Written by Ofra Kleinberger-Riedrich
CONTNET4ALL
The Content Guru
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What makes SEO (Search Engine Optimization) in a nutshell is content and links. If you write good content and publish it in all the relevant online pages, creating a linking network, you will get your website promoted in the search engines in general, and Google specifically. No one knows exactly what makes Google tick (except Google programmers) but the principles of SEO are that good business drives good content, and good content drives a website higher up in the Organic
search results.
Top of the Search
Why do you want your website to be high in the search results? Because at least 85% of all web surfers start their surf in the search engine page, most notably Google. So if you want to be seen by your potential customers (I mean those that do not know your brand and are not directly looking for you) you need to be on that search page. In the world of the world wide web people have a very short time span and virtually no patience when seeking information, so if your website is not on the first page of the search results, they will not be scrolling down to the second or third pages to look for you. IF your website is not located on the first page of the search results, it virtually does not exist for your potential clientele.
Investing in organic SEO is a process, but once you have initiated this process and start getting the results you strive for, these results will also stay on the web for long periods of time, so its worth the investment. Any SEO agency that promises immediate high results it pulling your leg. Organic search results achievements take time, at least 6 months. PPC is for immediate short time effect and for times bursts (like creating a web buzz in coordination with a big exhibition presence) but PPC is a trade of its own, this article is about SEO.
The Two Main Components of SEO
SEO has two main components: “On page” and “Off page” optimization. “On page” means optimization of your website content. “Off page” means activities out of your website (with links to your website).On Page Optimization
Optimizing your website pages mainly means writing good content, having enough text in your various website pages that is informative, easy to read and relevant for your clients. Your website should show your potential customers that you are a professional who can provide a product or service that helps them solve a problem. Each page should contain contain regarding a particular theme, and this theme should be defined as key words. These keywords should be repeated in the text, but not too often. The idea is that the search engine will scan the c9ntent ans see if it is readable and if it is relevant to the keywords. The keywords are the tool that surfers use to search for information, so you need to think and select them in light of your customer needs. The short description (inserted in a meta tag) that appears in the search results under your URL, should contain keywords and provide your readers with the information they need in order to determine if they want to go into your website, after reviewing its description from their search (assuming you made it to the fist page). The more relevant your content to solving the problems of your customers, the higher the chance your website appears in their searches and the higher the probability that they will stay on your site and even contact you to make as purchase. IF they stay on your website, your bounce rates will be lower and this too helps boost your website in the search results.
On page optimization of content and intensifying the relevancy of your content to the services or products you provide, helps create more authority for your website. Authority means that Google sees you as an expert in your field, and thus ranks your site higher. This rank will help push your website up in the search results.
Off Page Optimization
Off page optimization mainly means creating a linking network to your website from other relevant websites and publications and creating a web buzz around your activity by promoting your website on social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus, Instagram, Flickr, Pinterest, You Tube etc.). You have less control regarding other publications that may publish an article about your product or service, but if you get opinion leaders to talk, tweet and blog about you – that is a big step in the right direction. If you can create a good video or image that people will talk about, it’s a great tool to create web buzz about your activities and your business website.
In the Internet the text is king. Text drives traffic to your website and into the conversion funnel within it (the funnel is the road surfers take via various pages in your website until they complete the goal you defined for them, contacting you or purchasing your product online), but one picture (with great text in its ALT tag) is worth a thousand words and a video footage (on You Tube with great promotion) is worth a thousand pictures.
Influencers, or opinion leaders are people who are known in your line of business and are considered by your potential clients as people who have something important and trustworthy to say. Your customers are influenced by them. Links from blogs belonging to influencers or from articles in meaningful web publications all help promote your website in the search engine because they indicate to the search engine that your site is a trusted source of information in your relevant and specific market. This trust is also ranked by Google. This rank will help push your website up in the search results.
SEO in a Nutshell
To make a long story short – if you create good relevant content on your website, including text, images and video – and if you are active in social media and publishing in various online venues relevant to your market, you should be able to put your website at the top of the search engine results, and that is SEO in a nutshell.More from Ofra also to be read in the blog
http://jobsearchinisrael.blogspot.com/2010/09/challenges-of-marcom-profession.html
The New and Widened Challenges of the Marcom Professional
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