With the start of a new year, evaluating the search engine optimization (SEO) of your Livermore website is a good idea. While there have been few, if any, changes in the last week or so, there have been changes over the last year or so that can affect the ranking of a web site if it has not been optimized properly.

While many people consider only Google when examining SEO techniques, there are other factors (and search engines) that should be taken into consideration. One of these is user experience – if users are not happy with – maybe even excited about – a website, a return visit or a recommendation to friends is much less likely.

One part of a website to which SEO always returns is content. In order to improve rankings, the content of a site must be clear, fresh, user-friendly, and of good quality. The more content (within reason, of course) that is made available on a website, the better the ranking is likely to be – especially when the content is properly spattered with useful keywords.

Keywords must be a part of the flow of the content in order to be properly effective. While it seems like it should be possible to just make a list of your desired keywords (for example, “SEO, Livermore, search engine optimization, website”), that actually is not as effective as including proper search engine optimization techniques which embed the keywords into actual content on the page. Just as visitors prefer to see actual content that will inform, entertain, or describe something, so do search engines, thanks to newer algorithms.

At the same time, it is important not to overuse keywords when writing content. A keyword density of more than 8-10% will often throw a flag that causes the search engines to consider the entire site as spam, and, as such, drop its ranking. There are tools available online that will help you determine your keyword density if you are interested in learning more.

One way to keep content fresh is to include a blog, and post something new at least weekly. Search engines note the activity and, as long as the content is appropriate and useful, the site will be indexed accordingly. They are also usually ranked accordingly, as well.

To help encourage people in the Livermore area to find a Livermore business, local keywords are necessary. Make sure that the correct address and phone number are included in the content of the website. You may also want to include local place names where they fit into the products, services, or news about the business.

Another very important consideration is ease of navigation. If visitors are unable to find a page on the site, search engines will also be unable to find it. This may result in that page being left out of the indexing and not be findable on the search engine. Be sure the navigation links are easy to find and clearly marked.

If you need further insight into how to improve your ranking on search engines, contact Bay Area Online Marketing by calling (925) 736-5808. These are only a few of the tips to improve SEO in Livermore that business websites should consider, but they offer a good place to begin.