Is it really true that first page search results matter most?
From the inception of the internet, many SEO myths were born out of yesterday’s web techniques which no longer apply. Being the top dog on the search engine results is not that important based upon current research … people will indeed look at all results and are known to scroll further down the page. Organic search however seems to be the first choice for those searching for information and those are the search results that show up on the left hand side of the search results.
Search ranking is only one spoke in the wheel and other methods such as social media, and other marketing efforts are now front and center when it comes to good SEO technique. Being first is not as crucial today as in the past. You site can easily be found by a viewer just using search words which are part of one of your great blog posts. This will lead them to your door (your website). The rest is history. Once they find your site through a blog post they can enjoy and browse other pages of the site.
Can I learn SEO and do this on my own?
Good SEO techniques follow a set of techniques which will drive traffic to your site. If you choose to learn on your own (the latest SEO techniques) this can be done. However, SEO methods can be complex when it comes to coding and technical methods. This requires top PR skills. Most businesses do not have the time to assign an individual to keep up with the changing SEO requirements. An online marketing professional will bring the best results.
Do I have to submit my site to search engines?
Search engine crawlers are sophisticated enough today that they can locate and scan your site within a matter of days after the site is launched. They will scan the content but will not return unless you add new content. This is why blogging and adding new content is so very important. It may be a good idea to submit your site once or twice. Submitting it over and over however is no longer necessary with today’s technology.
Are Meta Tags (Individual keywords) still necessary for all pages?
In the past, the normal method for adding meta tags (which is small keywords) added into the html code to help search engines identify each page of the site no longer affects your ranking. Most top search engines like Google and Bing stopped using meta language to rank sites. New and fresh content is now king for gaining rank. On the contrary, meta tags added to images, links, etc will help. They are useful if used properly but are not required as before. This is an example of how the search tool has changed over the years since the inception of the internet.
How important is it to have a keyword rich domain name?
In the past, Google and top search engines placed a high importance on domain names. Many IT professionals and companies got rich purchasing many of these keyword rich domain names and re-selling them to others. Now, however, the indexing process is only concerned with actual content and not the domain name.
The domain name will not elevate your site importance any longer but can play a role in helping folks find you if you are clever with the choices. People may still use the URL (domain name) to find you but it will not bring a higher rank.
Thanks for stopping by … hurry back for more news from the Design Wizards
Jean Holland-Rose, Chief Creative Officer
