High Level SEO Strategy

[janakipendyala]

Hi all,

Can anyone define a high level SEO strategy? the basic elements of a SEO strategy would have the following

- Keyphrase Strategy
-Competition analysis
-Meta Content
-Image strategy
-Indexing & Evaluation
-Handling CMS
-Content Reengineering
-On page optimization
-Link building strategy
-Online PR strategy

My boss expects a high level strategy from me, the objective for the strategy would be two fold, improve the rankings in natural listings and increase the quality of traffic.

My question is how would a high level strategy be different from the above strategy? what elements would mean a high level strategy for online marketing.

I appreciate any inputs from valuable members.

Thanks in advance
Janaki

[DreyerMedia]

Is there really a definition on what either a low, middle or high level SEO strategy is in this industry?

I would say that those topics you mentioned there, covers pretty much it. I don't know i you've included it as a sublevel part of "Content Reengineering", but depending on what project your working with, maybe you should consider intern/extern landingpages, possible free stuff for users to add to their sites (widgets (like a rss feed), templates and .. well, your imagination is the limit on this one!).

[stymiee]

From the Search Engine Optimization FAQ:

What would be a good SEO strategy?

Before you write one line of code:

• Do keyword research to determine what keywords you want to target.

While constructing your website you should do the following:

• Use markup to indicate the content of your site
  
  • Optimize your <title> tags on each page to contain 1 - 3 keywords
  • Create unique Meta Tags for each page
  • Use header tags appropriately (H1 > H2 > H3)
  • Use <b> and <i> tags if appropriate
• Optimize your URLs
  
  • Use Search Engine Friendly URLs
  • Use keywords in your domain (http://www.keyword1.com/)
  • Use keywords in your URL (http://www.example.com/keyword2/keyword3.html)
  • Use dashes or underscores to separate words in your URLs (keyword2-keyword3.html)
• Optimize your content
  
  • Use keywords liberally yet appropriately throughout each page
  • Have unique content
  • Have quality content
• Use search engine friendly design
  
  • Create a human sitemap
  • Do not use inaccessible site navigation (JavaScript or Flash menus)
  • Minimize outbound links
  • Kept your pages under 100K in size
• Design the navigational structure of the site to channel PR to main pages (especially the homepage)
• Create a page that encourages webmasters to link to your site
  
  • Provide them the relevant HTML to create their link to you (make sure the anchor text contains keywords)
  • Provide them with any images you may want them to use (although text links are better)
• Make sure your website is complete before launching it

Immediately after launching your site you should do the following:

• Create Webmaster Accounts
  
  • Google Webmaster Tools
  • Yahoo! Site Explorer
• Submit your site to all major search engines
  
  • Google (Use a Google SiteMap)
  • Yahoo (Use the page list option)
  • MSN
  • Ask (Finds your site via incoming links)
• Create an XML sitemap
• Submit your site to all free directories
  
  • DMOZ (also powers Google Directory)
  • JoeAnt
• Submit your site to relevant directories
  
  • Find more at ISEDB
• Begin a link building campaign (attempting to get keywords in the link anchor text)
  
  • Put a link to your website in your forum signatures (hint hint)
  • Reply to relevant blog posts (Don't spam please)

If you will pay to promote your website:

• Submit your site to pay directories
  
  • Yahoo
  • GoGuides

Finally, as part of an ongoing strategy:

• Continually update your website with quality, unique content
• Continually seek free links preferably from sites in your genre

Do NOT do the following:

• Make an all Flash website (without an HTML alternative)
• Use JavaScript or Flash for navigation
• Spam other websites for incoming links
• Launch your site before it is done
• Use duplicate content
  
  • Do not point several domains to one site without using a 301 redirect
  • Do not make a site of duplicated content from other websites
• Use markup inappropriately
  
  • Style <H>eader tags to look like regular text
  • Hide content using 'display: hidden' (for the sake of hiding text)
• Use other "black hat" techniques (unless you accept the risk - Banning)
  
  • Doorway/Landing pages
  • Cloaking
  • Hidden text

Additional Tips:

• Usable and accessible sites tend to be search engine friendly by their very nature
• Be patient! High rankings don't happen overnight
• Don't obsess with any one search engine. They are all worth your attention.

[cooluks]

From the Search Engine Optimization FAQ:

What would be a good SEO strategy?

Before you write one line of code:

• Do keyword research to determine what keywords you want to target.

While constructing your website you should do the following:

• Use markup to indicate the content of your site
  
  • Optimize your <title> tags on each page to contain 1 - 3 keywords
  • Create unique Meta Tags for each page
  • Use header tags appropriately (H1 > H2 > H3)
  • Use <b> and <i> tags if appropriate
• Optimize your URLs
  
  • Use Search Engine Friendly URLs
  • Use keywords in your domain (http://www.keyword1.com/)
  • Use keywords in your URL (http://www.example.com/keyword2/keyword3.html)
  • Use dashes or underscores to separate words in your URLs (keyword2-keyword3.html)
• Optimize your content
  
  • Use keywords liberally yet appropriately throughout each page
  • Have unique content
  • Have quality content
• Use search engine friendly design
  
  • Create a human sitemap
  • Do not use inaccessible site navigation (JavaScript or Flash menus)
  • Minimize outbound links
  • Kept your pages under 100K in size
• Design the navigational structure of the site to channel PR to main pages (especially the homepage)
• Create a page that encourages webmasters to link to your site
  
  • Provide them the relevant HTML to create their link to you (make sure the anchor text contains keywords)
  • Provide them with any images you may want them to use (although text links are better)
• Make sure your website is complete before launching it

Immediately after launching your site you should do the following:

• Create Webmaster Accounts
  
  • Google Webmaster Tools
  • Yahoo! Site Explorer
• Submit your site to all major search engines
  
  • Google (Use a Google SiteMap)
  • Yahoo (Use the page list option)
  • MSN
  • Ask (Finds your site via incoming links)
• Create an XML sitemap
• Submit your site to all free directories
  
  • DMOZ (also powers Google Directory)
  • JoeAnt
• Submit your site to relevant directories
  
  • Find more at ISEDB
• Begin a link building campaign (attempting to get keywords in the link anchor text)
  
  • Put a link to your website in your forum signatures (hint hint)
  • Reply to relevant blog posts (Don't spam please)

If you will pay to promote your website:

• Submit your site to pay directories
  
  • Yahoo
  • GoGuides

Finally, as part of an ongoing strategy:

• Continually update your website with quality, unique content
• Continually seek free links preferably from sites in your genre

Do NOT do the following:

• Make an all Flash website (without an HTML alternative)
• Use JavaScript or Flash for navigation
• Spam other websites for incoming links
• Launch your site before it is done
• Use duplicate content
  
  • Do not point several domains to one site without using a 301 redirect
  • Do not make a site of duplicated content from other websites
• Use markup inappropriately
  
  • Style <H>eader tags to look like regular text
  • Hide content using 'display: hidden' (for the sake of hiding text)
• Use other "black hat" techniques (unless you accept the risk - Banning)
  
  • Doorway/Landing pages
  • Cloaking
  • Hidden text

Additional Tips:

• Usable and accessible sites tend to be search engine friendly by their very nature
• Be patient! High rankings don't happen overnight
• Don't obsess with any one search engine. They are all worth your attention.

Great explanation.... Very Informative.... A must for every SEO.

[janakipendyala]

cooluks,

Thanks for the detailed reply. Again I am confused what would be an High level strategy?

Janaki

[stymiee]

High level strategy: build a quality website and promote it enthusiastically.

[rcj662]

Stymiee covered it in one post. It takes alot of work and unique content but anyone should be able to get some good results.

[bluedreamer]

The key part is giving your users the content they want or are looking for, in an understandable, accessible and usable format. You can target certain keywords etc but if users don't find the site useful they will go elsewhere.

Follow stymiee's post and you're on the right track.

[DreyerMedia]

This is a great thread!

[JakeJeck]

Create some snapshots in time (or benchmarks) of certain metrics so you have something to measure your results against.

[doctornuke]

I 've never heard of this high level ..
But for me low level = back to basic , down to the origin is vital .
so high level = add to the top of low level? how?

[janakipendyala]

Great replies! thanks one and all.

After a brainstorming session with my team, we safely concluded that any thing not related at the operational level are high level strategies. For example, we could think of the below points

-Local Search: Leverage local search to suit the client/business objectives.

-Partner with complimentary websites: Develop content partnerships to promote each other's products or services in a win win situation

-Implement social networking tools on the site

-Contextual linking...

Any more....

Janaki

[hooperman]

Off Topic:


I love corporate speak

-Local Search: Leverage local search to suit the client/business objectives.

Get more traffic from local search?

-Partner with complimentary websites: Develop content partnerships to promote each other's products or services in a win win situation

Swap links?

[JakeJeck]

I 've never heard of this high level ..
But for me low level = back to basic , down to the origin is vital .
so high level = add to the top of low level? how?

Usually in the business world high level means an overview without getting into the technical details. It's what you tell your managers/bosses/investors (the guys who usually don't understand the technology/strategies) you're going to do.

And hooperman made a good response in that high level often uses buzzwords and speak that makes things sound important when really they're describing simple things like swapping links

[keepitafrican]

Great thread...

[DreyerMedia]

So guys, what's included in a low level seo strategy, and what's included in a high level seo strategy?

Is there anything in the middle?

[stymiee]

So guys, what's included in a low level seo strategy, and what's included in a high level seo strategy?

Is there anything in the middle?

There are no high or low or medium level strategies. SEO is not that complicated.

[WEBLAUNCHPHXX]

Great thread,Thanks..

[SeriousKevin]

instead of spending time worrying about 'high' and 'low' and using words like 'leveraging', simply realise that stymiee gave you an excerpt from his FAQ, stickied at the top of this forum which is not only a must-read but its a must-do

[qcyzjg]

From the Search Engine Optimization FAQ:

What would be a good SEO strategy?

Before you write one line of code:

• Do keyword research to determine what keywords you want to target.

While constructing your website you should do the following:

• Use markup to indicate the content of your site
  
  • Optimize your <title> tags on each page to contain 1 - 3 keywords
  • Create unique Meta Tags for each page
  • Use header tags appropriately (H1 > H2 > H3)
  • Use <b> and <i> tags if appropriate
• Optimize your URLs
  
  • Use Search Engine Friendly URLs
  • Use keywords in your domain (http://www.keyword1.com/)
  • Use keywords in your URL (http://www.example.com/keyword2/keyword3.html)
  • Use dashes or underscores to separate words in your URLs (keyword2-keyword3.html)
• Optimize your content
  
  • Use keywords liberally yet appropriately throughout each page
  • Have unique content
  • Have quality content
• Use search engine friendly design
  
  • Create a human sitemap
  • Do not use inaccessible site navigation (JavaScript or Flash menus)
  • Minimize outbound links
  • Kept your pages under 100K in size
• Design the navigational structure of the site to channel PR to main pages (especially the homepage)
• Create a page that encourages webmasters to link to your site
  
  • Provide them the relevant HTML to create their link to you (make sure the anchor text contains keywords)
  • Provide them with any images you may want them to use (although text links are better)
• Make sure your website is complete before launching it

Immediately after launching your site you should do the following:

• Create Webmaster Accounts
  
  • Google Webmaster Tools
  • Yahoo! Site Explorer
• Submit your site to all major search engines
  
  • Google (Use a Google SiteMap)
  • Yahoo (Use the page list option)
  • MSN
  • Ask (Finds your site via incoming links)
• Create an XML sitemap
• Submit your site to all free directories
  
  • DMOZ (also powers Google Directory)
  • JoeAnt
• Submit your site to relevant directories
  
  • Find more at ISEDB
• Begin a link building campaign (attempting to get keywords in the link anchor text)
  
  • Put a link to your website in your forum signatures (hint hint)
  • Reply to relevant blog posts (Don't spam please)

If you will pay to promote your website:

• Submit your site to pay directories
  
  • Yahoo
  • GoGuides

Finally, as part of an ongoing strategy:

• Continually update your website with quality, unique content
• Continually seek free links preferably from sites in your genre

Do NOT do the following:

• Make an all Flash website (without an HTML alternative)
• Use JavaScript or Flash for navigation
• Spam other websites for incoming links
• Launch your site before it is done
• Use duplicate content
  
  • Do not point several domains to one site without using a 301 redirect
  • Do not make a site of duplicated content from other websites
• Use markup inappropriately
  
  • Style <H>eader tags to look like regular text
  • Hide content using 'display: hidden' (for the sake of hiding text)
• Use other "black hat" techniques (unless you accept the risk - Banning)
  
  • Doorway/Landing pages
  • Cloaking
  • Hidden text

Additional Tips:

• Usable and accessible sites tend to be search engine friendly by their very nature
• Be patient! High rankings don't happen overnight
• Don't obsess with any one search engine. They are all worth your attention.

your advice is very helpful, but i think the "JoeAnt" is a paid directory

[stymiee]

It's free if you become an editor which IIRC isn't difficult to do.

[PosterManiac]

stymiee has given the bonanza of SEO. Salute to it.

Cheers

[intelligence]

Probably there should be place for LSI if you think little broader way.

[DreyerMedia]

So these fixes is what you people apply when you sell a customer a seo package?

[stymiee]

So these fixes is what you people apply when you sell a customer a seo package?

What they should be doing is finding out what keywords you should be targeting, making sure you are using proper semantic markup, make sure your site is usable, and making sure you site is accessible. Everything else after that is either copywriting or marketing (which they may also offer services for).