BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

The top six social media tips to know before you leave the office.

In today’s online world, strong search engine rankings are no longer novel; they are a necessity. The top result on an average Google search receives four times as much traffic as the next highest result and 68% of searchers do not even bother to venture beyond the first page of results. Of course, getting your content to the top of the list isn’t easy – as your company’s Web pages, blog posts, and press releases have to compete with more than 1 trillion other Web pages indexed by Google.

While paid advertising (known as search engine marketing or SEM), allow for instantaneous “juicing” of your rankings, this requires you to pay for each and every click you generate. In other words, SEM provides an unparalleled opportunity for short-tail (or immediate) search engine visibility, but once you stop paying for ads, only organic optimization will remain. Conversely, a long-term investment in organic search engine optimization (SEO) will yield long-lasting success that does not involve ongoing ad buy costs.

There is no secret formula that will automatically crown you the winner in the online “race to be found,” but if you place a dedicated focus on optimizing your content, you will see a marked improvement in search results over time. This week’s Six @ Six outlines steps to organically optimize your online content. Keep in mind, however, that your true audience is still human beings, so be sure not to sacrifice coherent and well-written content in the pursuit of SEO glory:

1. Narrow Your Target

The first step in successful search engine optimization is identifying the specific key terms you want to optimize. While it can be tempting to try and optimize every possible key term associated with your company, search engines do not reward this type of blanket optimization. In fact, the best way to be found online is to do the opposite: target particular pages or press releases to specific niche key terms. For example, if you are working to optimize a press release announcing a new division of your company devoted to hedge fund market analysis for personal investors, you do not want to try to optimize generic terms such as “Wall Street” or “investment analysts.” Instead, try action-oriented niche terms such as “hedge fund investment guidance” that your particular target audience is likely to search for. Choose a maximum of 3-5 of the most important key terms and variants to optimize on each page. Avoid industry jargon – unless, of course, your target audience uses those terms regularly. Remember, the longer the phrase the better; in fact, 3-4 word phrases are best for carving out a precise online niche.

2. Research the Best Keyword Variation

When identifying the most important key terms and phrases to optimize, keep in mind that certain popular key terms are difficult to successfully optimize because of almost unlimited competition. For example, unless you are Nike or Reebok, you will probably not be successful in optimizing the general term “sneakers.” Instead, try something more specific, such as “running shoes for women” or “marathon footwear.” And even once you’ve identified your niche, there are often further variations of the key terms that may better suit your situation. For example, “cellphone,” “cell phone,” and “mobile phone” are interchangeable, but it is best to choose only one to optimize – at least organically, as there is no downside to purchasing ads for all related terms. Trying to organically optimize too many terms will make the focus of your page less obvious to search engines. Consider your audience and competition for each variant; for example, if you are trying to reach international audiences, you may want to use the term “mobile phone” rather than “cell phone.” You can use tools such as Google’s Keyword Tool, Wordtracker, and your own site analytics to help determine synonyms and terms with the greatest potential for driving qualified traffic.

3. Optimize the Title

The title is the most important place on a Web page to optimize your key terms. Both search engines and readers place significant emphasis on what the title says when determining what the page is about. In order to best optimize the title, try to use three of your most important key terms, as long as doing so does not make for awkward phrasing. After all, if the title doesn’t make sense to readers, they will not click on the search result – even if it is #1. If you use a lengthy title – which may be required in a press release or other specific document – make sure that your key terms are included within the first 60 characters of the title, as this is what search engines will read and display to potential visitors. Finally, avoid using special characters such as quotes and symbols in the title as much as possible, as search engines often misread these and display them incorrectly. Again, don’t try to optimize too many terms on one page, as doing so will dilute the focus. Use the same 3-5 most important keywords not only in the title, but also in any sub-titles and other places where search engines specifically place an emphasis. 

4. Place Keywords Where Search Engines Look

Besides the title, there are a number of other specific sections where search engines – and your optimization team – should place the most emphasis. Be sure to include – and even repeat – your most important key terms as often as possible within the first 100 words of the page without degrading the quality of writing. The first 100 words are weighted more by search engines and are often the basis for the text displayed in search results, providing the opportunity to help searchers understand what the page is about before they even click to your content. Sub-headlines, bold and italicized phrases, and bullets are also critical places to insert key terms, as these help search engines figure out what the content is about. And be sure to repeat the same important key terms across your website, as search engines notice patterns and will begin to rank your overall site higher for the terms that appear most frequently. But most important, write for both humans and search engines – make sure your content reads well and is not simply a series of key phrases, or your audience will quickly dismiss your site.

5. Optimize Hyperlinks and Anchor Text

Search engines place significant emphasis on links in determining the theme and rank of a particular site or page. Links to your content from unaffiliated third-party sites help drive new visitors to your content and help raise your site’s credibility in search engines’ eyes. However, be wary of link farms and requests to trade links, as search engine algorithms are designed to pick up on such patterns and penalize offenders. Be sure to link within your site as well. This will not only keep visitors engaged once they arrive, but also helps play a role in search engine optimization. In fact, the anchor text of a link – the words that a visitor clicks on to go to a new page – holds tremendous importance when search engines identify the theme of a page. Use this to your advantage; instead of linking the company name in a press release, link some of your key terms that describe your industry niche, such as “hedge fund investment guidance.”

6. Don’t Forget About the Coding

Content is king when it comes to organic search engine optimization. The text of the page that readers see is most important for search engines, but that doesn’t mean that tweaks in the backend coding can’t play a role in boosting your rankings as well. First, make certain your robot.txt file and your meta-data do not include any no-follow attributes and that your content is not password-protected, as this will often tell search engines not to index your page. You can use tools such as HubSpot’s Website Grader to identify any other potential optimization problems with your page. Don’t overlook opportunities to include meta-data on each of your pages. Meta-data are descriptions and lists of keywords included within the code of the page that appear only to search engines. Most Web Content Management Systems (CMS) offer plug-ins, such as Wordpress’s All-in-One SEO Pack, which make it easy to insert meta-data. While there is no general consensus as to how much weight search engines place on meta-data, meta-descriptions sometimes appear as the page descriptions in search results, and using a few targeted meta-keywords certainly does not hurt search rankings.

Click here to receive Six @ Six in your inbox each week.