SEO - like an ancient catacomb you'll need a map to traverse it

You may have heard of, or read stories about, ancient catacombs and labyrinths, where unfortunate souls were lost forever for lack of a map. Modern website optimization (SEO) is an analogy to those ancient catacombs and labyrinths; you venture in without a map at your peril. It is very easy to get lost with no hope of finding your way back to the start, let alone making it out to the end. Your map to this modern day digital labyrinth is a content marketing and website SEO specialist.

Elements of website optimisation

When we talk about website optimisation what we really mean is search engine optimization, or SEO as it is often referred to. Optimising a website is essential for delivering targeted consumer traffic. The sole aim of optimising a website is to make it as visible as possible to as wide a consumer audience as possible. However, search engine algorithms have very strict search rules written into their code. Break those rules and you're as likely to see a website de-listed, or at best ranked lower than it would be if the rules were not infringed.

Onsite optimisation

There are many elements which an integrated content marketing strategy will encompass in order to deliver organic search. The map to this very intricate and confusing labyrinth begins with on page optimisation techniques. These elements include the following:

• Meta tags
• Video content
• Image content
• Written content (text)
• Keyword use and placement
• Internal and external hyperlinks

These are just a few of the elements of on page optimisation which have to be balanced, contextual, relevant and authoritative within the niche market of commercial sector within which the website operates. These elements are the entrance to your maze and, as you can see, form a very complex path. Without these elements in balance to ensure your website isn't lost among the hundreds of thousands of competing websites, your website is potentially lost to any possibility of a front page search ranking.

Offsite optimisation

This is more of a tricky element of the digital labyrinth you will have to master to gain and maintain a front page search ranking. Within the realms of offsite optimisation you will have to consider the following:

• Offsite blogging
• Email marketing
• Back link building
• Social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.)

While this is not an exhaustive list, it does go some way to emphasizing how difficult it is to maintain momentum and garner a reliable path through the maze. The trouble is if you’re typical of most website owners or webmasters, you do not have the knowledge or analytical tools at your disposal to even begin to draw a map through the maze.

To find your way through the maze and successfully emerge safely at the other side, you will need a guide to help you along the way. If you are in such a position and need help to traverse the modern digital maze, you should engage the services of a professional content marketing, digital SEO agency.