Search Engine Optimization Best Practices Process

Does your web design company have a sophisticated search engine optimization process?

This is a brief overview of our search engine optimization best practices implementation. While the actual process is far more detailed, you may use this as a guide of what you can expect from us.

Search Engine Visibility Audit
For existing sites, the first phase of search engine optimization is to complete our 35 point Search Engine Visibility Audit, directory review and link analysis.

Keyword review and generation
For existing or new sites: We review, or help you create, an initial keyword phrase list based on the best descriptions of your business, your industry, your niches and your products and services.
We then query a constantly several up-to-date search engine phrase databases (containing the last 300 million searches performed in various search engines) to generate a large list of alternative keyword phrases. This is an important step because often the words you use to describe your business will be different than the words your customers use.
For example, “internet marketing” is searched 10 times more frequently than “online marketing”

Keyword selection
We carefully select best value keywords by:

• eliminating keywords searched that would be searched by non-prospects
• scoring potential winning keywords against number of competing web pages and number of searches.
• sorting keywords phrases by popularity and effectiveness

We then select the final list of keywords for optimization.

Keyword grouping
We group the keyword phrases into ‘like’ groups of 3 to 5 phrases (the most that can be effectively optimized on one page). We review existing site pages and assign keyword groups to each page. We then order these groups into a logical hierarchy, similar to a site map.
If we are creating the content for your site, a site map will be created (see design and content creation process) based on information gathered in this phase.
For existing sites, we may need to recommend creating new content, or entire sections of new content where competition is stiff and your page content is light.

META data and content templates
We create the content templates for each page. Templates include keywords targeted for this page, unique META description and keywords elements for this page, html title for this page, and keyword rich headline for this page. Inbound link anchor text is also outlined. We have specific guidelines for the creation of each of these elements for maximum search and visitor optimization

Page optimization
For existing pages, we review the content to be optimized as determined in the keyword grouping page. We make specific editorial change recommendations to the content and identify where image tags need to be updated, titles, meta tags and link anchor text should be changed. We provide assistance in implementing the changes.
For new pages, we create the content based on discussions with you and the optimized content templates we have created. (See separate content creation process)

Architecture optimization
We review your site architecture and make recommendations such as those mentioned in the checkup in points 18 and 19 of our search engine visibility audit. Link anchor text is identified in previous steps is to be used in creation of navigational systems within the site. We complete or assist in the completion of the required changes to the site.
We create search optimized site map for the site. We create an XML sitemap for Google specifically, and submit to Google SiteMaps.
Outbound links are reviewed, addition of the ‘no follow’ link attribute is assigned where appropriate and outbound linking pages moved or grouped where necessary to optimize Google’s PageRank within your site.

Latent Semantic Indexing
(Also known as inbound link optimization, or back links.)
The ideal link anchor text, link titles and link descriptions are created for inclusion in directories and links from other sites. If you have multiple sites we recommend the ideal linking structure between sites.
In your search visibility audit we conducted a review of your sites inclusion in key directories and assistance in designing and placing listings your site. An additional three hours of inbound link opportunity research and requests for in-bound links in included in every search engine package.

For extended search engine optimization consulting plans, we implement an extended search engine optimization consulting process.