No, optimizing you website involves more than using a certain number of key search terms within the content of your site. A well optimized site combines the following elements:

• Researched keyword with careful usage
• Well-written content that is informative and useful
• Properly written meta data
• Proper site structure
• Avoiding things such as content in images or flash

While this list is not all inclusive, it does provide a good overview.

There are a few common mistakes that are made when creating and updating websites.

• Neglecting meta titles or using the business name in each one
• Duplicate content
• Stuffing keywords
• Not using 301 redirects
• Using site elements that search engines can’t crawl

Each search engine uses its own algorithm, or formula, to rank site. Each day, a search engine sends out spiders, programs that crawl the web looking for content. As the spider crawls your site, it indexes the content and uses the algorithm to rank your page. A well optimized site will make it is easier for the spiders to crawl and find the needed content to improve your ranking. Search engines, such as Google, also use links both within and to your site as a significant factor in its algorithm.

Local search is a term that is used to show a focus on searches that in your close proximity. Usually, these are customers that are using keyword phrases using”near me,” “close by,” “in,” or “closest.” If also refers to making sure that you can be found on maps, local listings and profile sites such as Yelp. All of these are options when someone searches for a service, restaurant or location on a phone, tablet or desktop.

Today, more people are using a phone to surf and search the web. It is very important to make sure your mobile presence works easily. In fact, Google uses mobile friendliness as a major factor in the algorithm used to rank a site. Instead of a mobile site, I suggest a responsive site that incorporates mobile design (buttons, call out boxes, smaller images). Another option to compliment a responsive site, when appropriate, is to create an app, and there are sites that will help you create a basic app.

Norton Writing & Digital Marketing does guarantee you that your content will be optimized to help you achieve the highest ranking possible. However, we cannot guarantee you a specific ranking, and we advise you to be wary of those that do. Those who guarantee a specific placement or rank usually use “black hat” practices, which can end up leaving your website banned from the major search engines.

In short, having an Adwords ad does not help your organic rankings. However, it can compliment your SEO strategy as an SEM campaign adds more visibility to your business. In fact, there was a study that mentioned that using both SEO and SEM can increase website traffic by 30%. The key is to attract relevant traffic that will give you a positive ROI.

When I first stated working with SEO in 2008, one could move a site off of page four to page one easily with just on-page optimization. Now, after several Google updates, no one should expect any changes overnight. It may take a few months to see significant differences. Bing, on the other hand, can be a bit faster to see results. The key is to built history and authority with good links from your customers or clients as well as good content that users find useful and helpful.

On-page SEO means optimizing the content of the page. These changes can be the content of the page or the meta data for the page. Off-page SEO refers to building back links (links to the site from other pages). This idea can also include making sure local profile pages are used appropriately.