Good SEO means getting the basics right

Having a great looking website is of little use if no-one can find it. With a search engine being the starting point in most customer journeys nowadays, the importance of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) has never been greater. However, as with a lot of things internet related, there is a lot of misunderstanding and confusion as to how best to get your website recognised by search engines. Unscrupulous digital and marketing agencies can take advantage of this and try and scare people with talk of keyword density, PPC and black hat SEO. The reality is that if you have a logical and coherent design to your website this, along with considered copy, can get you a long way down the road of SEO.

Modern web design standards have evolved hand in glove with SEO and consequently, if your website has been designed with XHTML and CSS standards in mind, it can be easily “read” by search engines. The number of sections on any website depends on how much your business has to say to your target audience. Ensuring that the information is put into logical sections is also good SEO practice. If in doubt, employ the “3 click” rule of thumb. If any page on your website requires more than 3 clicks to get to it from the home page your structure is probably too complicated.

Once your elegant structure has been implemented against your stylish design, you can then start to think about your copy. What is each page going to say? For those not used to writing copy for websites, less is more is another good maxim to stick to. A couple of short paragraphs may look fairly benign in Word but once it has been incorporated into your designed web page it can start to look a bit lengthy. You should also try not to get too bogged down with keywords. Above all, your copy should be easy to read and convey your message with the minimum of fuss. Empathise with your target audience, think about whether you would be prepared to read a lengthy, buzz word laden sermon on the latest widgets.

Beyond this, there are a number of other techniques and practices that can be employed in order to improve your ranking even further. However, if you have followed the basics of web design and been thoughtful with your content, you will find that your site will have good visibility on most search engines.

Richard Crew is a web developer at Sauce Marketing. For more information on Sauce, and the services we offer, visit www.saucemarketing.co.uk or contact Amelia Vaughan Amelia@saucemarketing.co.uk 0151 2316258