When’s the last time you went to page 2 on a search engine result? Exactly. Hardly ever. That is why communicators and marketers strive to do whatever possible to make sure their brand comes up first, or at worst, second, on every relevant search.
One of the key items to consider in the creation of content is searchability. Communicators should constantly be asking themselves, “Will someone find this on Google?” Or Yahoo? Or Bing? Any messaging that goes into the promotion or enhancement of a brand has to consider search engine optimization.
Your SEO strategy has to encompass all elements of your brand, whether it be a website, a blog, social media, or video. Ideally, you want your website to be the first thing people come across when they search your brand on the Internet. If you have done your job, your brand website will offer a great first impression that communicates your brand in a polished, clear manner. But how do people find that website?
There are numerous elements to a coherent SEO strategy. Catherine Page, webmaster and SEO producer at Rigid Industries, offers a quick list of things to think about when contemplating on-page SEO:
- Page titles: This is the most forgotten aspect of SEO. Use your primary keyword at least once, limit titles to 70 characters and divide specific keyword phrases.
- Page descriptions: Otherwise called meta descriptions, this is the text that will appear in the search engine content. Make sure to use primary keywords at least once, limiting descriptions to two or three keywords overall. Use a maximum of 155 characters.
- Body headlines: Also known as “H1 Heading Tag.” Use only one primary keyword. Limit to 70-80 characters and make your text similar to that of your page title.
- Body copy: Here is your “On-Page SEO.” Where creativity, intuition and consciousness of your user’s needs, wants and desires come to life. Make certain that your content is relevant, engaging and regularly updated.
- Images: This is the second most under-optimized, forgotten SEO asset. Make sure to add image titles where relevant.
- Internal links: Internal links should help most websites follow this general rule of thumb. A user should only need to click a maximum of three times to get anywhere on your site.
- External links: This is linking from your site to an outside “reputable and credible” site source.
For more extensive information on this topic, join PR News for the SEO Workshop: How to Use SEO Tactics to Elevate Your Brand’s Profile on June 2 in New York City.
Follow Richard Brownell: @RickBrownell