Search Engine Optimisation
What is it & How does it Help?
When reputable website designers build websites, they will search engine optimise them so that they can be read as easily as possible by the various search engines.
Search Engine Optimisation (sometimes called SEO or organic search) is the process of ensuring a website is built correctly to the standards and regulations set out by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium).
Ensuring your website is fully and correctly optimised will help to develop increased search engine rankings which will potentially increase the exposure of your website and therefore attract higher levels of traffic which can be converted into sales.
Search Engine Optimisation – What not to do!
There is no full proof way to optimise your website, however there are most certainly things that you should not do.
Many older techniques that could be used to boost search engine rankings in the past are now not accepted. Keyword spamming, keyword masking and browser detecting re-direction pages are some examples of ‘Black Hat’ technologies that are no longer allowed to be used to improve your search engine ranking.
The BMW scandal was a classic example of this whereby they were removed from the Google index due to the fact that they were using “black hat” methods of optimizing their website. More information on this story can be found here.
The loveyourwebsite team have put together a list of ‘what to do and what not to do’ when it comes to optimisation. Make sure to question potential website designers on their own optimization techniques to ensure they use the right techniques for your company.
Search Engine Optimisation – Why do companies lose faith?
In the opinion of many reputable website designers across the UK – why have an amazing looking and heavily functional website if Internet users cannot find you on the major search engines for certain key phrases that describe your business and its key operations.
Many businesses pay for website design without knowing or understanding the importance of search engine optimisation. Reputable website design companies will agree that it is their responsibility to advise their clients about the optimisation of their site and it is at this stage that some companies lose faith.
The Search Engine Optimisation Process
It is very important to remember that the search engine optimisation process is intuitive and starts right from the project management phase. Seach engine optimisation is a thorough process, but can be summarised in the following three core parts: -
Design
It is essential that the design of your website is aesthetically pleasing to Internet users. If the design fails to impress users once they have landed on the homepage then it will not take long for them to leave and visit a different website. If the design is unique and lures Internet users into navigating through the website then it website automatically has a better chance of being successful.
Coding
The online industry is constantly changing and evolving. In order to allow your website to be fully optimised it must use the latest coding techniques that are recommended by the W3C. This will not only help to improve the longevity and search engine rankings of the site but will also ensure your website is accessible to Internet users with disabilities such as visual impairments. Accessibility is becoming more of a hot topic as the industry develops.
Content
Having a good amount of content on your website helps to ensure the search engines can understand the services/products that your company has to offer. It is also essential that this content is optimised by ensuring it has targeted keywords or phrases throughout it. This increases what’s known as your keyword density, which is something the search engines place emphasis on when naturally ranking a website.
In summary, search engine optimisation (phase one of online marketing) is vitally important to get a head start. Attempting to optimise a website after it has already been completed can prove difficult and is not recommended. The best results are achieved if all three aspects of search engine optimisation are looked at in detail prior to any development taking place.
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