Core Website Needs

SEO Hints

Be prepared to pay for hosting, free options rarely give the access and control you need.

The same for domain names, you.freewebspace.com suits hobby sites only.

Avoid duplicated text at all costs, whether taken from other sites, or pages you control.

Relevant and valuable content is essential, SEO is not a replacement for building a good site.

Be compliant and as technically correct as you can but base decisions on visitors as much as search engines.

Don't be tempted by artificial shortcuts, such as trading links, or overuse of keywords.

The Community

The web by nature is a joined up entity. Trying to promote your site in isolation is awkward regarding visitors and impossible for success with search engines.

Advice on SEO is helpful but should incorporate ideas about ways you work with the web. This can bring no outside cost, the majority of changes able to be implemented by the website owner.

The Purpose

Never lose focus on the fact your website is a business tool. SEO is a well integrated addition to this, not an end in itself. Search engines do not buy anything.

Look after those who do with one eye on search engines. Optimising a website can then be enjoyable, as well as rewarding.

Search Engine Optimisation

SEO attracts complex definitions, when search engine optimisation simply means all elements relating to a website working together, to gain the best possible position in search returns. At the same time, they need to work for website visitors.

Not that different to a marketing or communications campaign using any other medium, prominence and effectiveness. Additional considerations are knowledge of website construction, how search engines "think" and the way the web interacts.

A proportion of businesses will need technical input but are often in the best position to implement change and ensure all aspects pull together. Outsourcing SEO is not the best option for many websites, they would be better served by practical advice to support their own development.

SEO is not Magic

All you are trying to do is work alongside another company's business model, a search engine. You have no say in what that model is but understanding this is quite simple. They make money by running ads alongside search results, market share is vital and this is achieved by returning the most relevant and helpful results.

To work with search engines you need useful, unique content which they can easily access and understand. Bear in mind they are also popularity engines, by necessity and in the way they rank websites. Having your site well referenced by other relevant websites via inbound links is useful.

That is the essence of search engine optimisation. Naturally there are many technical nuances, particularly to move from doing okay to performing really well. Few of them are however beyond understanding, or part of an arcane code.

We try not be negative but will lapse briefly. Few subjects have seen more nonsense written or openly promoted than SEO. There are exceptional people working in the field but an equal number of false promises. Application of good technical practice and a valuable website are the core of SEO. Not magic wands or secret schemes, just well applied hard work.

SEO and your Business

The hardest part of SEO is understanding technical requirements to make your site a solid base to work on. This may involve development of new skills inside a business but many technical aspects are static once in place and others a change in approach, which once understood is not difficult to follow.

For most smaller businesses, search engine optimisation should focus on advice and skill building. Creating awareness of search engine needs is key, developing a website is more an ongoing strategy than an instant process.

If you are interested in SEO, our article on optimising website code adds more technical detail. Alternatively, you are welcome to contact us in confidence if we can help in any way.