Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quantity and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines (i.e. Google, Yahoo, MSN, etc…) via “organic” search results for targeted keywords specifically related to your business. Usually, the sooner a site is presented within the “top” search results (listings on left when doing a search) or the higher (on the page) it “ranks”, the more searchers will visit your site.  In essence, SEO defines how search algorithms work and what people search for. 

The term “search engine friendly” is used to describe web site designs, menus, content management systems, URLs, and shopping carts that are easy to navigate and have been optimized for SEO.

As a marketing strategy for increasing a web site’s relevance (thus increasing ranking and in turn site traffic), SEO efforts may involve:

• A web site’s coding, presentation, and structure, as well as resolving problems, which could prevent search engine indexing programs from fully “spidering” your site.
• Efforts may include adding unique content to a web site thus ensuring that content is easily indexed by search engine robots, and making the site more appealing to users.
• Another class of techniques, known as “Black Hat” SEO or spamdexing, use methods such as “link farms” (pay for large quantities of outbound links; many times irrelevant) and “keyword stuffing” (overusing key words within content) that tend to harm search engine user experience. Search engines look for sites that employ these techniques and may remove them from their indices.

In today’s market, you will find many consultants who specialize in search engine optimization, and are paid to carry out optimization initiatives on behalf of their clients and/or by employees who perform SEO services in-house.  Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into web site development and design.    

As a Marketing Strategy

Because Americans read left to right and top to bottom, we look for relevant results placed near the top left of results presented and work our way across and down. Placement at or near the top of the rankings therefore increases the number of searchers who will visit our web site. However, more search engine referrals does not guarantee more sales.

SEO is not necessarily an appropriate strategy for every website, and other Internet marketing strategies can be much more effective, depending on the site’s business goals.  A successful Internet marketing campaign may drive organic search traffic to web pages, it may also involve the use of paid advertising on search engines (PPC), and should include building high quality web pages that engage and persuade their audience (otherwise bounce rates will be very high - in turn money and efforts are wasted).  Technical issues that may keep search engines from crawling and indexing web sites should also be addressed, as well as setting up analytics programs to enable web site managers to measure their successes, and improving a site’s conversion rate (keeping and converting visitors into qualified prospects / customers).

In turn, SEO may generate an ROI; however, search engines are not paid for organic search traffic, their algorithms consistently change, and there are no guarantees of continued referrals. Due to this lack of guarantees and certainty, a business that relies heavily on search engine traffic can suffer major losses if the search engines stop sending visitors.  It is considered wise business practice for website operators to liberate themselves from dependence on search engine traffic.  A top ranked SEO blog Seomoz.org has reported, “Search marketers, in a twist of irony, receive a very small share of their traffic from search engines.” Instead, their main sources of traffic are links from other websites.  

Effective web site content should be relevant and robust and pages should have supporting themes to provide value to both site visitors and search engines.  Both want substance. 

Content is one of the most significant success factors to any web site.  In general, the more focused and robust your content is - the better off you are.  Target your writing to one primary topic (or a subset of a topic).  Your web pages should contain enough text content on each page to support the messaging and overall theme.  Shoot for a minimum of 300 words.  Less ‘can’ work, but it’s highly unlikely. 

With that, you should also create a theme amongst a group of pages within your web site to give each page legitimacy and relevance.  A search engine ranks ‘each’ page within your site and a big deciding factor is whether the pages share relevance to and support one another. Planning for 6 pages of supporting content is a good minimum for creating a theme.

Summary:  Create enough relevant, engaging content and you will have a web site your visitors will enjoy reading and to which search engines will assign high rankings.

To decide which type of web site you need, you need to determine what your web site must accomplish from a marketing perspective.  The goals you set for your site plus the definition of your target market should drive both your web design and marketing campaigns. 

Business web sites generally have one of the six goals in the following categories as their primary purpose, although some large sites incorporate many of these objectives.

• Brochure Web Sites
  Brochure sites are an inexpensive solution.  These sites, which contain no more than the minimal info included in a small tri-fold brochure, might provide a small business with an adequate Web presence.  Basically you inform interested prospects online then allow them to submit an inquiry.

• Branding Web Sites
  Sites like Coke.com primarily serve a branding function.  Branding sites may include games, coupons, entertainment, feedback sections, interactive functions and corp. info, but they generally don’t sell the product online. They generate leads or sales only indirectly.

• Lead Generation Web Sites
  Some sites, especially those for services and expensive products such as cars and homes, allow potential customers to research offerings, but customers must call, email or visit the brick and mortar establishment to close a sale.  If you’re clever, you can qualify your leads online, which is an efficient way to qualify leads upfront.

• Transaction or Ecommerce Web Sites
  Transaction or Ecommerce sites, which are perhaps the most familiar type of site, are used to sell goods or services online.  Good transaction sites take advantage of the Web to gather information about customer demographics, needs and preferences and to test response to special offers.

• Ad Revenue Web Sites
  A business model that calls for generating revenue by selling ads operates in a fundamentally different marketing mode.  When you sell advertising, the primary product is the audience you deliver – either the number of eyeballs that view an ad or the number of click-thru’s to an advertiser’s site.

• Corporate Web Sites
  Sites in this category attract investors, identify strategic business partners, locate suppliers, recruit dealers, or solicit franchises.  The audience for these sites is quite different from the audience for a site targeted at customers or clients.  This distinction is critical because elements of your marketing plan are derived from the definition of your target market.

Which works best for you?  Think about your audience and your goals.

People don’t read online they scan.  It takes 25% more time to read online vs. printed materials.  Adapt your writing style for the Web.

1. USE INVERTED PYRAMID: Write the most important info FIRST. Readers may never make it past the first few lines.

2. GRAB READERS WITH HEADLINES:  Good headlines grab readers and make them stop.  Subheads help break up text on a page, making content easier to read. (Note: For SEO, try to include key words / search terms in your headers & subheads)

3. WRITE STRONG LEADS:  The first sentence on the page is called a lead.  Hook readers with the benefits, telling them what they’ll find on your web site. (Note: For SEO, include 3 to 4 key words / search terms in first paragraph).

4. STAY ABOVE THE FOLD:  Keep most important info above the fold (area before people have to scroll down).  Less then 50% of audience scrolls below the fold.

5. AVOID LONG SCROLLING PAGES:  Lot’s of short pages are preferable to few long pages.   If you have to use long text, consider allowing readers to print and read.  Another option is use FAQ format, that anchors a specific text link at the top (table of content) to a text block below.

6. LIMIT USE OF PDF FILES:  Not great for users.  Restrict PDF files for distributing long docs intended for print.

7. USE ACTIVE VOICE:  That is, the subject performs the action (ACTIVE) instead of receiving it (PASSIVE).  (Example: [Y] Search engines skip Flash pages, [N] Flash pages aren’t read by search engines.)  You might be using passive voice if you’re using verbs like: to be, there is, there are, or -it is.

8. EMPHASIZE 2ND PERSON:  Second person forces you to talk about benefits not features.  Use your or you explicitly as the subject or implicitly with imperative verbs, such as buy, review, call or sign up.  Possessives imply ownership, empowering consumers.  Get personal… your marketing copy must break the boundaries of the screen.

9. USE 1ST & 3RD PERSON SPARINGLY:  You can slide in some 1st person (our or we) - just don’t spend too much time talking about yourself and your business.  Your readers don’t care.  And don’t be impersonal or create distance with third person.

10. STAY INFORMAL:  In most cases, an informal, conversational tone works best; however,  that’s no excuse for obvious grammatical errors -such as subject/verb agreement.

11. KEEP IT SHORT:  We’re busy people.  Use short words, short sentences, short paragraphs and short pages - always placing the most important words and information near the beginning.

12. USE BULLET LISTS:  Think powerpoint style NOT essay; sentence fragments are fine.

13. INCLUDE TEXT LINKS: Link frequently to other pages within your web site, this helps people quickly find information they want and help move them through your site.  (Note: For SEO, if you happen to create links using some of your key words you may earn extra points for improved search engine ranking.)

14.  WRITE VIVIDLY: Use nouns and verbs rather then strings of adjectives and adverbs.

15. SKIP JARGON: Write language your readers will understand.

16. BE YOURSELF:  Let your personality shine through; use wit and humor to keep readers plugged in.

17. CHECK SPELLING & GRAMMER:  Start out in Word, check spelling, paste in text or csv to remove formatting and paste into web files.

18.  HAVE OTHERS READ WHAT YOU WRITE: It’s easy to get too close to your writing.  Have someone else read it for clarity, accuracy and omissions.

19. PROOFREAD: Read your text outloud.  It’s the fastest and easiest way to find mistakes.

Title: AIDA in Web Site Design

A = ATTENTION | I = INTEREST | D = DESIRE | A = ACTION

The four standard steps of direct marketing (known as AIDA) apply to web site design as well.

ATTENTION: Get viewers’ attention by using 1. graphics, 2. a grabbing headline and 3. a “quick glance” of the benefits (what’s in it for me).  You have 4 SECONDS to convince them they’ll find something of value on your web site.

INTEREST: Create interest with site design and EZ navigation.  Include intriguing options that pull people to additional pages on your web site.

DESIRE: Create desire and a sense of urgency as visitors move themselves toward taking action (i.e. Buy Now/Free Shipping, Bookmark Page or Forward to a Friend, etc…)  Using marketing copy, images and SPECIAL OFFERS, to online activities, cool tools or entertainment - find ways to pull them in.

ACTION:  Right from the beginning, make it obvious what you want visitors to do.  Whether it’s to buy online, make a call, send an email, or sign-up for a newsletter - make it utlra-EZ for them to take this action.