SEO
I was trained in SEO by Google. University of Maryland Global Campus began offering Digital Marketing leading to a Certificate while I was a student, but it was through an agreement with Facebook and Google, whereby Facebook created the platform and Google created the content. I graduated from that program with a 4.0 gpa.
I feel it would be helpful for you to see what I know about SEO here in my portfolio.
1. The Marketing Strategy and Plan – It starts with the marketing strategy. It is the SEO Analysis’ job to know the goals of the University’s marketing strategy and plan, because SEO needs to be conducted according to those goals.
2. Keyword Research – Keyword research is important so that we know what words and phrases people use to search for Liberty University. Optimizing for these words and phrases will help us get to the top of the search rankings for those words and phrases.
3. Competitor Keyword Research – It is also important to research competitor keywords and then compare them to Liberty’s keywords. We may find that there are keywords they are using that Liberty has not used. SEO can then be adjusted to add those words if they are conducive to Liberty’s Marketing Strategy.
4. Reporting – Reports are important to track information. They create a way for the team to see what is happening with the website and SEO and to track user behavior over time.
5. Good Writing – Good SEO needs good content writing. Google’s algorithms now look for sites that use keyword stuffing and penalize them. Search engines are in the business of giving users what they want. So, Google’s algorithms behave like humans. They look for exceptional content that gives valuable information, clearly; easily navigated; and aesthetically pleasing. Although the writing should include the words and phrases in the keyword list, it needs to flow naturally. Good content gets the best results.
6. Good Design – The twin of good writing is good design. Search engine algorithms are also looking for web designs that provide a good user experience. Billions of dollars are spent on researching user habits, and from that comes design elements that produce the best user experience. Today’s trend is toward minimalism, however, although a clean, uncluttered look is good, it isn’t always the best option in every circumstance. For Liberty University people are looking for information that answers their questions, and because it is a university, they are looking for a certain amount of sophistication in the design. Yet, it does still need to be easy to understand and navigate. Liberty’s current design provides for all of those elements.
7. Meta Tags – The header on every page should have meta tags. At the very least there should be a description and keywords, but there are many more than can add to the results, including Schema tags. These give search engines that extra bite, which results in a richer showing on the engines.
8. Open Graph Tags – Open Graph Tags add information for Social Media markets. These also create a richer experience.
9. Keep It Fresh – Google’s algorithms also look for pages that are updated regularly. Therefore, every page needs to be updated on a regular schedule even if there are no additions needed to the content.
10. Link Building – Another thing that search engines look for are links from other reputable websites. This tells them that the website is popular and acknowledged by others that are found high in the rankings. Therefore, it is important to build link traffic.
11. Keep Abreast of the Trends – Trends change quickly on the internet, and the college age group is focused on those trends. Therefore, it is important to constantly be aware of current trends and adapt the website accordingly within the context of the Marketing Plan and Strategy.