Getting Your Business Online | FEATURE Heading | F
SEO – Search Engine
Optimisation
++++++++++++++
Maurice McGee, CEO of Fresh Consulting answers InBusiness’ questions on Search Engine Optimisation.
++++++++++++++
Q: What is SEO?
A: SEO stands for Search Engine Optimisation. It is the method for optimising your new or existing website to increase customer traffic to your business. New customers (who don’t know your business) will not search the internet for you by name, but by product or service using ‘keywords’. So you want your website to be highly visible/easy to find and listed in the top list of results (rankings) for the most important customer keywords. Over 93 per cent of Irish online searches are done through Google, so we need to get it there, no question about it. The majority of people will not scroll down more than three pages of search results to find what they want so you need to be in the top 30 rankings.
Before starting any SEO work on your website, I would recommend that you first carry out research to understand: • What kind of keywords your customers use online;
• Which keywords/phrases would have the highest monthly traffic in your target country etc; and
• Which keywords/phrases are likely to give you quality visitors to your site that will result in sales?
Your goal is then much clearer – you need to place your website in front of these customer searches.
A lot of companies ask if this means a full redesign of their existing website and in the majority of cases the answers is no. It’s about making the most of the existing website, changing the pages, content and non-visible background code.
Maurice McGee, CEO, Fresh Consulting.
++++++++++++
Maurice McGee LIB, QFA spent over 20
years working in financial services. He was hugely successful in generating large volumes of online mortgage sales in his own business before setting up Fresh Web Consulting to assist other firms with online marketing. For more info visit www.
freshconsulting.ie or email Maurice on
mmcgee@freshconsulting.ie.
SEO is broken down into two parts • On-page SEO – which refers to the website structure and content,
• Off-page SEO – which refers to the level of popularity the website can generate externally
Q: Where do most companies go wrong?
A: A lot of companies tend to spend a lot of money developing a website, but then neglect to actively use or market the website to generate sales. In many cases those that fail do so because they fail to connect their website to their customers needs online. Neglecting to research how customers search for their products/services online (i.e. what keywords their customers use) is also one of the main mistakes companies tend to make.
Q: Is SEO important today?
A: There is a vast body of research all pointing to the fact that the online market is growing rapidly with more and more consumers seeking advice and who are willing to purchase products
and services online. UK companies have recognised this and for the first time ever last year, online advertising spend exceeded the amount spent on TV advertising. If you’re not being found on the web your company is missing a huge market whether you’re targeting Ireland or overseas markets.
Q: How do I understand what’s needed?
A: A good SEO consultant will provide you with keyword research showing you the online market relevant to your business. You then need to identify your top priority keywords that will produce the best business mix for you. This can be based on volume or perhaps keywords that will sell high margin products, etc. You will also need an analysis of your website and a benchmark to show you where you rank currently for these keywords and why. Once you have this it will be pretty clear as to what needs to be done on SEO. It is also important to ensure you get a comprehensive regular ranking update to show the progress being made as a result of your SEO consultant’s efforts. Bear in mind that it may take a number of months to see the full effect of SEO as you rely on search engines to recrawl and reindex your website.
The end measure is where you ranked initially for a keyword and where you rank today.
Q: Do I need to know as much about SEO as my consultant?
A: No, but you need to know the basics. It’s like taking your car to a mechanic. You need to ensure you know enough to see that you’re getting a good value service that delivers to agreed reasonable expectations. I pay a mechanic to look after my car and rely on his ability, skill and knowledge to do a good job. I don’t have the time, aptitude or desire to know intricate mechanical techniques. I think the minimum requirement for anyone employing an SEO consultant is to know the basics of SEO, what it can and can’t do.
If buying SEO services, a good place to start is to check the existing client list and look for references. What was the client brief and did the SEO consultant meet that expectation for the client?
Q: Is SEO a licence to print money?
A: In short, no. However you will need to give it time to work. The speed at which it works depends on many factors including:
InBusiness May 10 53
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82