This blog post should be called ‘Site purpose and information architecture’ but that seemed a bit boring and it creates a massive URL so I went for something sharper.

You may not be familiar with the term information architecture or how it relates to the purpose of your website so let me explain.

You probably have at least a basic idea of what your site is for. Maybe you sell handbags or provide community information – whatever – you have a purpose. That purpose is the reason you built (or commissioned) a website. When you decided to create your website and defined its primary purpose you probably thought about what content you would need, how many pages and so on.

So, first you decided why you needed a website and then you thought about what content was required and how to represent it to your audience. Your purpose helped to determine the structure, (information architecture) of your site.

So why am I lecturing you about information architecture now? You’ve done that. You have a website and it has a structure. That’s obvious!

But what do you do if your business changes? What if you add a product or change your focus? What if you need to develop a new service or retire an old one? This happens all the time. The business changes and the website needs to keep up with that or it’ll be ineffective. After all, a website that doesn’t reflect your business is pretty useless. It gives the wrong impression, it stops potential customers from finding you, understanding you and, crucially, buying from you.

Sometimes I feel like the most annoying kid at school when I point out things that are wrong with people’s websites, whether it’s a typo or a page that’s poorly arranged or even missing. But these details are important to get right because they impact on the experience of users. The typos are annoying on their own but badly arranged or missing information is much worse which is why I’m so strict about information architecture.

I’m a user as well as a site owner. We were all users before we became site owners. Think about the last time you were annoyed by someone’s website because you couldn’t find the information you needed. What if that experience was being had by someone else looking at your site? Even if you started out with a perfectly planned and logically arranged set of pages, are they still the best reflection of your business now? Is the branding right? Is the content useful and well organised? Are there pages of badly positioned content that got squeezed in to cover changes in the business’ core offering? Think about it!

If your site isn’t clear and logical then anyone who reads it will get the same impression of you.

Information architecture isn’t just a fancy term techy people use to sound important. It really means something and it’s all about usability – talking to customers. Isn’t that what every business is about?

The question I opened this blog post with should be answered on every page of your website. It should be obvious to search engines and humans as soon as they crawl or click-through.

• Need help with your information architecture or Search Engine Optimisation? I work with Firehoop to deliver comprehensive SEO assistance and advice.
• Need help with your copy? I can help you by proofreading or editing existing copy. Or I can write fresh copy for your website.

There are a few different opinions on how to use keywords but many professionals and training resources I’ve encountered have similar statistics and recommendations. Conversely, many websites I’ve encountered seem to treat their ‘keywords’ in a way that doesn’t match any advice I’ve ever heard from anybody!

Today I’ve decided to address these issues and share with you some of my own experiences and understanding of SEO keyword principles. Please note these are based on my own studies, practices and understanding! Your comments and queries are welcome.

Using more than three keywords or key phrases per page is a waste of time

The idea behind using keywords is to help search engines know what your page is about. This means each optimised page should be tightly focused. If you’re using more than three keywords you won’t be sending a clear message to the search engine. If you’re not communicating clearly then you’re wasting your efforts. Two or three keywords or key phrases are sufficient!

Key phrases are often better than keywords

I use the term keyword and key phrase interchangeably because you can optimise web pages for single words or phrases. Using key phrases instead of keywords is often more helpful to search engines and web surfers as they convey a more specific message about the purpose of your site. Do you sell ‘shoes’, or ‘designer shoes’? Or ‘sports shoes’? Do you provide ‘walking holidays’ or ‘walking holidays in Europe’? Getting the right level of specification can really help!

Effective keyword use means striking a balance

Ever heard of the term “keyword stuffing”? Most professionals recommend a limit of 3-5% for keyword use in body copy. This protects your site from being considered spam by search engines and also ensures a better user experience for any human visitors that come to your site. Overuse of keywords can result in your site being penalised and moving down the rankings instead of up. This is because the search engines consider it an unethical method aimed at grabbing a top spot in the rankings without providing any valuable, quality content.

I hope you enjoyed my SEO tips. They won’t tell you everything you need to know about keywords but they’re sound principles to help you make a start or re-evaluate your existing website.

If you need any help with your search engine optimisation please get in touch! I offer this service in conjunction with Firehoop – a web design and development company in the UK.

I love Christmas – even before I started to enjoy mince pies and turkey (which took many years) I loved the time off school and the stacks of presents under the tree. I also loved visiting relatives and socialising in a way that never happened except at Christmas. Now I love it for the time off work, a few well chosen presents and the scrummy mince pies and turkey too!

But now I love being at work as well as having time off. When I became a freelance copywriter and proofreader I started the most exciting and rewarding job I’ve ever had. Because of this I’m not so bothered about the time off anymore. I still enjoy visiting the releatives but I’d quite like to be working as well. That’s why my ideal present this year would be an exciting new project! It doesn’t have to be big. Maybe something that takes up a few hours each week like blog posts? Or possibly a Search Engine Optimisation report that takes a couple of days?

Today I have been preparing and submitting bids for new work. I’ve been good for most of the year so I think I stand a good chance of winning at least some of the contracts.

What are you wishing for this Christmas?

Of course, I can’t give away too many details but I can tell you that we have a fully documented process so we can give consistently great service.

I’ve also been working with them on a number of other projects which sadly must remain secret until we’re ready for the big reveal. You can be sure that when everything is complete I shall be tweeting and blogging it from the rooftops! 

In the meantime, if you’d like to find out more about our SEO services please get in touch. You can contact me or go to Firehoop!

Don’t worry – I haven’t lost my love of blogging and I haven’t forgotten the importance of ‘keeping regular’ either. The simple truth is that a little family drama followed closely by a bad cold have kept me from my beloved blogging for longer than I’d anticipated.

Luckily I’ve still found time to do some work, for example the CIPHE blog on Yell and the Firehoop news. I’ve even managed to write another one and a half (or possibly less) chapters of my new novel and I fitted in a quick proofreading job too. I guess I’ve been busier than I thought but mostly helping my clients stay up to date rather than myself.

If you have trouble staying regular with your blog posts, tweets or news feeds let me know! There’s a good chance I can help.

Taking time out

According to the site’s creator, Google thinks the website is actually about flashlights.

So, anyone searching for really good book recommendations won’t find the Flashlight Worthy site but people looking for flashlights might. That’s a shame because it’s a good resource for book recommendations and I hope the owner is able to find a way of making Google understand the true purpose of the site.

I’ve worked on web site copy before and SEO has always been a consideration. The URL is often the first thing that’s brought up. It is generally considered that the ‘Ronseal’ approach is best – you have to pick a title for your website that encapsulates the purpose or simply echoes the previously created business name.

The trouble is the ‘Ronseal’ domain names are often unavailable, too long or just too boring!

Personally, I think ‘Flashlight Worthy Books’ is much more exciting than ‘Great Lists of Books’ or ‘Good Book Lists’ etc. And there’s plenty of other ways to make sure Google ‘gets’ your site.

 I’m sure with a few tweaks everything will fall into place and if you need any help with those tweaks – you know where I am!

I first started researching the subject about a year ago when I realised how useful it would be for work. I started reading about the different methods like key word research and optimum saturation levels, the importance of crawl-able pages and getting the most out of your links…

More recently I’ve returned to these studies and so far the amount of information has been overwhelming! It’s strange to think that so many considerations should go into one strategy. And you’re still not guaranteed a result! 

I’ve been collaborating with a client to come up with a standardised process for ensuring all new websites are Google friendly. A year ago when I completed my first batch of research I felt I had a pretty good grasp of the topic. Now I’ve realised how foolish and short sighted that was! It’s realy grown and as the various complexities are revealed, at the same time, it has become more important to businesses and the competition has got tougher.

I’ve covered a lot of new material in my quest to remaster this skill. And I fully expect to see lots of new material coming out in the near future. If you think your business could benefit from a copywriter with current SEO training why not give me a call?