Super SEO

by Dwight Maskew, carbonBased Media

super_seo A good starting point is verifying that you have a a standards-compliant Web site that is search engine optimized (SEO). This makes is easy for search engines to crawl and index your Web site pages. Web standards are simply best practices to follow when creating a Web site, and ensure that your site will be easy to maintain in the future. It also makes updating more efficient. Optimize your site by creating content that sends a consistent message about who you are and what services you provide.

Content is the most important part of your Web site. Search engines sort their results by content relevancy, so you want your site to be a relevant authority for your speaking topics. Many speakers write articles, so it’s important to create a clear, concise list of 15 to 20 keywords or key phrases and use them consistently throughout your pages and articles to increase your topic relevancy.

When the search engines see that most of your pages relate to a series of specific topics, they will begin to recognize your site as an authority in those areas. The best advice comes from an expert, right? (ed: Be an expert!) Having links to your site from other Web sites in the same topic categories also increases the significance of your content. Trade links with other speakers who focus on a variety of topics and everyone will benefit from the exchange.

When visitors come to your site, you want them to stay (ed: as long as possible). Keep your site fresh by offering some tasty media snacks on a regular basis. Entertaining and informative blog posts, tutorials, downloads and podcasts will increase your traffic. Images from a recent conference and video will also attract and keep visitors.

Humorous and instructional videos are very popular right now, and leveraging free video hosting sites like YouTube.com or Blip.tv will keep your marketing costs down. Utilizing social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter also help create a network of contacts that can spread the word.

d_maskew Dwight Maskew is owner of carbonBased Media, which builds Web sites that highlight the important parts of your company’s services. For more information, visit www.carbonbasedlife.com

Read the original article in NSA’s Speaker Magazine for October 2009, Fresh Insights on Web Site Design, page 33. 2 other web developers also offered great information on web site design. Check it out!