Search Engine Optimisation - SEO
Search Engine Optimisation is the process of trying to get your pages ranked well for your keyword phrases. These are the words someone puts into a search engine to find you and other similar sites.
There are many factors which will affect your ranking, not least the number of other websites fighting for good rankings with the same phrases. It is worth thinking about the phrases we try and optimise your site for. It would be almost impossible for a small bed and breakfast website to be on the first page when concentrating on the keyword phrase - Devon Bed and Breakfast. However there is no reason it could rank very well for Barnstaple Bed and Breakfast or B&B North Devon Coast
Part of SEO is putting the right words on the page in the right places the right amount of times. All the search engines have formulas and rules for this, but they don't tell us what they are, that would be too easy. A lot of it is common sense and after you have been doing it for a while you do get a feel for it - not very scientific - perhaps more of an art!
As well as the visible words on the page, there words behind the scenes in places such as the metatags, file names, alt and title tags, all of which need to be taken into consideration.
Just to confuse things every now then, Google - still the main search engine, will change their rules. This is why The Keyword Ranking Report is a good idea to keep an eye on your ranking.
Other things can effect ranking. For instance an old page does not tend to rank as well as a new one. Therefore every now and again, make a few changes.
Another major factor is the number of links coming to your site - the more quality links the better.
So, how to you get people to link to your site?
- You can pay for adverts in good directories - see which ones rank well.
- There are a number of free directories you can submit your site to, the biggest of which is The Open Directory Project
- Set up and constantly update your Social Media Marketing ie Twitter, Facebook and blog. Not only will there be links back from your pages but hopefully from other peoples too.
- Exchange links with other good websites. Make sure they are quality sites with good content. It is best if the links are relevant to you - maybe a business in the same area or a similar business but in a different area.
How can we help?
All the sites which I write will be written in a search engine friendly way. I can look at other sites but will need the FTP details to make any changes.
We have 18 free directories, including DMOZ we can submit your site to. One-off cost £15
We can provide you with a list of 20 sites with text to include on your links page. We will then place your link and description on each of these sites. There is a one off cost of £60 for the service. We can then include you, at no extra cost in future link exchanges. The 20 sites will vary every time - no two link exchanges will be the same. Where ever possible we choose sites most relevant to you.
All prices exclusive of VAT
