SEO (search engine optimisation)

Have you ever wondered how some websites get to the top of Google search results? The answer is content. Quality content. And this is an extremely important part of the online copywriting process.

In addition to titles and descriptions in your metadata, you will need to incorporate keywords and phrases in your copy. It helps search engines determine how relevant your site is to a particular search.

So how do keywords work? Search engines such as Google or Bing use ‘robots’ or ‘spiders’ to map the internet and ‘index’ your page. If you can use keywords throughout your copy, it shows Google how relevant your information is to users searching online. Hence, it will bring up your site next time someone searches for words related to words it finds on your website.

For keywords to be SEO effective, aim to use them 5-8 times per 500 words. But please do not let this rule affect the integrity of your copy. It is much better to write a good sentence, than stuff keywords into copy for the sake of it.

In addition to keyword density, here are some other factors that contribute to how Google ranks your site:

• Recency – when was your domain registered? The longer your site has been up, the more credibility it gets.

• Backlinks – how many other sites reference yours? Are you listed on other business’ sites, or on any online directories? The more sites linking back to you, the better.

• Social media platforms – how many accounts out there are talking about you? The more people mentioning your name and sharing information with you, the better.

• Updates – when was your site last updated? The more often you can add blogs, articles, create new pages and edit content, the more Google sees your site containing useful up-to-date information.

It is a good idea to regularly check how well your site ranks for specific search words/phrases. There are many free online tools to help you check your ranking (see below for an example).

For those who wish to check many search words/phrases very regularly, there are several software packages available for purchase in the marketplace.

If you see your site needs SEO improvement, implement or refine the above SEO strategies and check your ranking again in a week or two.

What keywords do I use? Google Keyword Tool

To find out which keywords you should be using, check out Google Keyword Tool. Like most Google products, it is extremely easy to use and only takes seconds: https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Although the results are extremely broad, they give you a good idea of what words to focus on. You should take a close look at them, and scope out what terms are more competitive than others (hence lucrative).

Here is a screenshot of what Google Keyword Tool looks like when you search for ‘engineering courses Melbourne’:

If you’d like to know more, contact Avion Communications. We’ll talk you through what you can improve.