Search Optimization 101

Whether your business is small or large, search optimization is critical to successful marketing. Making sure that your website tags and keywords are in order can be a boost to your online presence, especially when it comes to being found on search sites like Google.

Heading Tags

Within the code of every website there are tags that help guide what and how search engines (and other indexing sites) index your content. Making sure that these tags are placed correctly and in the proper format is a vital component of online marketing.

Think of H-tags as a sort of “outline” of your website. The primary tags (H1 and H2) should direct indexing bots to your most important pieces of content, with the H1 generally being the page title and H2 (and lower) being content headings.

Although H-tags almost always have default styles associated with them, they can be presented in any way that suits your content and marketing needs. H-tags are not intended as styling elements as such, but are a technical tool that is often misused by designers and webmasters that don’t have a good understanding of their function.

Keywords

Indexing sites pick up on keywords in your content, so you want to be deliberate in the words that you choose to use as they may be associated with your site and presented as the user’s first impression of your brand. In the past, keywords were defined within their own meta tags on the page but modern search engines don’t rely as heavily on these sorts of tags anymore and tend to pull keywords directly from your content.

Well crafted content can be a powerful promotional tool for your business.

Backlinks

You may have heard the term “backlink” associated with marketing. Backlinking is simply the process of building links with other websites. This can be done in the form of social media, link exchanges, or partnering with other businesses. Search engines assume that companies and brands with more active backlinks are more influential. It’s kind of like getting another website to endorse your brand by linking to your site or content. Blog posts are an excellent way to build backlinks and network with other businesses.

As with many things in life, moderation is key in marketing. Keep in mind that you don’t just want a quantity of backlinks (or keywords), but you want as many quality links as you can get. If a user clicks on your link and is taken to an article that is poorly written or just plain unhelpful, that is actually much worst for your brand than if they didn’t find you at all.

If you’re old enough to remember the old shampoo commercials, you will know that “You never get a second chance to make a first impression.” This is equally true in the marketing field. Our experts are here to help you make sure that you make the right impression the first time and every time.