You’ve just completed the redevelopment of your corporate website.  The graphics are shiny and new, the content is compelling and up to the minute.  The hosting is set up and you want to complete just one more task before ticking the project off your “to do” list – getting into the top 3 for your preferred keywords with Yahoo and Google.

If this is where you are currently at with your corporate website online marketing, then I have news for you – the project will never come off your list, or rather, should never come off your list.  Optimal search performance is the work of a lifetime, which needs constantly monitored, measured and improved to bring maximum rewards for your company.  There is no one off fix, and what’s more you can’t just outsource it to your web company and expect them to make it all happen for you.

Sometimes we can be naïve in our thinking about web marketing and in particular search engine performance.  All other aspects of our corporate marketing require thought, planning, budgets, implementation, and review – so why shouldn’t online marketing be any different.  And just as we demand clear return on investment (both time and money) for our offline marketing activity, so we must be prepared to put the same effort (and metrics) into search performance.

The reason that your web company cannot make it all happen for you is because at the heart of the challenge is a need to plan and produce the right copy.  This content contains information about your business, your products, and detail which you know better than anyone else.  The web remains an environment driven by text, reading is still the number one business activity undertaken on the web, and so it is through the appropriate use of words, and their linkage that you will promote good search engine performance.

Over time it is important that you change the keywords on your website subtly and observe how this changes the traffic patterns and behaviour of your online visitors.  The critical content on your site, e.g. the title of your home page, the introductory paragraph of your home page, any titles or bolded text on your home page, key section heading names will all impact significantly on how a search engine understands your site.  It will also be crucial in connecting with your audience using terms which they understand.

If you have followed this series on good search engine optimisation I hope you will have been left with the realisation that all of the challenges revolve around good content.  Choosing good keywords.  Implementing the right links, with the right phrases in them.  Labelling links correctly.  Reinforcing the correct content throughout your site.  People search for words and phrases and therefore you need to address this need with words and phrases.

Next month I will finish my series on search engine issues, by looking at the various paid for search engine campaigns which are available, and letting you know how you can enjoy return on investment using these.  With an integrated campaign of natural and paid for search engine marketing, you can get the right people to your site at the right time.  What’s more, knowing what these people want and what they are hoping to achieve when they arrive on your site puts you in pole position to give them the content and information they need to get closer to your products and services.