Search Engine Optimisation.  (Yawn!)  Sssss Eeeeee Ohhhhhhh!

We’ve not said much on this and that’s not because it doesn’t matter.  I guess rather than hyping it up and pimping buzz words we just see it as integral and part of what ‘just gets done’.  So while I consider this a really dry subject I do think I should say a bit about it as we’ve been asked some tricky questions lately about strategically engineering SEO into projects from the ground up in large mass market projects.

Keeping SEO Simple

Here be the basics of what ye do at FM (pirate voice required):

25/75 rule re onsite/offsite effort

In our experience thus far (working with our exclusive outsourced UK partner) onsite optimisation is purported to deliver 25% of our objectives and offsite i.e. backlink profile building is 75%. 

• One is not mutually exclusive of the other insomuch as relevance of external links needs to align to internal and onsite copy etc. 
• And, any noob who thinks they can get huge results from simply making onsite changes has a long way to go… on a hard road.

Wholistic strategy for competive segments

In a super important site in a massively competitive segment (sorry for overuse of adjectives) we involve our partner on a consulting basis through build/planning/copywriting.

Post build reviews for general work

Generally speaking though we build to best practice and then get our partner to come in at the end and do a site review as soon as it’s gone live.  This is so they can strategize and report against a real (live) asset.

Stage 1 in SEO

So a first stage SEO for a project is like this:

• A review based around key word metrics and typically a key word theme that clearly has value and is currently drawing traffic on the engines.  Plenty of people struggle with this. 

“oh my god – I can only optimise for one main thing….  but I’m about A,B,C,D and what if people want XYZ!!!!”

• Baseline report on current positioning is produced
• Directions to make alterations (inclusive of sample CSS) to page titles, some page structure, certainly page footers, custom written copy for front page or key target landing pages…. All based around targeted key word densities and relationships around the key word theme.

We implement all these changes and at the same time we get our partner to start on backlink profile work.  This involves placing links on sites, writing themed articles about the key word targets and integrating links in those on external sites. 

Our partner helps us to do our reporting and show movement against historical positions and competitors etc.

Stage 2 in SEO

A second stage to any of this kind of SEO work is:

1. Building themed social pages and staffing them with copywriters to work as funnels to the sites.  Some call these micro-blogs and so on.
2. Pushing a fixed number of themed links, editorial links and review links each month to keep building profile
3. And of course, subject to site progress/changes re-enter stage 1.