Search engine optimization has many objectives, all which lead to the main objective of any website; conversions. The first objectives of SEO are to make the site easy to find, easy to follow, and easy to read for both search spiders and people searching for what the site has to offer. These objectives are followed by well written, relevant content and an ever increasing number of relevant inbound links. The initiation of an SEO campaign can be very time intensive but the results of successful campaigns will typically provide a solid return on investment while building a solid foundation for future optimization efforts.
The components of successful SEO are:
- Optimizing for the right keywords – A site’s keywords provide the means for it to be found by visitors searching for as well as provide the foundation for high rankings by the search engines. Prior to starting any type of SEO project, have your SEO company conduct extensive research to determine which keywords will provide the best return on investment. That research will help you avoid the usual pitfalls in selection; choosing terms which are either too broad, too narrow, are overly competitive and/or those that don’t generate enough traffic.
- Page design for visitors– Statistics show that visitors take between three and seven seconds after arrival to decide whether to stay on the page or to go to another site. For that reason, it is vitally important to design the page so that visitors are immediately and clearly informed that they have found a page that is relevant to their search inquiry.
- Page design for spiders – Helping search spiders to easily navigate your site is of highest importance. By providing clear paths to the most important pages on the site, you can help steer the spiders to content which can ascertain that your site is relevant to its associated keywords, resulting in higher rankings for each page on the site. A search engine optimization company can accomplish this by providing easy to follow text links directed to the most important pages on the site, including a site map.
- Visitor friendly content - Content on each page of the site must continually compel the visitor to both stay on the site and to turn the visit into a conversion. Subtly and skillfully optimized content will let the search spiders know that the site is relevant and deserving of a high ranking while at the same time develop trust and credibility with each visitor. Content should always be directed toward the visitor as opposed to being stuffed with keywords for the sake of the search engines. A good SEO company can almost always find a way to work relevant keywords into the content of a site without compromising the desired look, feel and functionality.
- Simple navigation for visitors – Visitors should be able to move around the website with ease in order to find information and to buy products and services. Confusing navigation can turn off a visitor quickly so have your search engine optimization company make it clear, easy, and concise
- Conversions made easy - These are the lifeblood of any e- commerce website. Like site navigation, visitors should be able to move through the buying process with absolute ease. Instructions should be easy to understand and follow so that once the decision to buy is made, the process is done quickly and efficiently
While the basics of successful SEO are easy to understand, their implementation requires both skill and a healthy investment of time. Don’t leave this activity to chance. Call the Gervais Group today for a free search engine optimization evaluation at (770) 529-2262.
