Campbell, Harrington & Brear

September 27th, 2011
Posted By: Allan Pettit

A website has no value if no one can find it, which is why web development, content management and expertise in search engine optimization (SEO) work hand-in-hand-in-hand.

When properly executed, SEO allows your site to leap-frog competitor sites and appear on the top pages of search engines such as Google, Bing and Yahoo.

That’s because SEO is the science – as well as the art – of understanding how search engines go about their business. SEO experts know what search engines look for and value as they sift through billions of sites, finding, then ranking the most appropriate for each individual search.

The problem is, while “experts” are a dime a dozen, real expertise is rare.

Recently, we were asked to perform an SEO audit on a company website that was underperforming, despite their efforts to elevate search performance. Our analysis revealed many problems, including scores of coding errors in the HTML – a red flag for search engines – as well as a host of “black opps,” dubious optimization techniques that may provide short-term juice before running dry, and can, over the long term, get a site blacklisted.

Further, the site ignored social media and the role it can play both within your site – providing continuous content – and outside. As Stephen Marcum, our director of media strategy explains, “What people are saying about you and your products or services can have a dramatic impact on SEO.”

Finally, the site was abusing keywords, stuffing them in ways that today’s search algorithms patently reject.

What does this have to do with your site?

• If it’s not performing well in search, start by making sure your site is, as Stephen says, “fresh, new and engaging.” Start adding informative, relevant content regularly.

• Invest in SEO expertise. It will begin with an SEO audit. Says Stephen, “A properly executed audit becomes a portal to understanding where your website stands in terms of search engine visibility, and a platform for creating and executing an SEO strategy.”

• That audit will then allow a reputable SEO specialist to assemble an effective plan, using a range of formulas, techniques, coding strategies and frequently overlooked SEO tools such as social media and reputation monitoring and management.

• We repeat, hire “a reputable SEO specialist.” Not someone who heard about SEO a few months ago, then added a new bullet to the business card, but someone like Stephen who eats, breathes and sleeps SEO … and has done so for years.

To learn more about our SEO and reputation management services, call Angela Wenner, director of new business development, at 846-2947, or email her at angela@chbadv.com.

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