Search engine optimisation is very much like a Grand Prix race – you have weeks of testing, an action packed first stint, a pit stop, a team behind the scenes analysing every available statistic, a final push and then… the only difference is that with search engine optimisation there is no chequered flag and no champagne spraying podium. Why? If you sit back and celebrate when your site hits the first page of the search results, you’ll quickly be overtaken by mid-pack runners.

Tempting as it is to ease off the gas when you reach a respectable search position, you must continue with search engine optimisation activity in order to maintain that visibility. By making any of the following changes on a regular basis, you’ll avoid that sinking feeling when your web site starts to drop from page one to page two and beyond.

1. Add New Content

Even if you don’t have a big new announcement to make, adding fresh new content to your site will encourage the search engine spiders to keep re-indexing. Keep page content a minimum of 200 words and ensure that primary and secondary string keywords feature.

2. Update Old Content

If you really can’t think of a single reason to update your blog or add a new page to the site, go back and refresh some of the old content that hasn’t been changed in a while. Chances are you’ll have new keywords to include and can think of a better way of structuring this core information including new headlines, sub headers and meta tag details.

3. Add a Site Map

You should have added a site map right at the beginning of the search engine optimisation process but if it got overlooked, now is a good time to introduce one to the site.

4. Link Build Make it your mission to add a certain number of relevant links from external sources each week. You can do this by adding thoughtful blog content, sending out a press release or otherwise requesting a link from a third party source. Remember that relevance is key when building links for search engine optimisation purposes.

5. Add Alt Tags

Alt tags are a very small part of search engine optimisation but play an important accessibility function. If your images have generic alt tags, rename them to something more meaningful.

6. Update Page Names and Titles

If you’re serious about search engine optimisation, it’s time to stop being lazy with page names and titles. Each should be unique and relevant to that page. Rather than calling a product page ‘Product1’ for example, use the name of the item in the page title.

Even if you carry out these activities each week and don’t see any drastic improvements, remember that SEO is a long term commitment. If you need to see faster results or just don’t have time to dedicate to search engine optimisation, contact Top Position and find out more about our SEO packages.

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