Search Engine Traffic
"In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield", said Warren Buffet.
Yet grand websites are constructed with little or no reference to the data. We can easily discover what people are searching for; how many and where they are.
By using this intelligence, considering the competition and creating relevant content, there are great opportunities for even the smallest organisation.
Google looks for the best website for each keyword. 'Best' means most relevant to the visitor. It does not mean the 'best' moving gallery or the 'best' graphics.
It's measured by the relevance of the content and the quality of links and interactions.
Planning
- There are no easy ways to get instant and sustainable rankings.
- There are legitimate, proven and effective ways however.
- Search engines want the best sites to get the highest rank.
- 'Best' means relevant to the visitors.
- Search engines base rankings on keywords and a term called 'themes'.
- Themes mean related keywords, terms and phrases.
- Links determine who wins if sites are equally relevant.
Process
- Start with research not guesswork.
- Search beyond the obvious targets
- Do the maths, is the target big enough?
- Don't forget geographic limits (don't over-reach).
- The sum of the keywords = the theme.
- Ideally do the above before you start the design process!
- Write the copy (text) around the theme.
Pitfalls
- Magic Formulas and Black Hat search engine 'optimisation'.
- Selecting overly general and/or irrelevant keywords.
- Web code that can't be read by search engines.
- Not finding a sustainable niche or failing to stick to a 'theme'.
- Little or no dynamic content and poor linkages to social networks.
- Overuse of keywords that flags the site as 'spamming'.
- Unrealistic strategy: targeting keywords too fiercely competed for.
Ready to consider the 3 P's? (Planning, Process and Pitfalls). It's time to start your plan: