Search Engine Optimisation 101

Search engines don’t stand still. The algorithms that power them are being tested constantly, and when a breakthrough is made, the main search engine itself is updated.

Over the years, many Search Engine Optimisation companies have identified shortcuts and employed cheap but short-term tactics to help their clients climb up the search results, with ‘rankings’ being the Holy Grail.

But that doesn’t provide the site visitor who finds them with a better experience, and so as search engine algorithms update, one by one these tactics and shortcuts are locked off and pushed away – leaving clients who put their trust in these firms without the one thing they’d received.

How to Spot Bad SEO Practice

We don’t like to refer to ‘rankings’ at novi.digital, the company once known as SEO24/7; it’s one of the ‘bad words’ we’ve put on the ‘naughty word list’. You’ll find it right next to ‘link-building’, which is one of those concepts that should be left in the past alongside floppy disks. But those same SEO companies that promoted these bad practices have also persuaded many that rankings and link building are vital to the success of your website.

The simple truth of the matter is that there’s no evidence of this at all. How many people link to you, how well you rank – these don’t correlate to the profitability of your site. Taken on their own they don’t even result in notably increased sales.

Making the Most of your Website

We recommend that you evaluate your site in terms of margin and expenditure – just as you would any other aspect of your business.

Here are three key questions you should be asking:

• How much am I paying to acquire each sale?
• How much is an average sale worth to me?
• How many people that visit my website actually convert into paying customers?

Why ask these questions? Well, they’re the only way to be sure you turn a profit online. Never forget – it’s the customer you want to attract. Google and its ilk don’t lose sight of that, and their algorithms are designed to bring people together with the sites they’ll most want to see.

Learn from the Experts

If you want to find out more, then novi.digital are offering a free drop-in session on February 12th between 9am and 5pm at our Lancaster University Infolab offices for any businesses looking to grow through 2016 and again in March on Friday 25th from 9am until 5pm. Individual sessions can last up to 30 minutes each and will be limited to one per company.

We’ll also be offering courses throughout year in collaboration with Lancaster Chamber of Commerce and Cumbria Chamber of Commerce as well at our Lancaster University location. For course dates please enquire directly on [email protected]

In addition, our Managing Director will be speaking at the E3 Business Expo in Bolton on March 3rd.