Before MediaCo begins the search engine optimisation or re-optimisation of a website, we carry out various key pre-optimisation procedures.

Keyphrase research

• Analysis and discussion regarding phrases already identified.
• The use of keyword research tools.
• Analysis of current web analytics reports (if available).
• Researching relevant keyphrases currently being used across Pay Per Click services.

Search Engine Optimisation Diagnostic Report

The search engine optimisation diagnostic report provides a review and recommendations on technical and structural issues within the site to advise you of any that may impair SEO results.

During the preparation of your Search Engine Optimisation Diagnostic Report, MediaCo would look in detail at the site structure, this involves:

This is followed by actions and recommendations and the areas covered include:

• HTML page size.
• HTML validation.
• Image Maps workarounds.
• JavaScript or DHTML links workarounds.
• Text and background colours.
• Text size.
• Script workarounds.
• URLs
• Page Structure
• Directory structure.
• File robots.txt

Included in this Search Engine Optimisation diagnostic review is advice surrounding the internal site linking, site map and cross page linking within the site.

Search Engine Optimisation plan

Once the keyphrases and any site modifications identified in the search engine optimisation diagnostic report have been agreed, we produce a site-specific optimisation plan.

This identifies the actions and tasks that are recommended for the search engine optimisation and include:

• Matching of keyphrases to the current site pages.
• Recommendation of optimisation of content and meta data on the current pages.
• Identification of any new topic-focused pages.
• Identification and structure of any content channels.
• The use of information panels.
• The use of directory structures.
• The optimisation and use of the site map.
• Others as relevant.

Technical approach to Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) including in-page, on-page and off page optimisation

MediaCo always follow industry best practice guidelines in delivering search engine optimisation services. We do not use spamdexing techniques as these have an adverse effect on long-term search engine placement.

Spamdexing - what we don't do!

• Spamdexing, coined from spam and index, is the use of methods intended to "cheat" a search engine into listing a page highly. These methods include:
  
  Presenting text in page code which is not seen in the viewable page.
• Multiple URLs with redirects to a single site.
• Barely visible text.
• Tiny text.
• Keyword-packed doorway pages (with and without redirects).
• The (illegal) use of competitors' trademarks in tags.
• Page cloaking and IP delivery.
• Participation in link farms.
• The use of words unrelated to the true subject of the web site.

Search Engine Optimisation of the text and code - what we do!

MediaCo considers a range of elements using current knowledge of the top search engines' ranking methods. They include:

• visible text
• headings and formatting;
• links;
• ALT image attributes;
• themes;
• keyword frequency, weight and prominence;
• < TITLE> tag and Meta Description.

• Domain name
• Filename / full URL
• Directory Listings
• Internal Link structure
• External Link Structure
• Anchor text of inbound links
• Page quality of inbound links

Ideally we prefer to target no more than three keyphrases per optimised page (one per page for highly saturated phrases). Otherwise, the results will be diluted.

About search engine optimised text - how does it work?

Pages require to be topic-focused. That is they must match up with the phrases they are being optimised for.

IE: If a widgets supplier wanted to be optimised for the phrase "brown widgets london" , he would require to have a page mostly focused on the supply of brown widgets to customers in the London area.

Staying on topic reinforces search engines awareness of what your page is about. Most search engines strive to provide accurate and on-topic results for search queries. On-topic pages are, therefore, more likely to be returned as search results.

Search Engine Optimisation - Additional Content

As required, MediaCo also provides further Search Engine Optimisation in the form of additional Topic Focused Pages and Content Channels when:

• Targeted terms are particularly competitive.
• There is limited opportunity to optimise existing content pages.
• The site in question presents barriers to search engine indexing.
• The site in question lacks pages suited to optimisation for targeted phrases.
• Often not enough relevant content/pages exist within a site to naturally accommodate full optimisation of the client's keyphrases.
  

For example, say a site wants to be found for " Blue Widgets" , " Round Widgets" , "Blue accounting widgets" and each has its own peculiar specifications which makes them unrelated or different when it comes to the detail.

And the site currently has one page about Widgets.

Or, they are a supplier of Sports Widgets but have no pages focused on Reebok Widgets, Adidas Widgets etc.

Therefore, topic-focused pages must already exist within the site for search engine optimisation purposes or, if not, further pages need to be created.

Search engine optimisation activity in the form of the creation and promotion of content channel/s (a set of optimised topic-focused pages) can help to make a crucial difference.

These topic-focused pages are pages developed to be sympathetic to the look and feel of the main site but with design elements and content being particularly optimised to gain search engine listings for specific keywords and related key phrases.

These are additional pages within the parent site, which are information-based and topic-focused.

The content is provided by MediaCo and each page tends to contain some 350 words of search engine optimised text as well as specific Titles and Metatags.

They substantially differ from software-generated, keyword-packed " doorway pages" (which lead to penalisation) in that they are individually and manually designed, and written as part of the parent web site. To be effective, they must be linked to from within the site.

If preferred, it is not necessary to add these pages to the main navigation. However, since they require inbound links, optimised content for a new Site Map page is normally created by MediaCo and supplied for publication.

This includes links to the existing pages and, therefore, additionally helps the search engine spiders to "reach" them.

The topic-focused pages also have search engine optimised addresses and are fully prepared with the elements which influence search engine rankings.

Once published, each is individually submitted to the search engines and/or directories as appropriate.