Search Engine Optimization Basics
Search Engine Optimization, or SEO, is the process of optimizing a website to target specific keywords that perspective customers type into search engines, such as Google, Yahoo! and Bing. Identifying these keywords is the first step in the optimization process. Keyword research identifies what search terms people actually use and how a company can best exploit them. Our experience will help you identify those keywords that will deliver quality traffic to your site, and the best return on investment possible.
On-site optimization applies these keywords in all the right areas of your web pages. This helps the search engines to determine the subject of your pages. Layout and navigation structure of your site also play a role in how search engines rate your website. Your website is only a piece of the puzzle in the online marketing process.
Beyond your website, there are several off-site factors that influence how search engines rank your website. Link popularity is a tremendous contributor to search rankings in Google’s Algorithm. To the search engines, a link is like a vote of confidence. The more votes your site receives, the more important your site is considered. But not all links (votes) carry the same weight. Getting high quality links is far more important than getting an abundance of low quality links. A link building strategy is the core of any successful organic SEO plan.
Organic SEO for Local Search
When first we began our local SEO services it was all about organic search. This was well before Google began showing local business results mixed into the organic search when using a local search query (on with a city name, state or zip code). In today’s internet landscape organic SEO is still just as important as ever. Not everyone bothers to click a Maps result. In fact many still scroll down to the main organic results.
Through organic SEO practices, Searchtech can also target a wider range of keywords. These ‘long tail keywords”, provide a way for company’s to draw traffic from less competitive markets. People carry out their searching in various ways and not everyone goes for the standard city name & business type. Some searchers get extremely specific about the type of service they require. For example, somebody looking for a lawyer might type “city name lawyer” while somebody else uses “city name divorce attorney”.
We increase the local exposure for our clients by covering not only the obvious keywords but all those little ones too. The main keywords may deliver the bulk of the traffic but those long tail searches tend to convert into targeted customers at a much higher rate as they indicate a very specific intent. And all of those little keywords can add up to more traffic combined than for the primary keywords. So they are well worth going after.
