Using Waukesha Web Designer, Papertree Design and Viral Thinking, I have been doing quite a bit of research and experimentation with SEO technique. My main goal has been to start climbing the search engines for a number of search phrases having to do with the keywords web design, Wisconsin, Milwaukee and Waukesha. So far I have been quite successful in doing so but good technique is a constant learning process and the key is to get to the top and stay there.

First for those of you wondering what is SEO or just need a better explination of it’s importance. SEO or search engine optimization is just that, optimizing your site for search engines such as Google. One of the best resources I have found to date concerning the topic can be found here, it offers a wide variety of articles targeting both the begginer and expert. The topic of SEO is a source of endless conversation and has become a very serious profession in the world of web design and development. Some companies are willing to pay top dollar for professional SEO consultation, but for those of us who can’t quite yet afford those services you can at least get a good start. Most importantly, be sure to hire a web designer/developer that has a good working knowledge of the topic and is willing to put in the extra work to provide a base for good optimization.

With that covered lets take a closer look at SEO itself. There are great number of elements play a role in the total optimization of your site. First lets discuss the creation of the pages within your site. Think of each page from the top down starting with the page title. Creating a good title the contains one or two keywords is like wearing a red suit to a black tie event, it will get you noticed and that is good in this case. From there you need to take a look at some of the behind the scenes info like meta descriptions. I personally feel that more importantly you need to pay close attention to the content of your page that follows. The actual title of the page content, or the header that follows. Does it relate to what you are describing in the title of the page? Think of it in terms of the guy in the red tux, you approach him because he stands out and now he is greeting you with a great opening line. Chances are you are hooked and more than ready to hear more. This is when we move on to the content or your “story”. When you are opening your story it is best to start with a brief summary, show how your titles relate to what you are about to say and by all means use some keywords. Ok so stop for a moment and think of what we just covered, what does that sound like to you? First impressions are key in you personal life, your business life and in you online presence. What follows should be genuinely useful to the reader or customer. Make it something that they might pass on to a friend who has similar interests or even link to you content from their own page. Which brings us to the next subject, links.

Generating links to your web page is great but it is important to remember that one great link to your page far outweighs ten mediocre links. What makes a good link? Links coming into your page from outside sources tips the search engines off to the fact that you have provided some useful information which leads them to believe that you might have some authority on the topic. If the incoming links coming from sites that are already established as authoritative, your credibility just increased. If the number one heart surgeon in your state tells you that he has full confidence in the abilities of the intern that will be assisting him, does that not make you feel a bit more comfortable with the situation? The process of creating good incoming link relationships is often one that extends far beyond the initial design and development of your site. It is an ongoing process just as any good SEO.

That brings me to the final point in this article and that is the on going process of SEO. Keeping your content fresh and updated is important. Don’t be afraid to add updates when you feel that they are needed, provide new content to you reader. This is part of the reason that I find it beneficial to create a blog. Not only are you able to archive your older articles, which keeps them running in the search engines, but you are also able to easily add new content.

What I hope to have provided is a brief introduction to the subject of search engine optimization as I see it. Obviously the topic of SEO is much more involved and complex, but this should give you a basis for creating or editing content you might supply to the person or company involved in creating your web presence. As I said it is important that you find someone whom you feel has a good grasp on search engine optimization so that your website is developed correctly from the get go. When applicable it also would not hurt to enlist the services of a professional consultant.

Tags: Milwaukee SEO, search engine optimization, SEO, Wisconsin SEO