Ability Multimedia

Short Overview of Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

March 26th, 2008

To make your investment in your Website pay off, you want traffic to your Website. Most traffic is generated by search engines. Search engines return your Website in a list of results for specific keywords. To attract the right visitors to your Website, it must rank high on relevant keyword searches. Search engines rank according to relevance, and interest.

Using search algorithms, three of the main things they analyze are:

  1. Website content
  2. Number and quality of links to your Website
  3. Quantity and length of visits

Search engine optimization, meaning optimizing your Web strategy for keywords your target users are likely to use can put you higher on the list. It is unlikely that your Website will be returned at or near the top of the list in a competitive category unless an SEO strategy is defined and implemented.

An SEO strategy should include:

  1. Optimization of Website content for keywords on each page
  2. List of desirable links
  3. Plan to obtain links
  4. Ongoing monitoring of progress and maintenance of rank for keywords
  5. Specific list of the desired keywords

Opportunities for SEO come rapidly and sometimes disappear just as quickly. If appearing high in the list for a specific keyword or keywords is important, optimization should be an ongoing effort. Search engine optimization is a specialty in Web design, requiring a specific set of skills. It is possible for a Website owner with a significant amount of time to spend to learn those skills, but it is usually more cost effective to add SEO services to your Web design budget. Collaborating with a skilled SEO specialist will give solid results that allow you to begin to see the ROI you want from your Website.

~Dianne Bengtson
Partner, Ability Multimedia

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