"Step-by-step" guide to search engine optimisation

The LOW FAT Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) team has broken down SEO into bite-size chunks allowing customers to optimise specific pages and specific keywords for each chosen page. The process has also been broken down into five distinct parts:

1. Keyword Research - Deciding which keywords to use (or not to use!)
   
2. Website Analysis - Analysing your HTML with your selected keywords
   
3. Optimisation - Instructions, Implementation and Submission
   
4. On-going SEO - Constant review of your SEO initiatives
   
5. Website Audit - Is your website working? Google knows, do you?

Each step involves a standardised process that needs to be followed carefully to be most effective.

1. Keyword Research - Deciding which are the best keyword to use

1. Identify suggested keywords (identify potential alternative keywords)
   
2. Select appropriate keywords
   
3. Research and analyse selected keywords (keyword effectiveness)
   
4. Conduct keyword filtering based on keyword effectiveness
   
5. Conduct keyword competitive analysis i.e. identify viability for keyword marketing (competitive analysis)
   
6. Finalise keywords for SEO (3 to 5 keywords/page)

Although it is tempting to skip the Keyword Research step, failure to complete the process may invalidate the whole SEO process - put simply, the keywords that your website has may not draw the expected traffic to your website. This step primarily involves understanding the product/service features fully in relation to the business objectives and ultimately to your target market. The keywords you describe your business with are not necessarily the phrases that your prospective customers use to access services you offer.

2. Website Analysis - Analysis of pages for keyword optimisation, density and visibility

1. On and off the selected website page

Knowing how clients search for your services is one half of the puzzle, the other half is knowing how your site uses or fails to use these keywords to make your offering visible to prospects on the web. Search engines use both on-the-page (such as your Content and HTML tags) as well as off-the-page factors (such as links through to your website) to evaluate the "content value" of your website to searching web surfers. An in-depth website analysis is needed to identify where your website falls short in delivering up your content to netizens and convincing search engine's that your site is relevant and valuable. We provide SEO clients a detailed report of failures and areas for improvement.

3. Optimisation - Implementation & Submission

1. Execution of detailed optimisation instructions
   
   1. Image and link tags
      
   2. Page content (copywriting)
      
   3. META tags and description
      
   4. Etc.
2. Submission to directories and search engines

While it may seem a simple task to follow the SEO instructions to higher search engine rankings it generally is not as simple as it sounds. The reason for this is that tailoring content, remaining convincing (in common English) and not overshooting the mark (which search engines may penalise for) can be a delicate operation. Secondly, balancing the various factors listed above to provide the optimum result - search engine visible pages that attract visitors and sell your company - requires thought, consideration, and can be iterative. Thirdly, automatic and manual submissions to search engines and Directories can be critical and irreversible; each search engine/Directory has different submission and information requirements that often need to be followed to the letter.

4. On-going SEO

1. Due to the nature of SEO it is necessary to review on a regular basis your SEO.
   
2. As part of our SEO service we will, on a monthly basis, conduct a review of your keywords and web pages i.e. going through steps 2 and 3.

Because search engines change their search algorithms and because SEO is a competitive process, it is not possible to optimise your website and expect it to stay in the position you have achieved. Search engine's are always looking for ways in which they can improve the results that they deliver to surfers; because the better their search, the better their traffic, the more their pay-per-click advertising revenues. Also, at the same time that you are trying to improve your traffic, leads and sales via SEO, so are your competitors. For these reasons it is important for you to, on a regular basis, be analysing your rankings, reviewing your optimisation and refining or refocusing your efforts (p.s. another issue to consider is that netizens search behaviour may change as well - they may start using different terms e.g. mobile vs cellphone vs cellular).

5. Website audit

1. The audit tests all links on a site starting with the index page.
   
2. Its main goal is to test that links point to real files on your or other servers.
   
3. It can also check more page elements like Titles, Meta tags, image attributes, and anchors.
   
4. Auditor spots other important usability problems, like slow pages, old content and many others.

In attempting to deliver the best content to searchers certain search engine's and directories will drop your pages down their rankings if you have links that don't work, images that don't load, etc. Also, visitors to your website will be frustrated by the same problems; these issues may cause visitors to abandon your website, distrust the quality of your offering, or give a purchase a second thinking. An audit can be performed on your website after every update, or if there are regular content changes (promotions, news and more) they can be performed at a regular interval. The last thing you want is to optimise your website for search engines and create content that sells only to have your efforts undone by basic errors.

Extra

1. Identification of link partners

Lastly, search engine's use the links on pages, and the links to pages, to identify the importance of the content on those pages. Further, the rankings of the websites you connect to or that connect to you will influence your rankings on search engines. We can assist you in identifying partners to link to that will assist your site rankings and visibility.

In Summary

While SEO is conceptually quite a simple process it needs to be thoroughly implemented. To make the best return on your web development investment you need to ensure search engine visibility and high rankings in both the engines and directories. The SEO goal posts are continually changing; to ensure high rankings and continual listings your approach needs to change as well. The developments in search algorithms have made it more and more difficult, and potentially hazardous, to try to cheat the search engines. To ensure that you get the most out of the SEO process you will need consultants that are creative, current and trustworthy.

If you require any assistance on setting up a Search Engine Optimisation program then please feel free to contact Darren on or 083 385 0285.