Living Organism

Why doesn’t my site show up on the first page of Google? Why hasn’t my site generated any new sales leads? If you find yourself asking these questions, you are not alone. Allowing search engines to SEE your site is critical to garnering traffic. Design, coding, maintenance, and marketing of your Web site all play a major role in what we at Vitamin refer to as Search Engine Efficiency.

Let’s begin by defining two acronyms that have spawned hundreds of books, thousands of companies, and endless debate among Web and marketing professionals; SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and SEM (search engine marketing).

SEO Explained
SEO is the process of making a Web site search engine friendly. SEO is merely a component of search engine marketing. Generally speaking, firms performing SEO will analyze your site’s code and structure for weaknesses, provide reports and recommendations, and implement solutions to remedy these weaknesses over time. Costs can vary, but for a small business you can bank on using up to 30% of your Web budget for a one-year contract with a reputable firm like SEO, Inc.

SEM Explained
SEM is a larger umbrella that consists of SEO and other marketing techniques, such as pay-for-inclusion (PFI) and pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. The cost of typical engagements with an SEM firm can increase quickly because you are not only paying for an SEO plan, but also for the cost of media buys and inclusion in directories.

Building the House
In marketing and PR, the best approach to any project is working proactively, not reactively. Aside from an additional pull on your marketing budget, the core issue with SEO is that it implies a need to “fix” your site. If your site requires “fixing,” a proactive approach in its construction – one that took scalability into consideration – was probably not something practiced by the web development team who built your site. Sound confusing? Let’s use some metaphors.

Think of a Web site as a house. When a contractor builds and completes a home, would you expect them BACK in 6 months or a year to re-pour your foundation or repair your roof because the work was not done properly the first time? The answer is no! Only an under skilled contractor would make such errors during construction. Think about it. If an architect gave the contractor specific plans, the contractor needs to simply follow the plans properly and the house should stand the test of time.

The concept of building for the Web is exactly the same. The only time you should need to repair a site is if you hired an under skilled Web developer. For best practices in Web development, the “architect with the plan” is known as the World Wide Web Consortium. By following the instructions laid out by the W3c, a Web developer can create a solid foundation for your Web site; one that does not require intense repairs for efforts as basic as SEO. When constructed properly, this solid foundation can increase your chance of getting your Web site spidered, ranked, and categorized – no fixes required!

Now you SEE me?
When your site is built properly, Search Engine Efficiency (SEE) will be a snap. Search engines will SEE your site and have an easier time navigating through it, SEEing all its content, and making an accurate assessment of its rank.

The concept of SEE consists of four main principles:

• Efficient design
• Efficient coding
• Efficient maintenance
• Efficient marketing

Efficient Design
Architecture and user interface are at the core of SEE. Efficient design of the way that end users and search engine spiders navigate your site contributes greatly to your site’s “spider-ability.” Furthermore, firms with a greater understanding of efficient coding have the ability to design a site that can be well-coded.

Efficient Coding
Building on the foundation of efficient design, a well-coded site can propel your site’s visibility forward by leaps and bounds. The time and effort spent on building a site compliant with the latest Web standards and Section 508 accessibility is well worth its weight in gold.

Efficient Maintenance
Content is the name of the game. Maintaining your site’s content is another way toward efficient search engine placement. Measure and re-analyze your site’s effectiveness on at least a monthly basis. Make modifications to your content. If your site utilizes a content management system (CMS), does that CMS write good code? Or does it destroy the efficient coding that you worked so hard to put in place?

Efficient Marketing
If no one knows about your site, how will they get there? Implementing a marketing plan that includes online media buys can help achieve greater visibility. Recommended avenues of marketing can include PFI and PPC advertising such as Google Adwords. Go beyond the typical avenues — think online, print, and email marketing as well.

Make the commitment
Successful SEE is a long-term relationship between you, your marketing firm, your site, and your site’s visitors. Search engine placement should not be an afterthought. It plays a vital role in the success or failure of your site and its visibility.

At the start of any Web-based project, ensure that you contract a Web development team with a thorough understanding of the SEE principles. Define search engine visibility as a major goal of the project. Allocate time and budget to monthly maintenance of your site. Do your research and remain proactive. Search engine visibility is a commitment. Stick with it, and you are bound to SEE the results.