SEO what?
Go near any website development project these days and it won’t be long until the subject of Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO, is brought to the table.
Using SEO to help your site achieve a number one spot on Google, Yahoo or Live search engines is akin to modern alchemy. But how effective is it?
Obviously when it is done well it can be a very useful tool – delivering quantifiable results and saving your business vital resources. However the best performing websites do not owe their success to any alchemic metamorphosis; it’s usually down to plain old diligence and patience over many weeks and months too.
Which is quite a shame really, as most companies look for a slightly faster turnaround than that. You’ve just paid out for your shiny new website, but how is anyone going to find it if it isn’t in the first page of Google?
At this stage in the web’s development companies need to start thinking of getting a website live as the starting point of its evolution, not the finish line. Search engines like to recommend websites that consistently provide great experiences. So, ask yourself, what keeps you returning to your favourite sites?
Functionality, look and content will no doubt be a big part of it. But if you return to one of your favourites and find these elements remain the same from month to month, well, you can only watch repeats so many times before you change channels.
So keeping your site fresh is important, and this is where all that diligence and patience comes in. Updating the site with relevant content, and giving it a fresh lick of paint every now and then, is what will keep most people coming back.
It’s also the formula that gets search engines interested too.
Of course, there are some handy techniques from the world of SEO that will ably complement this approach. Effective use of keywords is a great way to focus your message and helps search engines rate your site too, while links to other related sites is also a great tactic.
But although these tactics are good practice, in terms of effectiveness they seem to pale into insignificance next to the benefits of producing a well structured and thoughtfully written site.
One of the most important questions which few people ask themselves when looking into SEO is have I built a site deserving of top rankings at the search engines? The cream still floats to the top, whether it’s on Google or the FTSE 100.
SEO is a highly involved long-term process, so those expecting it to be their quick route to the top will be sorely disappointed. Great rankings come from having great sites with quality links, no tricks or secrets required (unfortunately).