Developing a website has become very complex in today’s mobile environment. Old Technology and the many mistakes of the past are now replaced by a more modern practice used by the top search engines such as Google, Yahoo and others.
Old Search Engine Technique versus New:
Today’s search engine software has been programmed to work smarter and quicker. Old technology can immediately be detected by the search engines of today. Those sites not using mobile friendly methods are placed into a lower pecking order. This results in less traffic which leads to less revenue and thus little or no return on investment (ROI).
Old Techniques
Background-colored text in page content:
Old technology required search engines to be able to detect page content and the keyword density rather than code content. To keep the large list of keywords from showing to the visitors to the site, the developer would hide the keyword list by using very tiny font, or by using a color which was the same color as the background. This served two purposes. Search engines could still detect the keyword list, and second of all, the keyword list was invisible to the visitor who was more interested in reading the content (not seeing keywords).
Keyword density in page content:
Old technology suggested adding as many keywords as possible. The developer or site owner could also pack keywords into the actual page content. Unfortunately, this was done with no regard to the readership who were just trying to read the content. Keyword density (sometimes referred to as “keyword stuffing” ) was a magic bullet. Not much attention was given to the visitor and the quality of the content being read.
New Techniques
Today we understand that the end-user stays on the site for only a few seconds. He or she does not want to read everything about your company in a few seconds. They are there to have one question answered and it is usually how to reach you and to speak to you personally or to see one specific product or service advertised. Knowing this, we are working smarter and be just as clever as search engines who stop by to review the page content. The new page criteria of today requires the following method:
- Use less content (thus a more minimalistic concept is suggested)
- Include enough content to be informative and effective but less is best
- Add bullets to educate and inform the viewer quickly on client expertise
- Include elements which will visually stimulate the end-user
Developing the landing page for a new site:
As we develop a landing page for a website today, we ask the client to provide a well-written paragraph to introduce the company for the home page. In the one paragraph a few strategic keywords are placed within the paragraph to offer keyword inclusion. We might also ask for a few well-written bullets to describe a few of the company’s top services. That is it. Meta tag descriptions can be placed within the site html code on all pages and keyword tags are also suggested for pictures within the site. Understanding the readership and what they are looking for goes a long way to building a better widget!!
We work hard to stay current with the ever-changing algorithms of the internet. For the Design Wizards, this is a very slippery slope but will pay off in the end with revenue and more traffic for clients. The most important thing to always keep in mind is to never forget who we are really working for ….. the client and the folks who will find them!
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