There was recently a good article explaining the difference of On Page vs. Off Page SEO (Search Engine Optimization). What many people fail to realize, is that what is going on in their site is often as important or more important long term than what is going on outside of their site, and can be done easier.
For example, it would (probably) be easier to ensure that page titles had better value for the page, than to get 10 people to link to a brand new site. I say probably because it takes time, and depending upon the number of pages you have, it can take any where from a few hours to a few days or more.
Other forms on On Page Optimization I like to look for and work on when I am improving a site include:
- Link Text – the text that is used in the link itself to the other page
- Page Titles – it shouldn’t be Company Name – Home. And yes, I’ve made that same mistake myself.
- File Names – should be descriptive and organized with the content they are displaying
- Header Tags – this is missed most often by designers new and old alike. Make the header tags fit into the page, and use them appropriately.
- And more… – this is just the tip of the iceberg.
While it does cover the majority of what needs to be done, I often see it poorly implemented on web sites.
None of this can make up for poor content, but then again neither can a 1,000 incoming links. Quality content will encourage people to link to you, and keep your visitors on your site doing what you want them to do.
Many people have the wrong impression, or think that SEO can only be done one way. They will try to tell you that this is what it is, and there are many parts to SEO. Now that we’ve seen where to start looking for internal optimization, let’s look at what it isn’t.
- Links from other sites
- Pay-Per-Click
- Banner-Ads
- Redesign the Interface of their website
I mention the last because I hear lots of people, usually recent graduates try to tell me that redesigning the interface will help the optimization. The search engines do not care how your page “looks”. They care more about the structure and content than what color you are using.
Now if a redesign incorporates the aforementioned enhancements, then yes, it will help your SEO efforts. But it should not be required. If someone wants to sell you on the design enhancements, make sure you know how they intend to incorporate the SEO techniques before signing off on the project – otherwise you might end up in a place even worse then where you are now.
If you need someone to help you evaluate your Search Engine Optimization, please contact us.
About Walter Wimberly