Alongside link building, content optimisation and web site structure make up the Holy Trinity of SEO. Still, too many companies underestimate the importance of the latter and instead focus the bulk of their efforts and investment in off-site SEO.As important as link popularity is in search engine algorithms, the success of your link building campaign can be restricted because of your actual web site. On-site SEO is arguably as important, and can save your business a lot of money in the short and long run.
Alongside link building, content optimisation and web site structure make up the Holy Trinity of SEO. Still, too many companies underestimate the importance of the latter and instead focus the bulk of their efforts and investment in off-site SEO.As important as link popularity is in search engine algorithms, the success of your link building campaign can be restricted because of your actual web site. On-site SEO is arguably as important, and can save your business a lot of money in the short and long run.
Web site structure consists of several elements which although independently important, together constitute a vital component of your SEO strategy which cannot be overlooked. Web site structure organises content accordingly, i.e. your web pages, into categorical folders, and is important for search engine robots and users alike.
URLs and physical structureWeb site URLs are a very powerful element in SEO. Still, there is much more to web site and page addresses than having keywords: it is a crucial constituent of your web site structure. Search engines favour web sites with clear, categorical physical structures, and dislike long and dynamic URLs.
Dynamic URLs are to be avoided at all times - big no-no. Web page addresses sometimes have parameters in them (e.g www.mysite.com/blog?post=seo&cat=links&rel=54342). Google at one stage had trouble indexing pages with dynamic URLs, and can lead to search engines caching a number of different versions of your page, which they will probably interpret as duplicate content. The best option is to avoid them altogether. If you need to use Dynamic URLs, have no more than 2 variables.
Implementing a clear site structure with categorical, folder names as keywords will result in search engine attractive URLs. These allow search engines to index your pages easier and faster, as well as your users to familiarise themselves with your content.
Web site structure is very much like the physical foundations of a building, and should be considered carefully from the outset before building your web site. You can also experiment by testing out different keywords in your folder names to see how different URLs rank in SERPs, but bear in mind how Google can take its time to index all your pages again after resubmitting your XML sitemap.
Structure is also important for webmasters: whether using a CMS, or building pages manually, templates and components are a vital asset in web content production and can be easily set up. Content production must be as streamlined and efficient as possible, allowing you to easily create new pages, keeping your site fresh for both your audience and search engines.
On-site SEO 2 of 2: Content Optimisation
Content is king, and should be written for your readers - this is the golden rule in content optimisation, and no less than a principle in SEO.
The evolition of link buidling in SEO...as Darwin might see it
Link building has evolved over the years, with the survival of the fittest link building techniques still alive today, alongside new methods having spawned from web 2.0. In the beginning, bulk directory submissions and blog comments might have played a large part in your strategy, but in 2010 it is all about building links naturally, promoting user focused content to attract traffic to your site, from your readers themselves.
