Have you ever conducted a search for your company’s most popular keywords and wondered why your site doesn’t rank very well for a particular keyword?  The next time you come across this situation, take a look at the domain names that actually are ranking well.  What do they look like?  What you might find is something like the image below:

Do you see a theme?  Notice that for the search “bicycle tires”, the keywords bicycle and/or tires are located within the domain name. When keywords are within URLs, especially the main domain name, the search engines can more easily determine that the website as a whole is about that keyword. 

This is why including keywords in your URLs is so important from a ranking perspective.  It may even make the difference between being on the first page of the search results and being hidden a few pages deep.  If your website’s main domain name does not include keywords, keep this principle in mind as you build out new pages. Where possible, include the targeted keyword(s) in the URL. For example, www.example.com/bicycle-tires

Having keywords within URLs is only one of the many components of search engine optimization (SEO).  A few of the other important aspects include making sure that the search engines can crawl your website, that there are highly relevant sites with links to your site, that are no technical issues, and that there is enough content on the site’s pages.  When focusing on SEO, it’s important to note that there isn’t one thing that you need to do; it is all of the components combined that will provide the greatest results.

Let’s face it, social media is everywhere.  When listening to the radio or watching the nightly news, it is hard not to hear about the wave of social media.  Many businesses are jumping on the band wagon and dipping their toes in the social media water.  While this can be a great marketing strategy, it is also important to note, that social media channels are not the “silver bullet” of online marketing.  Many times marketers will neglect one aspect of their marketing campaign to try another one. 

As a business, moving into social media is a great idea, but not at the expense of your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).  It is important to make sure that you do not neglect your website as you move resources to developing the various channels necessary to have a strong presence in the various social media outlets.  When moving into social media, it is important to have a plan to keep your website updated and relevant for the users.  This will also help to support your social media effort.  Below are some things that you should always be working on with your SEO alongside your social media campaigns.

Title and Description Meta Tags – Does each page of your site have unique meta data that is relevant to the page content?  If not, work on this to ensure that every page of your site has a chance of ranking for the keywords that are featured in the content.

Keyword Research – When was the last time you researched the words you are going after?  Keyword research is something that should be done on a continual basis.  As search trends change, you need to update your keyword lists so you can target the words that your customers are searching for.

Linking Strategy – What is your linking strategy?  Do you have one?  Building backlinks is one of the most important factors when it comes to boosting search results.  Having a strategy to build high quality links to your site should be on the top of your list for things to accomplish.  Links can come from directories, blogs, authorities in your industry and other websites.  Create a plan and stick to it.

Web Design – Is your web site still the one that your cousin created for the business in 1996?  A well thought out optimized web design can be the difference between conversions and a 90% bounce rate.  If your site is not appealing, you will lose customers once you get them to the site.  Now may be the right time for an updated look and feel, or a complete redesign.

Social media and SEO go hand in hand.  It is important to make sure that you have the bases covered in both and are creating content in each to give your customers new and interesting information, so they will have a reason to continue visiting your website and your other social media channels.

Videos, if optimized, can be a useful tool to market your products, services and business.  Videos often rank well in the search results pages and can provide another way for your audience to engage with your brand.  If videos are an integral part of your online marketing strategy, there are a few video optimization tips that you should take into consideration.

First, do you know where your videos will be hosted?  If you are not sure or haven’t decided, think about why you are creating videos in the first place.  Is it to increase views of the video or to bring traffic to your website?  If your goal is to attract more visitors to your website, it will make the most sense to have the video hosted on your website. When videos are hosted on your website, you create an opportunity for your site to position in the search results for that video. On the other hand, if you want to have as many viewers as possible, it will certainly be in your best interest to upload your videos to YouTube and possibly other video sharing sites as well.

Utilize keyword-rich titles, descriptions and tags for your videos. This will help your video to not only be found more easily on video sharing sites, but it will also create the opportunity for your video to appear in the universal search results for those keywords.

To make your videos more enticing, especially amongst thousands of other videos on sites such as YouTube, use catchy titles that viewers will want to click on.  Keywords in the titles can also help with search engine rankings, but be sure that they are descriptive in nature.  Also utilize the thumbnail to attract more viewers.

Remember your audience. Keep in mind that most people will watch videos for only a few minutes, if that.  If you have a lot content that you want to cover, consider breaking the information into a few shorter, condensed videos or playlists.

There are also ranking factors that can play a role with your videos’ visibility on video sharing sites. We have found that YouTube, for instance, places importance on engagement and community factors when determining video rankings (i.e. views, ratings, comments, etc.).  Interact with other videos by posting comments, and when comments are posted on your videos, reply where appropriate. Also take a look at your competitors.  Are they doing anything in particular to have more views, ratings, and comments on their videos?

Another factor that can provide a boost to your video optimization efforts is the quantity and quality of links from external sites.  If you are familiar with search engine optimization (SEO), this should not be surprising.  Creating videos that are interesting and the type that others will want to link to can make acquiring external links to your videos much easier.

Lastly, think about the goals for your video.  What are the next steps that your audience should take?  Maybe you want them to remember your brand, your URL, your phone number, or even simply view another video.  Whatever it is that you want them to do, make sure that the call to action is prominent.