Search engine optimisation

What is search engine optimisation?

Search engine optimisation or commonly known as SEO, refers to designing and building a website to maximise its ranking on search engines for specific search terms.
The majority of search engines utilise web applications called "spiders" to scan the internet for web pages which are then indexed in their own database. When a user performs a search on the search engine, this database is queried and algorithms are applied to determine the relevance of the page to the corresponding search term(s).

The search engine optimisation process

TBI adopts a five phase approach to a search engine optimisation campaign:

• Situation analysis
• Keyword discovery
• Implementation
• Measurement
• Ongoing analysis

Situation analysis

This phase identifies how your website is currently performing across search engines and establishes benchmarks such as site traffic, current keywords and search engine referrals which will be used to measure the success of the campaign.

Keyword discovery

Probably the most important phase of the search engine optimisation process is ensuring that the optimum keywords are selected. Only a limited number of keywords (generally 3-4 per page is best) can be effectively targeted for an SEO campaign therefore, it is vital to ensure the best possible keywords are selected.

The most commonly searched terms are often not the best keywords to use, as a high level of competition may prevent you from obtaining maximum rankings. TBI applies an algorithm to calculate the visibility rating (VR) for each of the keywords. The VR will help us determine which of these keywords will allows us to achieve the best rankings for your website.

Implementation

The size and scale of your implementation recommendations will be dependant on your specific situation but may include activities such as:

• Modifications to your visual design
• Altering the site structure
• Copywriting
• HTML coding
• Link building and search engine submission *

* A key factor in determining the ranking of a website is the number of inbound links (IBLs) to your website. This phase will identify the best strategies to ensure the optimium rankings can be achieved.

Measurement

A measurement and results report will be provided to you after implementation and the major search engines have re-indexed the site (usually within a month, but may take many more). This report will provide results compared the benchmarks established in the earlier phases. Indicators of a successful campaign vary per campaign, as they are dependant on such factors as, the existing search engine position, keyword popularity, and existing traffic to the site.

Ongoing analysis

Search engines are constantly changing their ranking algorithms, new websites are entering the market and there is a good chance your competition is working on search engine optimisation of their website. Therefore, it is important that ongoing review and analysis of your website be done to maintain your rankings. A periodic report provided to you will include:

• Rank by keywords on major search engines
• Search engine traffic numbers
• Competitive keyword review and analysis
• Recommendations

Cost

The cost of the search engine optimisation process will vary from site to site. Factors influencing the cost include the popularity of the keywords associated with your website, the number of pages you wish to optimise and the degree of "SEO friendliness" of your current website. Provide your URL and an overview of your requirements and we can provide you with an accurate costing and options available to you.

Next steps

Contact us to improve your search engine rankings through search engine optimisation.

Search engine marketing | Website optimisation