Implementing an Effective Search Strategy
Everyone might agree on what an effective search strategy must
do for a website. The disagreements arise with the question of how to go about
constructing an effective search strategy.You will know you have arrived when your site is
- Discovered via Google
-
Accessible without any obstacles
- Contains relevant information useful to searches
- Ranks high in Google’s organic search results
Web Spammer Vs SE Optimizer.
If you are a business man looking for consulting help with
Search Engine Optimization, you want to distinguish between the web spammer and
the real optimizer.
A Web Spammer will be totally focused on rankings. Is that
the only thing your consultant discusses with you? Your Google Rank?
A real Search Engine Optimizer will also care about
what the search engine results are. But in contrast, he or she will care about
the searcher. What is the searcher’s customer experience like? What is the search experience? How is the navigation through the site? Is the visitor well served?
A truly effective strategy depends on
- Web Architecture
- Strategic Development
- Integrated Advertising Initiatives
- Building Each Page
Web Architecture
- The website should be easily indexed and crawled by search engines
- The infrastructure should be easy to navigate
o By the actual user
o By search engine crawlers, i.e. search engine friendly
- The content of the website should be easily modified
o
Preferably use a content management system
o
Many content management systems are free
Strategic Development
Keyword selection is about more than search trends.
- The company vision must dictate what search data your website hits on.
- The company research and development direction should inform the search data you build for.
- Involve the whole company to make sure search results effectively achieve company goals.
All of the company marketing goals (online and offline!) should benefit from the impact of each and every channel
Integrated Advertising Initiatives
-
All of the company marketing goals not only should, but must, benefit from the impact of each and every channel
o
Online Advertising
§
Your Home Page
§
Your Website as a Whole
§
Your Popups
§
Your Google strategy
§
Your Yahoo strategy
o
Offline Advertising
§
Your brochures
§
Your mailings
§
Your white papers
§
Your letterhead
§
Your cards
- Online and offline ad strategies should look to improve the organic search position of your site
o
Put your website URL on everything you print
o
Offer downloadable versions of everything you print on your website
- Understand the value of Links.
- Understand online reputation management and keep on top of yours!
- Use Social Media to spread your content
Building Each Page
Build a page? Why does this article focus on building just one page when you have to build a whole site?
Well, don’t lose sight of the tree looking at the
forest. Each and every page should be built only after you have in hand the answers to these questions:
- What is the Goal of the Page?
- What type of Conversion expected from the Page? (email contact, mailing list opt in, etc.)
- Why would a Visitor visit the Page?
- What information will the Visitor take away from the Page?
- What would be the motive the Visitor would feel in order to follow the call to action?
After all, if the page is worth including in the site, it’s
worthy of some time and effort to make sure it’s publication ready with
a purpose. In pursuit of this goal, here are some additional guidelines
to apply to each and every page:
- Avoid providing similar information for multiple
pages (it only confuses the search results).
- Avoid duplicate content.
- Use searchable keyword phrases in all your Headings and Links.
- Seed keyword phrases in the text with purpose and restraint, but seed them!
- Match the answers you provide to the questions the visitor searches on.
- Use standard HTML components on the page.
- Clearly indicate the primary topic on every page.
- Provide real information and a compelling call to action.
- Build with good internal linking structure.