Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a process that makes a website search engine friendly and helps the site rank well in the search engine’s listings. At TH Design, every website we create utilizes SEO principles for construction and content.
What does it mean to be “Search Engine Friendly?”
When a site has been constructed with optimization in mind, search engine “spiders” (also called “bots”, short for robots) can find the site and “read” its pages easily. The information gathered will then be transmitted back to the Search Engine and the website will be properly categorized in the Search Engine’s database.
What are “organic listings?”
Organic listings are the search engine’s “free” listings. Search engines also serve up “paid” listings. Google’s paid (or sponsored) listings appear on the right-hand side of the browser window.
What does it mean to “rank well”?
To rank well means that your website appears at or near the top of the organic listings that come up in response to a relevant search engine query.
The organic listings’ results are completely automated. You can’t pay for a Number 1 listing — your site will rank based on it’s merits. Furthermore, Google imposes a waiting period for new sites or newly optimized sites. It typically takes 2-6 months for your site to rise to it’s natural position.
What are SEO Principals for Construction and Content?
They include:
- Clean Coding
- Top-Heavy Content Placement and Site Architecture
- Solid Content that is optimized for Keywords and Phrases
- Use of relevant keywords in Page Names, Content and Alt-Tags
- Use of Alt-Tags for images
There are other steps that can be taken either by you or by us. A link campaign is an example.
Link Campaigns
The search engines have a variety of automated techniques that they use to select the results they serve up in response to a search query. One of the variables they measure is the quantity and quality of incoming links (i.e. websites that have linked to your site). The theory is that if outside sites have chosen to link to your site it must mean your site’s content has merit. Google in particular favors information-heavy sites.
A link campaign involves researching relevant and complementary websites and requesting a posting or link exchange. (Relevance is critical—getting a whole bunch of unrelated sites to link to your site will not yield positive results.)
Link campaigns take time, and the results aren’t instantaneous. But over a period of months, a good link campaign will help raise your site’s rankings for your selected search terms.
Hence, SEO involves both the construction of the website and its content.
Want more information about SEO, SEM, Web Marketing? Give us a call! 330-869-4680.
Search Engine Marketing (SEM)
SEM is paid advertising for the web primarily utilizing search engine results pages. Often referred to—utilizing Google’s terminology—as “adword campaigns,” SEM is advertising directly targeted to users who have entered search terms or phrases (keywords) relevant to your business or service in a search engine. You can’t buy a spot in a search engine’s Organic Listings, but you can bid for spots in their Sponsored Listings and post ads on other websites that will drive traffic your way.
Currently the most prominent SEM service providers on the web are Google and Yahoo/Bing. The beauty of their offerings is that SEM campaigns are entirely measurable in ROI terms. When you create an ad campaign, you can receive reports telling you how many click-throughs your ad generated as well as what actions the user took when landing at your website (i.e., did they place an item in a shopping cart and make a purchase, did they sign-up for your company newsletter, etc.). A client can see precisely how the money they spend in a SEM campaign is generating leads or sales.
The costs associated with running an SEM campaign can be set and controlled by the advertiser. Pay-per-click rates are controlled via the bids set for relevant search terms and phrases. While the competitiveness of a given term (i.e., how many other advertisers are hoping to generate click-throughs for that term or phrase) varies widely, the advertiser is never obligated to match the highest bid or to commit to a set level of expenditure. In fact, advertisers can set a daily budget amount and ads will stop running if the number of click-throughs exceeds the set budget.
Also, there is enormous flexibility in terms of controlling when ad campaigns run. Ads can be run 24/7 or set to run only on certain days at certain times. Campaigns can be paused or stopped altogether at any point in time and re-started again. The advertiser is always in control of their SEM expenditures.
SEM has been shown to be very successful for companies/organizations that work regionally, nationally and internationally or that provide products or services people need to research. Companies that serve “local” areas can benefit from running small-scale campaigns focused on appearing on the page when a searcher is seeking a local provider.
Any SEM campaign is 2-pronged — you need to run the campaign through Google and Yahoo, and you need to make sure your website pages directly support the campaigns. For example, if you sell Wines and someone searching for Rieslings clicks on your ad, they should be taken to a page that discusses or at least includes Rieslings. When your page content is directly applicable to your ad, you increase conversions.
We have run and are currently running several successful SEM campaigns for our clients. Call us for more information!
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