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Search optimisation connects you to your ideal leads and prospects
Search optimisation (SEO or search engine optimisation) is the process of incorporating specific elements into your website that make it easy for search engines to find. This is absolutely crucial to the success of your website as it is through search engines that your REAL target audience will find you – people.
93% of searchers do not look beyond the first 2 pages of search results - the vast majority do not look beyond the first page. If your website is not visible in these search results you will fail to capture the attention of people in the act of searching for a product or service such as you offer. If the searcher does not find your website, you can guarantee they will find your competitor's website.
The best way to understand search optimisation is to do a search yourself
You probably perform this action dozens of times a day already.
You type in a word, a phrase, a question, a product name, a service you need. Maybe you add a geographical locator (italian restaurant, essendon) or some other kind of qualifier (non toxic cleaning products).
Once you type in your word or phrase and hit enter, a page of search results appears. You generally scan the first four or five results. You might notice the sponsored ads on the right hand side or top of the page. If you see what you are looking for, you click on a link. If you don’t, you re-phrase your search and start again.
Your website needs to be optimised to capture each step of this search process including the primary search terms used by the majority of searchers for your product or service.
Search engines look for words
Search optimisation is all based on html text because that is what search engine spiders can easily read. Images, animation, flash, video and audio are all ‘invisible’ to search engines (unless you ‘tag’ them with text). So all of your essential keywords and information need to appear in the body of your website and/or in readable meta data that ‘sits behind’ the surface.
Search engines also look for links and connections
The number of quality, reputable sites that link back to your site is important. Search engines see back links as evidence that your site is valuable and has integrity. You can create back links by listing your site on reputable directories, creating reciprocal link relationships and getting involved with social networking. Don’t make the mistake of ‘black hat’ techniques (where companies offer to create thousands of back links for you but they are not from real sites). Search engines do not look kindly on such activities.
Understand keyword competition so you don’t become invisible online
This area requires some serious research and/or expertise on your side. It is a new field and it is fast changing. SEO (search engine optimisation) specialists occupy themselves FULL TIME with understanding HOW people search, WHAT they search for and WHERE opportunities lie.
There is often little point optimising for highly popular and competitive terms (such as ‘business consultant’) as you will never knock the top sites off (those with budgets large enough to have their own internal dedicated SEO specialists!).
ASENZ SEO experts can work with you to identify the most powerful keywords for your business and your website goals.
The benefits of local search
If your business provides products or services offline to a local area then you need to know about local search. Optimising your site for Google maps and local directories can fast track your site to page 1 of search results.
Align your website priorities with search engine priorities
This is a simple optimisation rule. It needs to inform all of your content creation. Search engines have their own reputation to protect. They want to be known as providing the fastest, best and most relevant results to searchers. So if your site provides the fastest, best and most relevant content it is more likely to be favoured and ranked well by search engines.
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