Content Still King in SEO

Written by search engine optimization consultant Blake J. Discher.

In the world of search engine optimization, or SEO, content is king. What I’m talking about is human readable HTML text on your home page.

One of the major search engines has stopped considering the “Keyword” META tag because of keyword spamming by website owners in an attempt to manipulate their search rankings. For example, a photographer might have repeated the word “photographer” or “photography” many times in the tag in their effort to rank on the first page of the search engine results page, or SERP.

So what do search engines analyze to determine what a web site is all about, and in turn determine where it should rank? Human readable text. This puts a visual artist such as photographers in a sort of quandary: should I design my site for aesthetic appeal or search engine friendliness?

If you are a photographer, I think the answer depends on which segment of that industry you work in. If it’s editorial, PR, or corporate, I think internet search is a crucial piece of your overall marketing plan and your site should be designed with search in mind. And that means including body copy on the home page.

Your body copy should include your “keyword phrase” which is the search term you believe potential clients would use to find a photographer such as yourself. Keyword density refers to the frequency that a keyword phrase appears in the body text. Generally speaking, to avoid keyword spamming, your text should be naturally flowing and result in a keyword density of about two to seven percent. There are a number of keyword density checkers available online to assist you with determining the keyword density of a page.

I get about 60-percent of my new photography and SEO clients each year as a result of my SEO efforts. If you suspect your potential clients are using search to locate vendors such as yourself, you should consider optimizing your site to help them find you. Good luck!

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