Scaled Website Optimization: Big or small, there’s something for all. October 21, 2009
In yesterday’s post I proposed that the definition of SEO be changed from Search Engine Optimization to Strategy, Engagement and Optimization. Now I’d like to go a step further. The following is my (simplified) definition of what website optimization is, and how it can be scaled for different projects.
** Please note that this post addresses website optimization for search engines. There are many other aspects of a site that can be optimized, from technical performance (loading times and resource usage) to usability and accessibility (user experience and interaction with the site itself). Although they all fall under the Optimization category of “Strategy, Engagement and Optimization“, covering all of it would be far too daunting for a single blog post. **
Website Optimization for Search: It’s marketing, too!
Let’s break down the traditional search engine optimization planning process:
Like any marketing endeavour, it involves three components – a goal (what you want to accomplish and why), a strategy (how you’re going to accomplish it) and tactics (the specific steps that will make your strategy happen).
In most cases, all three components (in terms of search optimization) are as follows:
The goal is to increase site traffic by ranking highly on search engines for specifically-chosen key terms/keywords. The strategy involves determining what the key terms should be, and how you’ll target them. Finally, the tactics involve keyword research, producing content, measuring the effectiveness of the content, and constantly tweaking/maintaining the content to establish (or sustain) relevance*.
*This includes working with information architecture (the relationship between content) and site structure (the tech stuff), amongst other things.
These components are the essentials of on-page website optimization.
When done properly, a well-executed optimization plan will improve the quality and performance of a website.
But what happens when you can’t build a plan from scratch? What if you’re limited in resources, be it money or time (or both)?
Scaling Back: Working with smaller clients, smaller budgets and shorter timelines.
A full website optimization endeavour may be unfeasible or unwanted by a client. This can be especially true of small businesses who “just want a website“. Researching key terms, producing new content and constantly measuring/tweaking the content is simply out of the question.
Unfortunately there are a number of web developers who are more than happy to toss up sites without thinking twice about site optimization and search performance, even on a basic level. This is why you’ll find sites – often for local businesses in smaller markets – with generic page titles, duplicate content, broken links and inconsistent navigation. It sucks, but it’s a reality.
So this is where small-scale optimization kicks in.
Small-scale website optimization is to web development as home inspection is to residential construction.
Developers rush to meet deadlines and quotas. They may even cut corners to save time and money. These cut corners will inevitably cause problems at some point, so they need to be addressed.
Just as quality home inspection is intended to uncover problems in a house, quality small-scale optimization is intended to uncover problems on a site.
We’re not adding anything new with small-scale optimization; we’re just improving what’s already in place. We’re focusing on the little things that developers may have skipped over, because while they may be little, they’re still crucial components for a well-built website.
Look at it this way: A site with broken links and missing pages is like a house with broken plumbing and poor insulation. Like a home inspector, we figure out where the problems are – but unlike a home inspector, we take it upon ourselves to fix the problems.
We find the problems, we fix the problems, and everyone is better off for it. Implementing a full optimization plan may be more thorough, but small-scale optimization is still effective and useful.
Don’t forget, however, that Optimization is only one part of SEO.
Strategy and Engagement are important, too! I’ll be covering them more thoroughly in my next couple of posts.
Posted in Internet Marketing, SEO