(SEO is in everything you do, pt1)

Search engine optimisation involves many factors; links, keywords, competition, page rank, all of which will be covered in this blog in time. In part one of the “SEO is in everything you do” series, I look at how, if you think like a searcher from the very start, you will gain an advantage without even trying.

Think like a searcher? What do you mean?

If you’re going to rank for the things that people search for, you have to do it in their language. As the internet grows, searchers have become more web-savvy. Gone are the days when people would fire up Alta-vista or Yahoo and search for ‘Watches’, ‘Clothing’ or ‘Shoes.’ People have learnt that this returns a lot of irrelevant results. Nowadays people search for much more specific terms; they fire up Google and tap much more specific phrases such as ‘Buy watches online’ ‘Ladies clothing shops in Manchester’ or ‘Men’s leather golf shoes oxford’. When it comes to making a decision on how to word things relating to your business, both online and offline, you need to think like a searcher too.

SEO in your business name

SEO can start right from the beginning. If you’re lucky enough to be taking up the challenge of starting a new business, consider what impact your business name and strap line may have on your search performance. If Keith, Tom and Mike were to start an IT business installing networks for B2B clients, they could name it:

“KTM Networks”

However I would bet not many people would find them in the search results, unless specifically searching for the business by name. Now, thinking like a searcher, how about:

“KTM Network Installations - Installing IT networks for your business”

Instantly, without trying, you’re including relevant keywords and phrases that people might search for:

• Network installations
• Installing networks
• IT networks
• IT network installations
• Business network installations

Also, as a side bonus, the keywords for your business sector are automatically included in the text of every natural inbound link you receive. For those who may not be so familiar with SEO factors, SEOMoz considered the text of an inbound link to be of ‘exceptional importance’ on the SEO scale, stating that “Anchor text of the inbound link is one of the most concise assessments another person [or search engine] can make about what your site/page is ‘about’“.

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