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06.23.05
Fresh Is Best - Especially When It Comes To Web Content
 By Chris Winfield
By now it has probably been emphasized by practically anyone
with insight into search engine optimization - myself included
- that keyword-relevant content is extremely relevant in any
search engine optimization (SEO) plan.
What might not have been as equally stressed but is equally
important is the major role that fresh or regularly updated
content plays in maintaining search engine rankings. Even after
the initial optimization process including optimization of meta
tags, alt tags, key terms, and implementation of linking campaigns
ends a website can only reach so far on a major search engine
such as Google or Yahoo!.
What sets a highly ranked website apart from the rest is one
that is regularly updated with relevant, keyterm-rich content.
It says to search engine spiders that a website is legitimate
in providing information on the topics included in the title
and header tags, that the site is active and being attended
to and not just taking up server space, and that the site's
size and quantity of information are both likely to grow - which
is a very appealing factor for search engine spiders that love
to crawl large, well-structured websites.
For many website owners it is difficult to maintain a website,
especially one that is constantly updating products or adding
new services, without the added task of having to regularly
stay on top of content updates, as well. But it is a necessary
inconvenience, especially for websites that aspire to stay on
the front page of the search engine results pages (SERPs) and
aim to make it into one of the coveted top three positions.
There are a number of helpful solutions, though, that website
owners or managers can use to alleviate some of the added pressure.
But, of course, where there is a solution, there's usually a
price tag attached. Any good search engine optimization firm
has writers on staff who have expertise in or are familiar with
writing optimized web content. In most cases, websites hire
out their search engine optimization projects to one of these
firms, so it would go to reason that they could also contract
with their SEO firm to provide their website with fresh content
on a weekly or monthly basis.
Another way in which a website can stay on top of what's new
is by actually becoming the news source. There are two ways
in which this can be facilitated: 1) By doing regular press
releases either on company happenings or in response to recent
industry news, a website can both increase its keyword density
and its size, and by 2) utilizing customizable feeds such as
the increasingly popular RSS feed by which incoming and outgoing
news links are constantly at a websites disposal, a website
can ensure that it is always in the loop about the latest keyword
relevant news and content. Prices for RSS feeds are varied depending
on what type, the reciprocity of links, industry, etc.
A final, and probably the oldest and most cost-effective way
to maintain fresh content is through the incorporation of a
weblog (blog) onto a website. A blog, which can be manually
or automatically updated depending on the software, allows for
the posting of regular material and content in regards to the
website's topic area and opens up the site to further linking
possibilities.
Whatever your method of achieving it, successful content additions
are essential in getting and staying at the top of the search
engine results pages.
About the Author:
Chris Winfield is the President and Co-founder of 10e20.
He has written for various organizations in the past and frequently
speaks with the media. |
