Do you understand how SEO works?

SEO means ‘search engine optimisation’. It was developed as a way to ‘cheat’ Google, and move some websites to the top of the search list.

As you can understand, Google weren’t keen on the idea, because what THEY want is to deliver a good user ‘experience’ for the people searching. Otherwise, they’d lose customers, and advertising.

Google’s new ‘Panda’ system

Mid-2011, they changed the way their engine worked, with a massive overhaul that has significantly fought back against the cheaters. Now, their new system (cutely call ‘Panda’) has changed the rules.

Getting a better ranking on the search engines

When we do an SEO treatment on your site, it’s a combination of many things;

  • SEO-friendly design – this allows the engines (not just Google) to correctly interpret and read your site. It’s a code-based process that aids ‘transparency’ – if the engines can easily read it, they’ll be able to rate it better.
  • Relevance – when a person types their search-terms into Google, they are in effect ‘asking a question’. So, your site is assessed on whether it ‘answers their question’. But simply dumping a series of keywords into the text (which used to work) now actively works against you. The keywords should be, on average, no more than 5% of the text.
  • Authenticity – Google is now searching for ‘authentic’ sites, and that’s why Facebook and other social media have become so relevant – Google is looking for comments about your company (links) made by other people.
  • Content – Google is now working against one-page sites, or sites that are merely channelling customers to another. Now, Google wants to see a site full of content – more than just a few (5) pages.
  • Copy – having poorly written copy is working against you, because Google can’t tell whether it’s relevant. Simple as that. It needs good headings and subheadings, and it makes good sense to have your copy at least professionally reviewed. There should also be a ‘site-map’ – Google loves these.
  • Blogs and Articles – these are important for many reasons. Firstly, they fatten your site, so it looks like you have lots to say. Second, they allow people to comment, so you get page-links. This contributes to your authenticity in a major way.

Seems like a lot, doesn’t it. However, as the man with the steak knives said “but wait, there’s more”. Your images need to be correctly titled, the image’s ‘alt-text’ needs to be intelligible, the meta-tags need treatment … on and on it goes.

This is the work we do, day in, day out. We’ve gained so much respect for our work, that other web-designers come to us for assistance, and we operate several training courses.

Would you like your site assessed? Call Sue Cooper on 1300 853 155