In early December 2010 we were contacted by Spencertown attorney David Seth Michaels. Mr. Michaels explained that for many years he has relied on his website to generate traffic ticket referrals. However, since his website was redesigned, his referrals had dropped dramatically. He knew that the timing was too obvious to ignore, but he didn’t know how to fix the problem.
The Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Project
While search engine optimization, or SEO, is best implemented when a site is being built, there are improvements that can be made after the site has been launched.
The first things Mr. Michaels and I discussed were, “What is the purpose of the website. Who are we trying to reach? What services are likely to draw the most visitors? How are they most likely to try to find us?”
While there is no way to guarantee where your website will fall in search engine rankings, there are things that can be done to improve the chances that it will appear nearer the top. After that first meeting, I made a list of search terms that were important to Mr. Michael’s business and used them when making changes in the site content and source code.
I was able to identify a number of SEO issues right away. The two most obvious were too few keywords and inappropriate page titles. Additionally, the site needed footer links, alt and heading tags, and a site map. It can be a challenging endeavor to rework these elements, but in the end, it can be well worth the time and effort involved.
When I first started the project, David Seth Michaels’ website didn’t appear in the first twelve pages of google searches using our key terms. Just two weeks from when I started the project, he now appears on page one for each of the phrases we identified.
While we may be in good position today, SEO requires ongoing attention. We will continue to review rankings and statistics to ensure that his site remains visible and productive.
If you’d like an SEO review of your website, give us a call. 518.392.0846.