Search Engine Optimisation ( SEO )
You've got a business idea or a product to die for. Your personnel and your marketing plan are in place. The printers have just rung to say your business cards, brochures, flyers and other promotional material are ready to collect. And, what's more, you've got a brilliantly designed, eye-catching website ready to 'go live' any day now. In fact, you can almost hear the champagne corks popping at the launch party!
But, before you send out those invitations, one question: the copywriting on your website has been written with SEO in mind, hasn't it?
No?
Best read on then . . .
What is SEO?
In short, Search Engine Optimisation, or 'SEO' is a marketing technique. It is used for preparing a website so that, when someone enters a 'search term' or phrase into the search engines, your websites chances of being ranked in the top results are greatly increased.
As well as website coding, the way the text on a web page is written can have a huge influence upon whether the site is found or not (or even blacklisted) by search engines like Google.
Why SEO Should be a Priority?
When it comes to customised web design, the team at Web Dandy share the drive for perfection to make all aspects of our service as good as they can possibly be. But, Search Engine Optimisation has to be up there for consideration as the number 1 priority when designing (or redesigning) a site if it really is to be 'visible'. After all, what's the point in having a stunning website if no one can find it?
The Dos and Don'ts of SEO
Here is a list of do's and don'ts of SEO copywriting, simply put, but critical all the same if you really want to rank well in the search engines:
- DO research which keywords and niche phrases are best and most appropriate for your website.
- DON'T assume your site can rank highly based upon the inclusion of just one keyword through the site. You're going to have to work harder than that.
- DO include your key words in your title tag, meta description tag, main heading, sub headings, the first line of your paragraphs, in emboldened, italicised and bulleted text . . .
- DON'T embark upon frenzied keyword stuffing. Too many keywords or the same keywords will have your audience leaving your site in droves and into the welcome arms of a competitor and it could get you dropped from the search engines.
- DO play with your keyword phrases, switch things around, use words related to your keyword phrases (also known as latent semantic indexing), break them up, take as many attempts as necessary until you are 100% happy.
- DON'T put SEO copywriting at the expense of beautiful, fluid writing. The trick is to get your copywriting to flow naturally and read well.
- DO aim for a keyword density of around 5%. More than that can be over doing it.
- DON'T plagiarise. Write your own words, or don't write at all. After all, if your copywriting hasn't come from your head and your heart how on earth will you know if you are any good at it or not?
- DO check your keywords on a regular basis - once every three to six months.
- DON'T assume that because your glossy and exciting company brochure is stunning that it will translate perfectly for the Web. Web copywriting is a whole different ball game. Write it from scratch with SEO keywords in mind.
- DO use only one or two keyword phrases per page.
- DON'T include any 'hidden' text on your web pages. The search engines will blacklist you.
- DON'T assume putting keyword phrases in the meta keyword tag is enough to get you the number 1 spot in the rankings. It won't.
- DO include keywords and phrases towards the end of your page.
- DON'T assume top search engine rankings are only for the big companies. This is a myth. A website that is thoroughly and properly search engine optimised can reach the top and stay there.
And, finally . . .
- DO start to build links into your site with your keywords in the link text (remembering to vary the keywords) - this takes time and effort but is one of the biggest factors in ranking well in the search engines.
Web Dandy is a web design agency which specialises in accessible web design and search engine marketing. Contact us for more information or to request a search engine optimisation free web site analysis.
