p/m commitment level and that doesn't include the designing of the ads themselves.

Whether or not you're ready for such a marketing commitment, or not, be aware, the search engines are always changing their algorythms to thwart people trying to get their pages ranked higher through tricks. (Adding key words in tiny type that matches the background is one such trick.) These kind of shannanagans can get your site black listed and set your marketing back.

So what's a business to do?

Keep working on marketing your business and your site. Be mindful of SEO, but never loose site of your actual business. Content is what matters - to humans and spiders.

Below are a few tools that can help you

http://freekeywords.wordtracker.com/ check out what key words get the most hits online in a particular category.

http://www.trackur.com/ Andy Beal is an ethical expert on SEO, and founded this company to help you track and monitor your brand and its reputation online. Check out his article on SEO (note: its a bit dated, but the content still quite applicable).

http://www.alexa.com/ - this site allows you to see who's searching your wesbite and which keywords they used to find you.

THE MAGIC OF THE WEB - a marketing follow up

Earlier I talked about the magic of the web and the need to market your site if you're expecting visitors in volume. (Don't forget, when you meet someone in person, hand them your business card and brochure with your website prominently featured and tell them to visit your website. That's a solid marketing strategy, though not necessarily intended for high volume).

When it comes to online marketing, there are many ways you can go about it. And it all depends on your business goals and marketing strategies as to which way you go. For small business owners and smaller nonprofits, here are three basic ways to consider getting started.

1. Send out an enewsletter (I use constant contact)
2. Write a blog (I'm using blogger.com)
3. Advertise online (I don't do this, but I hear good things about google adwords)

One of the best ways ways to begin is by writing an enewsletter. You can send something as simple as a weekly or monthly tip, a case study, or something as complex as a complete old fashioned newsletter, with articles, interviews, and special offerings. They're a pretty simple, inexpensive, and effective tool. It allows you to stay in touch with contacts you already have and remind them of your products and services on a regular basis. Constant Contact is reasonably priced to meet any size organization's needs and has lots of reporting features, so you can see whose opening your emails and what they're interested in. You can use it to help drive traffic to your site on a regular basis or when you're running a special offer.

Another tool is a blog. You'll still have to drive traffic to the blog - but its way to position yourself as an expert in your field and give your prospects something for free. This gives them a chance to get to know you better and trust you more. One thing to consider, is that it takes time to write a blog. Make sure you're willing and able to spend the time doing it.

And the last marketing tip is to pay for online advertising. This can be very effective in terms of reach, and it can be expensive if you're expecting volume. You can run a banner ad campaigns and buy up targeted ad space. This will mean hiring a designer to design the ad, and then paying monthly to run the campaign. Alternatively you can pay a set amount each month to something like google ad words and slowly increase your traffic over time. Again, it depends on your expectations, needs and your available resources.

These are only a few examples of some of the least expensive and effective ways to start marketing on the web. So remember, first get clear on;

1. your business goals
2. the purpose of your website
   
3. and your ovearall marketing strategy
   

Then choose the online (and print) marketing tools that fit your needs and your available resources.

The Magic of the Web

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic."

– Arthur C. Clarke

I've had several clients over the years come to me and ask about designing a website. In many cases, there was often one fundamental misconception; that if they built it, business will come. And while I believe in today's technology-driven climate, every person in business needs a website - websites, by themselves, aren't magic. They are a powerful marketing tool, arguably one of the most power ones available. However, they are still only a tool. And to be effective, they need to be part of an overall marketing strategy.

Let me give you an example. My website http://www.carol@carolhillson.com. Is what would be called in the industry, a brochure on the web. What that means is, I have no interest nor expectations in generating new leads through my website or through search engines. And I have done absolutely nothing about Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or Online Marketing for my website. Why? Because my marketing strategy doesn't call for it. My strategy is primarily word of mouth. I want to do business with contacts I already have or will be introduced to through mutual friends and colleagues. When I get referrals, I send them to my website. That's how its intended to function. Like handing them a brochure.

If you want your website to sell products or generate leads, or create buzz, then building the site is only half the battle. You still have to market your website if you want people to come and purchase.

So when you're ready to build or revamp your website, be very clear about your business goals, your marketing strategy and the purpose of your website. Then find someone who will tailor your site to meet your needs and not waste money on features you don't need and won't ever use. And conversely, if you're expecting business to magically appear after building your site, make sure your online marketing plan - 1. exists and 2. is designed to accomplish your goals. And then be sure to invest the necessary time and money on it so that you'll be successful.

I'll talk in another post about some marketing options for websites.