Content Remains King

In terms of Search Engine Optimisation, otherwise known as SEO, there are many key aspects to consider. Keyword research determines the most relevant and appropriate keyword strings for which search engines will list your website. Correct meta-tagging procedures allow these keywords to be effectively put to use. The site architecture will allow both users of your site and more importantly (in SEO terms) the search engines to easily navigate around your site to find what they need. Backlinks are hugely important as well, as they indicate to the search engines that your site is well respected and seen as important by the broader online community. Robot.txt files enable you to determine any parts of the site which you do not want search engines to "skip" or "disallow" (thanks to Mark Jackson of Search Engine Watch). Content however remains as probably the most important factor for most websites.

But how do you find the space within the site navigation to have enough keyword heavy content without putting off your customers?

Never discount the importance of the main pages, or "Level 1" pages as I like to call them. These include the home page, about us section, company news, product/service descriptions, portfolios, image galleries, and the like. On these pages should be relevant and important content that you want your viewers to see. Importantly, Prominent calls to action should be used within these pages to maximise your site's conversion rate.

The next set of content that can be incorporated to maximise SEO effectiveness are what I call "Level 2" pages. These pages contain content that is for the most part user-generated. Examples of such pages are company blogs, testimonials, forums and product/service reviews. Basically, you should incorporate Web 2.0 elements to your otherwise web 1.0 site. Whilst having a multitude of broader marketing and branding benefits, in SEO terms, they provide additional, relevant content. These level 2 pages, whilst adding content to the site, will not annoy customers as they have the ability to contribute to it themselves.

These first two content page levels are becoming more and more common in SEO campaigns across the web. But can they alone provide sufficient keyword heavy content to ensure your site is found towards the top of Google and other search engines? In my opinion, the answer is no. This is because they are so common now, that in the increasingly competitive race for top rankings, more is required. But where can it be placed without annoying consumers by bombarding them with too much content?

"Level 3" content pages, as i refer to them, are keyword heavy pages of content located in the back side of the site. They should not be easy to find for the average site user, a good place to link to Level 3 pages is in the site's footer links. These pages should be developed to target a plethora of industry related keyword terms, including but also beyond, those that were flagged in your keyword research. Level 3 pages may incorporate more specific and extensive product/service descriptions, e-copies of product manuals, industry related glossary of terms, an archive of various industry related arcticles and more. These pages are ones that you do not need consumers to see. In fact, in most instances you would probably prefer them not to be found as they could over-complicate their experience on the site. However, these pages can round off a highly successful SEO campaign, ensuring your website is found high-up on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs), just where it should be!

Remember - smiles, laughter and only good things :-)