SEO Company
Search Engine Optimization

Aim for relevant online website traffic using DWD's approach to Search Engine Optimization

- Webmail
- Search Engine Optimization
- Research
- Meta Tags
- Alt Tags
- Title Tags
- Website Content
- Backward Links
- Pay Per Click Marketing

Meta Tags

Search engines have programs running that constantly surf the web for the web sites they have listed and potentially new sites by jumping from link to link. Meta tags are used by these (bots) and (spiders) to map out which key phrases to rank your web site under. The tags themselves are simply a series of key phrases separated by commas that used correctly, should match the content in your web site for optimal results. Meta descriptions also help these programs rank your site according to your services or products.

Alt Tags

For bots to read the content of your web site, they must scan each page. If you have photos or images on each page, bots cannot read any associated key phrase you would like to associate that image with unless you apply an Alt Tag to it. To view alt tags, simply roll over this image here (SAMPLE IMAGE) and wait a second to see what key phrases are associated with it. Alt Tags have an impact as to where you get ranked as well and should be considered with image heavy designs.

Title Tags

Title tags are another component that is evaluated to determine what key phrases your website is associated with. To find the Title Tag on this webpage, check out the very top of the site and you should see SEO Company : Chicago Website Design and Web Design : Ditley.com in the upper left hand corner of your browser. Title Tags are also shown as the title of your webpage once someone finds that page in a search engine.

Warning

Be wary of any web design company that claims to get you to the number one position in any major search engine. Be sure to read the bottom line: No SEO company or web design company can promise or guarantee you a number 1 spot in any major search engine. This warning only applies with natural (organic) listings. Obviously you can pay a fee to get listed in PPC (Pay Per Click) or sponsored advertising to guarantee a #1 spot for selected search key phrases depending on your monthly budget, but the organic listings are another story.

Every major search engine changes their algorithms frequently to shake up organic results. What used to be a great strategy may be outdated to the point where your online ranking slips. Major search engines also have no partnerships or special deals with any SEO Company.

What is "SEO"?

Search Engine Optimization is a combination of 300+ strategy points that need to be evaluated and implemented into your website. Think of search engine promotion in this way: Major search engines such as Google, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, and others do not wish to be manipulated by relatively new businesses (aiming at holding the #1 position). After all, brand new companies may or may not be around in a year or two. These search engines succeed off of visitors being able to find relevant results when looking for terms such as Chicago Web Design and Web Design instead of dead links that lead to non-existent websites.

Search engine optimization is something that not only is used to get your website to the top of major search engines. Used correctly, these rankings will not only earn you a ton of website traffic, but also focus on finding website visitors who are looking for your product or service (relevant web traffic). Depending on how you plan to generate income from your website, aiming to capture the attention of interested web surfers may end up being far more important strategy then simply to aim at general online web traffic. Then again, another strategy is to simply pull in every type of online visitor in order to earn money from advertisers who which to use your site as a window once you have enough monthly website traffic.

Search Engine Optimization Strategies

Here are only a few hints on what to apply to your web site that will help with organic search results that apply to non-flash based (static) websites. Flash components may be added, but sparingly. Even flash based websites may overcome that issue with well coded CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Keep in mind there are thousands of suggestions about fundamentally building a website that is search engine friendly:

Research

There are rules to follow while implementing Title Tags, Meta Tags, Alt Tags, and Content while designing a search engine friendly web page. In order to effectively make these strategies work for your web site, research is important. First you must find out which key phrase is right for your company. For instance if you have a baking company in Chicago, you may not want to use the generic key phrase "Baking Company". Instead, throw in your city, town, or district in the phrase to give you better rankings and results such as "Chicago Bakery". Secondly there are ways to find out which key phrases are most trafficked that will help you determine which ones to pick for your company that will lead to success. Sites such as: Reach Local will help you with this.

Pay Per Click Marketing

Major search engines make money by selling advertisements related to key phrases. You can spend money on a campaign that is tied to a string of key phrases that have preferably been researched. Every time a visitor clicks on an ad associated with that campaign, you will be charged appropriately. Ad placement is a bidding process. For instance, if you want to be on the first page of Google for the Search term Chicago Bakery, you may have to pay 70 cents per click. If your competitor wishes to be higher up in the page, they may pay 75 cents per click. Some search phrases are so competitive that the price per click has been up to $15 per click.

You will find the first two or three advertisements on the very top part of the web page in a designated box titled "sponsored links". The ads from that point are on the right side of the page ranked on order of cost per click. A good rule of thumb is to pay enough to ensure your ad is ranked high enough so that a visitor may see it without having to scroll down. Then again if you have a more liberal budget, go for the first position for a while and see what kind of results you generate. Compare your findings with results from a lower ranking to figure out what position is worth it to you.

Website Content

Content is king. Simple as it sounds, the text of your website is one of the more important factors that that is used to help drive online business while also contributing to the rankings of your site in the upper levels of search engines. Again, keep in mind that major search engines want people to find relevant and helpful search results. Make sure to double check for spelling and grammatical errors. Content that is helpful and relevant to the key phrases you wish to be found under will generate and increase web traffic as you climb in rankings.

Key Note

Changing the text on any of your web pages does in fact affect your rankings in a very good way. Major search engine bots like to see that a site is being updated and changed often. It is one of the ways they can determine if a business website is active and updating or if it is a company that has gone under. It is in their best interest to give people relevant results when searching for a product or service and one of the very many ways they determine website rankings.

Backward Links

Just as content is effective in giving you a solid and relevant website, backward links are the key to directing search engine bots (and visitors) to your home page. In order to enhance the popularity of your company's website, make sure you submit your link to other websites and directories, particularly in your industry. Furthermore, if you are allowed to submit your link as a key phrase such as Chicago Bakery enough times, you will see great results. This strategy takes time and is not something you will probably want to pay for, but rather do on your own. Caring about the rankings of your web site and taking an active role in its success is critical. Additionally, SEO companies who claim to submit your link to hundreds of directories and search engines at once can potentially get your website banned if you end up in link farms.

Another upside to submitting your link to directories is the direct traffic you will receive from them regardless of the bots / spiders searching your link. The more links you have out there that direct visitors to your home page, the more searches will inevitably generate more web traffic for your company. Backward links are one of the most important SEO tactics you can work on. Unfortunately it is also the most tedious. Two options you can move forward with are to submit your links yourself, or hire a company to handle it. Ditley.com provides these services, however they are charged at a monthly rate instead of a one time fee. Though these charges are monthly, you will be provided with a report of where your links are being submitted and also the progress of your rankings under particular key phrases. Expect to spend $800 or more for these services if you do not have the time to handle it yourself. If you decide to do it yourself instead of using an SEO Company, just make sure that you are submitting your company link to directories and web sites that are relevant to your industry, submit as many as you can for free, pay for a few, and make sure that the link names match the key phrases you wish to be found under.