Posted by
Good News on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 10:03:52 PM
Because today's technology allows you to do so many things quickly, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that search engine optimization should happen at the snap of your fingers, too.
But the truth is, search engine optimization takes time. More than two hours, two days, two weeks, or even two months. It is a long-term process and a long-term commitment: but, done right, it brings long-term business growth. Here's a brief sketch of what you can expect when you take on the task of serious search engine optimization:
Business Analysis. So many businesses want to skip this stage! But this is the foundation of the entire SEO structure: analyzing your business, your goals, your current website, your market, and your products and services. Until you know who you are, who you want to reach, and how you want to reach them, SEO will remain nothing more than a pipedream.
Keyword Research. Once you have thoroughly analyzed your business, keyword research must be performed to determine what words and phrases your potential clientele are searching on to find you. One of the most dangerous mistakes you can make is to assume you know how people are searching for you: you need the hard facts that only in-depth, professional research can provide.
Website Optimization. The keywords and phrases must then be incorporated strategically throughout your site. You may also find that your website needs restructuring or a full or partial redesign in order to appeal to your market and be easily indexed by the search engines.
Site Indexing. Once your website has been search engine optimized and goes live, you begin another phase of the waiting game: it can take up to 8 weeks for the various search engines to index your site. And there is absolutely no way to speed up that process.
Ongoing Testing. Finally, it is vital to understand that your job isn't done even when your site has been search engine optimized and indexed. That is just the start of the longest phase of the process: tracking results, testing different terms, and adding new content. In fact, this phase has no endpoint … as long as you want to maintain a viable web presence, you must continually put time and effort into your site's search engine optimization.