Search Engine Optimization

If a tree falls in the woods and no one hears it....

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a website from search engines via "natural" ("organic") search results. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results, or the higher it "ranks," the more searchers will visit that site.

As an Internet marketing strategy, SEO considers how search engines work and what people search for. Optimizing a website primarily involves editing its content and HTML coding to both increase its relevance to specific search terms and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines.

Because effective SEO may require changes to the HTML source code of a site, SEO tactics may be incorporated into website design and development. The term "search engine friendly" may be used to describe website designs, menus, content management systems and shopping carts that are easy to optimize.

Second Street offers Search Engine Optimization services in conjunction with its website design, development and rollout activities. This is the optimum phase in which to consider SEO, as it is easier to plan it in than to try to strap it on later. Second Street offers two optimization packages:

Basic - Included with the client's initial website development.

• Development of Page Title Meta Tag information, which appears in the browser reverse bar for each page and is used by some search engines for text in the search engine results.
• Creation of Page Description Meta Tag information, which is employed by most web crawlers and search engines for ranking the client's site in conjunction with page text and for text placed in the search engine results.
• Construction of Google and Yahoo site map files and submission for use by their web crawlers. This provides the crawlers with a layout of the site telling them what is there rather than depending on the crawlers to figure it out.

Advanced - In addition to Basic Optimization, further improves the placement of the client's website in search engine results. Pricing is based on an hourly or page rate depending on the number of pages.

• Identification of search terms that provide additional text for crawler-based search engines to index along with the content and page descriptions of the client's web pages.
• Submission of the site to the Open Directory Project, which provides a source directory for Google and the majority of the other search engines.
• Implementation of additional search sites where feasible, while assuring no additional cost.
• Review of content and graphics to ensure that descriptive information is included such as "alt" tags where they can be applied.
• Inclusion of hyper-links to other sites where possible to improve page rankings.
• Creation of client Webmaster accounts on Google, Yahoo, and MSN as required for the management of website SEO activity.

Second Street cannot guarantee the placement of the client's website in the search engine rankings, as there are a number of variables that affect it including time, competition, and changes in search algorithms. But we will do our very best to work with you to create a website that places you well relative to your competition.

Copyright Second Street Web Design 2011