I was recently dealing with a relative’s website where the company who had made it for him had told him that it had been optimised for search engines. I had a quick check over the site and found out that in fact not the slightest effort had gone into it.
When I talk about Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) I am not talking necessarily getting a website to number one in the rankings, although that is the end goal.
What I am talking about is providing the best possible framework for Google to find your website. I see this fit into three categories.
Schematics. Ensuring that the meta tags (the information that is not displayed but describes your website) such as the <title> tag and the meta description and keywords are correct. Also <h> tags are used correctly and XHTML guidelines are adhered to. This should be done by the developer during the project and the client really should have no exposure to this, it should just be done.
Framework. When defining the website make sure that the page structure is correct. Ensure it is well thought out and don’t just have pages (or functionality) for the sake of it. This approach can also save you money during the build but having a clear and concise structure gives you the perfect building block to start with. Additional elements such as a site map should also be supplied. This is something that the developer and the client can agree beforehand – so the onus is originally on the client but the developer should help guide them through the process, probably having done many websites before.
Accessibility. The site should be accessible to both users and to the search engines. Page caching if using a Content Management System and optimised images will ensure the site is quick and increases the chances of people browse all of your site and then coming back for more. Google also credits sites which have fast loading speeds. This is developers territory and if they are dealing with advanced technology they should also know how to optimise it. One of the most important things following a launch of a site is to submit your site to the search engines – otherwise they won’t know you’re there!
Content. The website should have well presented, relevant information about their product/service. This is the only non-mechanical nature to a website and the whole point of the website in the first place – to get your message across. The designer/developer is responsible for good typography and layout but the content – well that is solely down to the client. Whether it’s the text on the home page or a blog article then the client must ensure it represents their company in the best possible way. If you, as the client, is not happy with that task then it’s the role of a copywriter, not a web developer to produce your content.
So – there’s my main focus when optimising for search engines. I have tried to avoid to go into the nitty gritty of it as I do on a project by project basis but hopefully it’s a useful overview.
Posted on May 2, 2011 in Search Engine Optimisation
Content is so often neglected. I’ve had several clients wanting me to write their content for them. You would have thought that they would have known their own business and the message they wanted to get across better than anyone!
Many websites have their content focussed 100% on search engines and not at all on human visitors. Often it’s obvious that the author has tried to fit as many keywords into every single sentence. Most of the time it reads terribly, looks unprofessional and doesn’t help their search engine position anyway!
I have actually had a client (not featured on this site) that has requested I take the content from another site, a competitors I think it was.
If content has been copied, or not thought about, it’s usually quite easy to tell and lowers the integrity of the website/company. Additionally if you copy/scrape content then Google is going to penalise you when it comes to the search engine rankings.
I normally recommend 20 keywords and a good solid description – if you over-do it then Google, again, can tell and will penalise you. There are methods that companies carry out to boost people up the rankings (and they sometimes work) but I would rather achieve it naturally so once you are up there you can maintain your position and know that your method is working.
One thing I didn’t put in the article is the inbound and outbound links (known as the swarm). If you are writing about facts then it’s good to have outbound links to validate your statements (I didn’t add any in this article as I previously mentioned it was a general overview although I might focus on specifics in another article). In addition if you have networks with other sites then if you’re content is useful then you will have inbound links from other sites of which Google finds favourable with determining your search engine ranking.
When it’s obvious that a company has went completely overboard with the darker side SEO – things like keywords hidden in the footer, irrelevant links, massive keyword repetition – it’d make me think twice about using whatever service they are trying to sell.
It’s like they’ve got something to hide.
I’m sure they’ll get away with it most of the time, though.