Five Times for Search Engine Optimization
By Jennifer Guinan |
Search engine optimization sounds so daunting for most young
companies. Who has time for dealing with metatags and keyword density when
you're trying to get a company off the ground? Below is a simple list of five
things you can easily do to improve your visibility on search engines.
1. You can afford free. Index your site with the Open Directory Project.
It's free! The Open Directory Project powers core directory services for Google,
Lycos, AOL Search, Netscape Search, and lots more.
2. Know thyself
through thy customers' eyes. Remember that the words you use to describe your
company are not necessarily the same ones that a prospect might use. Sometimes
you need to go with the masses when it comes to keywords. Review your keyword
list (if you have one), and see if your prospects would even think to search for
them. You might even want to (gasp!) ask your customers about what keywords they
use.
3. Stay on the up-and-up. Don't cram your keyword tag with dozens
of keywords or repeating keywords. It doesn't work. Use 10 to 12 good,
applicable keywords.
4. Put it in the Flash can. Don't let your web
designer talk you into a Flash intro. Not only will everyone skip it because
it's annoying and doesn't provide much in terms of information, it will stop the
search engine spiders that crawl your site dead in their tracks.
5. Be
more than a welcome mat. Develop unique titles for each of your pages. These
titles appear at the top of the web browser window when your prospects or
potential investors check out your site. So please, don't use, "Welcome to XYZ
Company." This tells them nothing of value, except maybe that you have manners.
Use the title to tell what you do, what problem you solve, and/or what the
particular page is about. We're only talking about a handful of words per page
(10 max), so it's not as painful as it might sound.
About the Author
Jennifer Guinan,
president of Sage Strategic Marketing, offers 19 years of experience in
marketing, communications, Internet and search engine marketing, and PR for
companies and organizations large and small. Guinan’s background includes
national and international marketing and communications executive management and
strategy, PR and media relations, and consulting. Contact at www.sagestrat.com
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