Many companies are missing sales opportunities because their websites lack basic search engine optimization. Those sites simply don?t rank well in search results. While there are hundreds of factors that affect search results, these Top 10 factors are often overlooked when sites are developed. See how your site meets the basic requirements.
- Great Content – People go to websites for information – and they want it quickly. Your site’s content should clearly and concisely describe what you do and how your products or services meet the site visitors’ needs. Keep the information up-to-date as your business and your market evolve.
- Page Titles – Each page of your website should have a unique title. The title should include the key words specifically related to each page. Don’t use page titles such as “Home,” “About Us,” or “Products.” Those titles will give your pages no search engine value. You don’t need to include your company name in the page title.
- Article Headlines – Lead each article on your website pages with a strong headline that uses the key words of the article. Write the headlines to reflect how your customers speak.
- Keywords – Page titles, headlines, articles, image captions and other elements of your website should use the key words your customers and prospects use to describe your products and services. Those are the words they are using to search the internet. Each page should focus on one or two keywords or keyword phrases. For keyword ideas, ask your sales team.
- Keep it Fresh – The more you update your website, the more your customers and prospects will perceive the site to be of value. Set a goal of updating your website weekly. If that’s too hard, start with monthly updates. We see too many instances of “latest news” entries that are years old. Also, keep the copyright year current in the footer of your site.
- Images – One of the commonly missed opportunities for search engine value relates to images. All the images on your website can accommodate an “alt tag.” Add keyworded phrases in the alt tag coding area. Also, use keywords in the image name. For example, if you’re showing a photo of your restaurant, rather than picture3.jpg, use “best_fish_fry_restaurant_milwaukee.jpg” or “name_of_restaurant_city.jpg” (using, of course, the real name and city of your restaurant).
- Meta Descriptions – The coding for each page of your website has a place to describe what’s on the page. It’s call the meta description. It’s the wording the search engines will use to describe your page in search results. If you don’t create a compelling meta description, the search engines might use a bland or improper description, lessening the likelihood that someone would click on the search result.
- Programming – Build your site on a common content management system. It will be easier to manage, making content updates much less burdensome. Further, search engines like clean coding that industry standard content management systems provide.
- Navigation – Make the navigation of the site easy for users. When planning the site’s page menu, consider what people want from your site, and map out the menu to make it as easy as possible for users to get what they want.
- Links – In the “minds” of the search engines, links to your site are validation of the site’s value. If you have good content, people will want to link to it. It takes more effort to write such content, but the payoff is worth it.
How does your site meet the above basic requirements? The SEO team at PKI Digital Marketing can get your site in shape with the basics and more. Contact us to learn how, and to hear how we’ve helped other companies rank on Page 1 in search results.
