No show without SEO

One of the first things we’ll do with a client is a review of their website. They’ll come in asking for us to increase their rankings and we need to know why they’re not hitting the numbers they want. Very often it’s because they’re not using even the simplest SEO techniques in the right way, which is preventing Google from reading their site and giving them the rank they deserve.

I did a review of a client the other day and, although the site looked clean and to the point, it was missing a number of key elements. Like this client, if you want to increase your site’s rankings, you should first take a look at the main keyword you’re trying to rank for. This client was a Dean Martin impersonator, but nowhere on his site was the phrase “Dean Martin impersonator.” When potential clients were looking for an entertainer like him, that’s the phrase they’d logically use. That’s the one he should emphasise. The same goes for your site. Choose the most logical key phrase and focus on that.

Use that keyword in the header, using an H1 title. Add it to at least one more title on the page using the H2 and H3 tags. Look at your page title descriptions and make sure they’re all different. Each one needs to describe the page uniquely, while still using that golden key phrase.

If video is a part of your site, you’ll need to optimise your YouTube channel. Add that relevant search phrase in the description. Add social media links to the page, so viewers can share your work with others. Add your email address, twitter handle, and website URL for easy navigating. Once you optimise for a relevant key phrase instead of your website name, more people will find you on Google.

For more information, visit the StewArt website.

Jim Stewart is a leading expert in search engine optimisation. His business  StewArt Media  has worked with clients including Mars, M2 and the City of Melbourne.