This is about as low-cost, high-return as it gets and if you don’t do it then you are certainly missing out.
Dozens of SEO techniques – some easy, some not – can be used to get your business website to appear higher in the search engine results of Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Here, at SafeHouse Web, we make it a rule to follow some simple, basic methods of organic SEO. It is something you can do yourself and if it is that easy, it must be good, right?
[NOTE: If you know you want super-sophisticated and high-dollar help, we can get that for you, too…]
But if you are in a position of needing and wanting only what you can afford to do now, then this tip is just right. The process of SEO (search engine optimization) can be overwhelming. But, there are two easy elements we can take advantage of that will certainly help.
Page Titles and Page Descriptions
See the image below. The results that appear in the search engines reflect your page title and page description. Having the right content in these two areas are certain to help your SEO efforts.
The page title is the headline link that appears in the Google search results. The page description is what describes what the particular page is about. You are allowed up to 70 characters (spaces included) for your page title and up to 150 characters (spaces included) for your page description. Utilize every bit of this space to describe what your page is about. And remember to maximize keywords that may be used by potential customers as they are searching for you.
These character numbers vary, slightly, with Yahoo and Bing, but use them as a guideline and you will be in good shape.
Use this free character counter for your title and your description lengths, if you don’t feel like pointing your finger at the screen, counting, “1, 2, 3…..”
The platform you are using to publish your website (WordPress, Dreamweaver, etc) will dictate where you will enter this information. Regardless, it will always be in the HTML code of your web pages (this is what the search engines see). You can see the source code of a web page by selecting View>Source in your Internet browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Chrome, etc.).
If there is one thing to do that will improve how high you appear in Google, Yahoo, and Bing search results, adding keyword rich page titles and descriptions is that thing.
If you need someone to make sure your web page titles and descriptions are SEO friendly, contact us.
