​

Search engine optimization has a bad reputation in some circles, largely due to bad actors who offer “miracle fixes” to get you on the first page of Google, keyword “stuffing” practices, link-peddlers who sell or trade links, and other black hat SEO practices. However, when it is implemented properly and conducted with the user in mind, search engine optimization is an extremely valuable practice that creates tangible advantages for your website.

Quality SEO work requires focusing on two distinct parts of the process: technical SEO and content-based SEO. Technical SEO includes the following: How many keywords are included in the content? How many inbound links are coming into the site? How many outbound links are pointing away from the site? Is the code clean? Is the XML sitemap well-structured? Are all of the alt tags and file names accurate and optimized? Are the URLs clean and well-structured? Does the site load promptly? Is the site mobile-friendly? Are there any search engine penalties holding back Google from crawling the site?

While technical SEO is a smaller piece of the puzzle than content, it is still an essential first step; it is impossible to make much progress in rankings with content development without having a clean, well-structured site that can be easily indexed by search engines. Once the site is technically up-to-snuff, we can analyze your website content and recommend improvements that will help you increase your visibility. By addressing these content gaps—or improving existing content—we can highlight content that answers common customer questions and present articles on valuable, engaging topics that will keep your visitors coming back for more. When technical and content-driven SEO are leveraged together, the result is a website that customers love to read just as much as Google loves to index. Contact Custom Software Solutions for more information on how we use search engine optimization to drive results for clients.