Posts Tagged ‘search engines’

5 Tips for Better SEO

SEO involves many different keyword tests.

There are many aspects to SEO.

All of us want our Web site to rank first with search engines but to achieve this lofty goal, you have to pay special attention to the way you create content. Here are five tips to help you get better results.

  • Ensure content is built based on keyword research to match content to what users are searching for
  • Ensure as much written content as possible is kept out of rich media and images
  • Produce content-rich pages other sites will want to link to; be an authority for users producing excellent content
  • Be sure content is unique – don’t reuse content from other sources
  • Create a social media plan to promote content via social spaces

Different SEO processes are required for new sites as opposed to established sites. New sites must find their first target keywords. We call this first step the Keyword Research Funnel. Established sites with traffic and response can build on the success of their most responsive keyword niches.

The Keyword Research Funnel is a process for starting SEO for new sites with little existing traffic. By using keyword research tools such as Wordtracker, and your own marketing and product knowledge, you will find your target market’s keywords and keyword niches within those markets. Those targets are then tested to find out if the keywords are as popular as predicted. Here are four steps to take to achieve good results with your Keyword Research Funnel:

Step 1

Find Target Markets – finds your site’s target markets and the keywords that define them.

Step 2

Prioritize First Keywords – finds and prioritizes target keywords within your target markets.

Step 3

Create First Content – creates landing pages on your site ready for testing your prioritized target keywords’ niches.

Step 4

Test keywords – Predicted popularity and hoped-for response are verified. Keywords that don’t deliver response are dropped. Keywords that bring response are used.

The creation of SEO was a drastic overhaul in how Web site’s content is created and how they get to the top of search engines. The next step in SEO development is finding ways to predict the patterns of the search engines better, which is no easy task. Keep in mind that in SEO, a strict formula doesn’t always work and sometimes there are hits and misses before you land on the best possible keywords.

If you think it’s time for your company to get started with SEO, get in touch with Hadfield Communications at www.hadfield.net. We’ll be glad to analyze your current efforts and give you feed back on how to make your Web site more visible using search engine optimization.

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Why Is SEO Necessary?

SEO stands for “search engine optimization” and it’s the way a Web site gets traffic from the listings on search engines. All major search engines like Google and Yahoo use the listings of key words where Web pages and other content are ranked based on what the search engine considers most relevant to users. It’s a way for the search engine to understand what is on the page.

There is a science to search engine optimization. Search engines reward pages with the right combination of ranking factors. As the chart from Search Engine Land and Third Door Media shows below, there are some major factors or “signals” you should seek to have in your copy and coding to be successful with SEO. You can click on the chart for a closer look or download it at Search Engine Land.

SearchEngineLand-Periodic-Table-of-SEO

There is a science to search engine optimization.

What you have to keep in mind is that search engine optimization makes the content of your Web site easy to understand to the search engines so they can figure out what the page is about and rank the content accordingly in order for someone to find your site. Here is a good example of why SEO is needed. Imagine you post a picture of a field during spring. A person would describe the picture as “a green field with colorful blooming wild flowers with blue skies and a giant tree to the right side”. Now this is a description that the best search engine would struggle to create without some help. How do you make the search engine figure out the photo? That’s where SEO comes in. It allows people to provide clues that the engine can use to understand content.

Understanding how to build SEO friendly content allows you to write copy and tags so search engines know what’s on each of your pages. Without SEO, many Web sites remain invisible to search engines. Even though there are still limitations to search engines, SEO is the best tool for you to use if you want people to be able to find your Web site.

If you think it’s time for your company to get started with SEO, get in touch with Hadfield Communications at www.hadfield.net. We’ll be glad to analyze your current efforts and give you feed back on how to make your Web site more visible using search engine optimization.

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Does Your Website Need a Boost? 5 Benefits of Freshening Up Your Website

There are many steps to creating a well thought out Website.

Your Website is the one marketing tool that is accessible to anyone in the world and it’s your best marketing asset. You may not be getting all the benefits you could from your site because it may not be as dynamic as it could be. If you haven’t done the following five essential things, maybe it’s time you consider freshening up your Website:

  • Elevate Search Engine Rankings – By adding key words to your content, your site can get better rankings. Sites with content that is updated frequently usually rank higher in search engines. You should always update your site with news about your company, articles or tips related to your services with links to those articles. Adding a blog would also help your rankings by adding content constantly.
  • Enhance Content and Performance – How many clicks does it take to get there? You don’t want your potential customer to get frustrated and leave your site because it takes too many clicks to get to the relevant information. Consider how your site is structured and see if it may need some trimming down. Over time, sites can get cluttered by pages and code that have become cumbersome from layers of updates.
  • Add Social Media Icons – You want people to share pages from your Web site, so make your content something they want to share. The more sharing people do, the more visibility you will get. Don’t miss out on sharing content just because you don’t have social media icons.
  • Increase Engagement of Your Site – User experience involves more than just design. You should streamline your information for successful delivery. Give your customer content that is relevant to them. Does your site look good on a mobile device? If not, you need to change that.
  • Know What Your Users are Doing – Become engaged with the analytics of your site to know what your users are doing. If they like certain content, give them more of it. If they like reading your blogs, post more blogs that they can share. If certain pages have higher bouncing rates, research why those pages are not interesting to the visitor.

Website design and content need to be managed and updated in order for your site to give you the best return on the investment. If you thought putting up a Website would magically bring you customers, you’re probably finding out that’s not the case. You have to keep content fresh, the user experience should be pleasant and you should provide value to people so they keep coming back and sharing your materials.

If you think it’s time for your Website to be refreshed, get in touch with Hadfield Communications at www.hadfield.net. We’ll be glad to analyze your site and give you feed back on how to make it better.

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