What are the most critical SEO modifications to implement during the preliminary phases of optimizing a new website? Sitemaps and site architecture, links, naming conventions or D) all of the above?
SEO Tips To Optimize a New Website
Although a great deal depends on how many pages you have to work with, how old the site is, if the site architecture has any elements worth salvaging, etc. determine which approach is required (such as a band-aid or complete site overhaul) to accomplish the desired ranking objective.
Creating the Keyword/Landing Page Pecking Order
Creating an earmark for specific page/keyword continuity requires a blueprint of how each keyword “fits in” to the planning and execution of the site.
For example, more competitive keywords (keywords with 1 million of more competing pages) should be baked in to the architecture, naming conventions and content as much as possible using an aggregate ranking factor from a collective conglomerate of pages instead of over-optimizing on any one page. This is done through selecting a logical champion page to concentrate your SEO efforts.
Usually using a simple Google search operator is enough to determine the degree of relevance your existing pages have for a specific keyword.
Then based on this relevance and keyword/page saturation/volume, you can then determine if your existing pages will suffice or if you need fresh content to imbue your website with those keywords to cross the ranking/tipping point.
For example by typing the following search operator into a Google search bar;
site:mysite.com keyword
Note that there is no space between the site: and the website, but there is a space between the site and the keyword.
You can assess which page it deemed the most relevant listed chronologically in sequence “by pecking order” in the Google search index.
Hence, if you see 1 of 10 of 55 results for the “keyword” following the site command, then you know that the website has 54 pages to build internal links from “with that keyword in anchor text” back to the new preferred champion page.
You can also use this technique to uncover how many pages your competitors are dedicating to their optimization efforts to acquire more competitive rankings. Also researching the amount of deep links each page has can also create ranking factor or reveal why each page works as part of a cohesive optimization plan.
For example if they have 30 pages of content and 20 of those pages all have links from other sites in the dozens, that means if they collectively point those pages (which are augmented from off page SEO factors) toward one specific internal page within their own website, the elected page then becomes the new preferred landing page a.k.a champion page for the apex/keyword.
If your current optimization efforts are falling flat, then maybe your website just doesn’t have enough content (relevant pages) on the topic to be considered a candidate for that ranking. This is the most common mistake, attempting to optimize a keyword that rarely exists within the context of a website.
Yes, it can be done, but it is much more difficult to transpose ranking factor from other authoritative sources from outside a website to override the search engines natural tendency to extract term frequency from a website to deem a page relevant.
Implement Consistent Internal Links
Implementing internal links implies using any occurrence of a keyword or selectively rewriting the copy to incorporate specific keywords on critical pages to then link to the preferred landing page.
The point is to consistently link to a preferred page with preferred anchor text (the text in the link) to sculpt the appropriate on page authority within the domain itself.
As a result, any off page SEO factor added to this type of on page optimization (links from other sites) dramatically improves search engine positioning for the page/keyword combination.
Implement Optimal Site Architecture
Implementing optimal site architecture implies removing any off topic page names, folder names or quelling a rampant content management system from using gibberish to represent the pages in your website.
Clearly stated, if you have a page named P=ID287364.aspx vs. my-main-keyword.aspx (using hyphens to separate words in a logical naming convention) then you are losing a valuable ranking factor known as allintitle positioning.
There are three primary metrics that search engines use to assess relevance (in addition to dozens of others) called allintext, allintitle and allinanchor.
Allintext – determines how much authority a given keyword has in the body of text collectively for a website.
Allintitle – determines how much authority a given keyword has based on the occurrences of that keyword in the title of the collective body of documents.
Allinanchor – determines just how much authority the website has (based out of all of the websites in the search engines index) that have links built to them with that keyword.
For more information or SEO tips on Google search operators or allintitle, allintext and allinanchor, follow the links provided.
Use Sitemaps to Increase Crawl Frequency
You should implement sitemaps for newly created areas of your website or within your site as a whole (breaking down each subfolder if you have multiple branches of topics), sub domains or a large website.
The reason is, sitemaps promote discovery from search engines and without your pages being discovered, they cannot contribute any collective ranking factor for your website.
Helping search engines spiders find, devour and pass along your content to the index is the prime directive and the first thing standing between stagnant rankings and increasing your position after on page changes have been implemented.
For more information about sitemaps and how to utilize them this post SEO Techniques to Improve Rankings can elaborate their importance and execution further.
SEO should be approached scientifically understanding that search engines only react to the signals your pages produce and a large part of that signal is on page optimization (which is completely under your control).
Managing expectations and understanding that each stage needs to work in tandem with other critical layers to produce a top ranking (depending on the keywords you target).
So, targeting keywords within your reach is the logical way to increase traffic systemically while building a rapport with search engines which will allow your website (when it is time) to easily topple the more competitive phrases you set your sights on.
It is merely a matter of 1) clear intent within a website through naming conventions, 2) keyword-rich folders, 3) descriptive titles and meta-data, 4) consistent internal links, 5) the use of sitemaps to increase crawl frequency and 6) blending in deep links from other sites to your landing pages that will transform a website from lackluster to blockbuster in search engines.
Each website has its own tipping point, however, by collectively managing the layers alluded to above it is only a matter of time before the baseline threshold improves and a website is able to easily produce rankings for more competitive keywords with a mere fraction of the effort.
how about if the content we stuff more than 7 percent keyword?
Keyword density is a dated paradigm, if humans can’t read it in a natural context, they will not place an order, engage your website or stick around.
Incorporate SEO into content (once in the first 25 words, toward the mid-point and again if plausible at the end), try to use the keyword in anchor text at least once (even if you have to use a #page anchor) and use the keyword in the title, meta description and preferably in a link back to that page.
If that fails to impress search engines, then write more content on the topic and internally link the pages to one ideal page. But, please do not stuff keywords…period, it is a dated practice and will lose relevance and make you look like a rookie.
Is there a difference between having stuffed keywords with the aim of having a high density and ensuring that the target keyphrase is the most prominant on a page? Or does the latter not make a difference either?
You can achieve phenomenal rankings through keyword prominence with a title, meta description, h1 continuity on the target page.
Combine that with some off page ranking factor and internal links from other themed pages (on the topic) and the pages supporting the ranking collectively provide the ranking factor.
Keep in mind, you want a PPC like page, that reads well, is not redundant and yet has enough relevance score/quality score to lock down the keyword / ranking.
I would say that density is more about removing less off-topic content than anything. Nothing wrong with a 4-7% density, I am just saying you can rank with less by creating an ideal island of relevance (title, h1, internal link, keyword used tactfully in first paragraph, middle of doc and plural or synonym based alternative to wrap it up).
In my opinion, less is more for on page, but if you need more pages to position as a 2nd level push for ranking factor, then you can always build them up, to make the champion page rank higher.
Great.That’s really helpful.
Hiring someone to optimize your website would be a really good idea if you have a new website and/or business venture. Using the services of an experienced Offshore SEO company will give you exactly the results you need. SEO companies are trained to generate a steady continuous flow of quality traffic in order to achieve more revenue for your business. This is one of those factors that many of the people are ignorant of. I am a physicist, and run my own clinic. Marketing was a part that generally doctors are unaware of. I made one website which I though would help me ameliorate my business, but it doesn’t make a great difference as it was far not found on search engines. Then, I came across a website designing and marketing company named as medicalwebexperts.com, with which I had a contract for advertising and optimizing my website to make it google-friendly. The main problem with my website was found to be improper website coding, which resisted my website to be listed in top most search. The company did well in reconstructing my website, making it popular using SEO techniques. The benefits are slowly coming into action. Website helped me getting a good sum of patients at my doorstep. Web marketing really helped my business work, making my investments in SEO worthy.
You need to understand the process of optimizing your own site but there are optimizers who are willing to do the campaign for you and for your site. This could really get you on top in no time.
Thanks Jeffrey, very refreshing post. It comes at the right time, since I’m working on a new website for a client. Thanks.
Excellent post Jeffrey!
I’ve always wondered if resizing heading text (so that all headings are the same size) has an effect on a page when crawled or is the value in the heading tag itself?
Thanks again for a great post! I’ll have to take a look at the Google search operators too, as you suggested.
Roger
search engine bots only sees in your website is ‘text’ for them to categorize and indexed your website…and of course the ‘relevancy’ of the content. Therefore, have a quality content(rich) for them to hunt you down…
Most SEO efforts are always focused on off page optimization. But paying attention to On Page optimization is key to win in the game of rank well.
Great post, keep up the excellent work!
http://www.localtraction.com
Onpage optimization is much more valuable than offpage I think, because now a days google is going to take less value of baclink.
In my opinion, on page has always been more important, without relevance and foundation, links can only take you so far (in addition, they are volatile and susceptible to being devalued as well).
Excellent post. I like the technique of using site:mysite.com keyword to investigate how the search engines currently rate the pages on the site for the specific keyword.
The only question is whether it’s better to accept that page ranking when the index page is the target – or to deliberately drive the top ranking to another – dedicated landing page.
You’ve made the whole process of setting up a web-site using keywords sound quite easy and almost a step by step process. Even so not many business owners or web-site owners have that sort of time on their hands. Better to bring in someone who knows what they’re doing.
That’s great, I never thought about SEO Tips to Optimize a New Website like that before.
Thanks for some good tips and very detailed information. It is interesting to see how fast the “science” of SEO is changing. What works today may not work tomorrow, and tomorrow we have some new insight into what works better. For example, the new thing is SEO in video.
it’s really great news as well, thanks for sharing it with us