Search Engine Optimization is about trying to make a site or page appear high on a list of search results by providing accurate and appropriate information to search engines about the webpage.
Search engines crawl a website and index all the content they find, then companies like Google or Bing use complex algorithms to determine order in which a webpage is displayed on a search engine results page (SERP).
What are Search Engines Looking For?
Content: the text on the page, the titles, and the descriptions.
Performance: How fast is the website and is it functioning properly?
Authority: Is site content good enough to link to by other sites, do other websites reference the content?
User Experience: How does the site look, is navigation easy, is it safe, do folks come to one page and then leave?
Mobile: Is the page viewable on mobile devices?
Want to Learn More?
There are hundreds, if not thousands of resources for writing on the web; some are good and some are not so good. If you want to learn more, search the web for Search Engine Optimization and discover a multitude of ways to improve and enhance web content.
Description: Provide a unique short, but informative description of the content on the webpage. Think of this as advertising for a webpage on search engine result pages. Keep the description between 150-160 characters, if it is too long the search engines won't include all of it on the results page.
Header: The header gets the heading 1 tag and is heavily weighted by search engines. Headings should accurately describe the content on the webpage.
Ensure that the content is accurate and unique. Write original content, check sources to make sure the content is accurate.
Review your content at least twice a semester. Websites that retain their audiences require fresh content. Your unit should develop a schedule for updating content, including photographs.