We are frequently asked to share basic SEO tips so I thought I would provide some basic advice via a blog post.  We have discussed the importance of using Analytics software on your website in a previous post, so I’m not going to go into too much detail regarding the importance of analysing the data from your Analytics software.  However, to follow are a few basic tips you can easily implement to ensure your website is better optimised and more search engine friendly.

Start with the basics – create a keyword strategy

A keyword strategy will form the basis of your SEO strategy.  You will base your content strategy and information architecture, on keywords.  In essence the keyword strategy will comprise the keywords that searchers are most likely to use to find your website.  Think laterally and try to come up with a variety of keywords searchers will use to find you.  Keyword tools like Google Adwords’ Keyword Tool and Wordtracker are handy ways to find more key-phrase options to include in your keyword strategy.

Write content for your users

Once you have your keyword strategy, use this to create your content strategy.  While the keyword strategy will act as a guide when you write content, don’t try and force keywords into copy.  Write for your human users and not for search engines.  Once you have drafted the copy, reread the copy and see where you can fit keywords in (in a natural way) so that the copy flows and doesn’t seem ‘stuffed’ with keywords.

In addition to writing for human users, make it easy for them to read your copy.  Keep in mind that reading online differs from reading text on paper.  Online readers are more likely to scan copy – therefore, bold the key-phrases you want them to pay attention to.

Use descriptive title tags

Don’t use the same title tag on all of your pages. Make sure you have a unique, descriptive title tag on each page and try to include keywords relevant to the page’s content in the title tag.

Name images appropriately

Search engines cannot ‘see’ images, hence it is important to properly name them in order for search engines to index them correctly.  Read more about naming images on the TopRank blog.

Make use of proper in-text linking

In-text linking is used to draw visitors ‘deeper’ into your website.  It is important to make sure that the page you are linking to provides the visitor with relevant information.  In addition, link on the keywords relevant to the page you’re linking to.  For instance, don’t link “click here for more info”, rather link “advanced SEO tips”, if you were linking to a page about SEO tips.’

SEO is a long, continuous and time-consuming process, so you won’t see results overnight. However, through continuous measuring, testing and tweaking you are sure to see results eventually.  For a more aggressive approach contact us to find out about our SEO packages.

When a company buys ad space in a magazine, they’ll choose one targeted to the same demographic they want to sell their product to. The same rule applies to marketing in general – it’s most worthwhile to advertise your product to consumers who are likely to buy it. In traditional advertising, these categories are often quite general – for example, Clinique would advertise a line of anti-aging cosmetics in a magazine like Elle (since both are likely purchases for, say, women in their thirties). A particular woman reading Elle, though, may or may not actually be interested in buying high-end anti-aging products. As an individual, she might feel that she’s too young to need it, already have a loyalty to a different brand, not have extra money to spend, or just not be particularly concerned about her skin.

Search Engine Marketing (SEM), however, offers marketers a chance to narrow the demographic reach of their campaign to people who are interested in buying what they are selling right now (or very soon). For example, someone who is looking to buy high-end anti-aging cosmetics right now would Google “anti-aging products,” browse the first page or so of results, and likely make a purchase or find a retailer to visit after doing a small amount of online research.

For this reason, among others, the company’s ROI for the SEM portion of their marketing is likely to be higher. First, PPC and SEO involve marketing to a tailored audience of people who are likely to buy – they have, after all, expressed interest by searching for a relevant term. Second, SEO does not involve paying per impression (or approximate impressions), as buying ads generally does. Rather, designing and updating an optimised website is a long-term investment. Additionally, measuring ROI for SEM is much more straightforward (using analytics tools that measure traffic, clicks, conversions, etc.), whereas it can be rather ambiguous for traditional advertising.

However, traditional ads are valuable in terms of creating general brand awareness, especially for products that consumers are more likely to choose on the spot (for example, groceries or toiletries). On the other hand, though, for companies selling items that are more considered purchases (cars, insurance, specialty equipment, high-end items, etc.) or that consumers are likely to buy online (books, shoes, cosmetics, clothing, etc.), an SEM campaign is far more valuable. As a result, particularly in the case of small businesses with limited marketing funds, it makes sense to invest in SEM before worrying about purchasing traditional ads.  If you would like to know more about the possibilities and advantages of Search Engine Marketing, contact the AlterSage team.

A PPC campaign can be a really cost-effective way of attracting customers, provided it is optimised to provide maximum returns on the investment.

Here are some tips on optimising your PPC spend.

The most basic way to save money is to spend less. This is totally obvious, but requires a bit of creativity. You can lower your cost per click by bidding on cheaper keywords. The challenge is to find related keywords that are less expensive but still effective.

That doesn’t mean you should simply compromise and hope for the best. Run a number of ads with featuring alternative, less-contested keywords and test which are the most attractive.

Another way to achieve lower costs per click is to use a different PPC provider. Google Adwords is by far the dominant player, but it might be worth experimenting with cheaper services. Bear in mind that while another provider may not be able to offer the same range of exposure, that doesn’t necessarily affect the quality of users who click through.

The core way to optimise PPC spending is probably to maximise the conversion rate. There is no use paying per click if these clicks are not leading to revenue.

The two key ways of increasing conversion rate are to target relevant internet users and to keep their attention once they’ve clicked on your advert.

Direct users to the pages that will interest them. Internet users are impatient, so it’s no use leading them all to your homepage and trusting they’ll find their way to the relevant service. Target links so that potential customers go to precisely the appropriate part of your website.

Target specific users by experimenting with various keywords, bids and match-types. Ensure that your keywords are relevant to your ad-text and landing page.

And remember, there’s no point in luring users with outrageous claims or misleading offers. Don’t promise more than you can deliver. This will get you clicks that will fail to result in sales, turning your PPC campaign into a waste of time and money.

Managing a PPC campaign should by a dynamic process. Once you have decided to invest money in the campaign, it makes sense to carefully track, test, and tweak your campaign. Don’t be complacent because your ads seem to be working. You can always go back to your original copy. By testing different PPC strategies, your savings could be considerable.  Need help?  Ask the AlterSage team.