SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of adjusting your website content to attract more visitors interested in your content through search engines such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.  SEO focuses on organic results or results in searches that are purely due to the content on your site and the links on the Internet to your site.  In the image to the right, organic results are depicted in the blue area labeled “SEO”.  The other areas of search results do not depend on your site content but are paid advertisements linked specifically to the search term – these results come from the efforts of search engine marketing (SEM) which is not discussed here.

The first step we take when we begin an optimization project is to install tracking on the site so we can establish a baseline for how the site is performing.  While collecting data for the baseline over time (usually about two weeks), we work to form keyword strategies for specific pages on the site.  We research the popularity of search terms as well as evaluate how much competition exists for those terms.  During this research, we identify specific search terms to optimize each page of the site.

At this point, we will have established a baseline of site activity.  We begin adjusting the site to optimize it for search engines.  We also look for site errors be better aligned with what Internet users are searching for.  Once the adjustments are made, we monitor site activity to evaluate the affect our changes had on the site.

We continue monitoring, researching key words, making adjustments, and evaluating the changes until we don’t see additional improvements.  Then, we focus on link building and networking with other site owners to further improve our search rankings and site traffic.

If you’d like us to help you perform SEO on your site, please contact us.  We hold a SEO workshop locally, based on demand, for those who would like to learn more about search engine optimization.