A "Couple" of Easy
Search Engine Optimisation Tests

To reach the "top of the pile" on a search engine's results pages your website must have fantastic content, brilliant coding and an amazing number of links from other quality websites. Before rushing off to hire a search engine optimisation specialist there are a few easy tests that you as a website owner or marketer can usefully perform on your website, or on a competitor's website. Four of these are:

• Keywords. Check the number and frequency of keywords and keyword phrases that are on one of your main product or service pages. Now check to see if the main ones are used in the title (right up at the very top of the browser) and in the headings on that page. If they are to be found in these two areas then your website may will have been optimised.
• Menu. Move your cursor over a menu item - do not press the mouse button. If a short text description pops-up, using those keyword phrases identified above, then your site may well have been optimised.
• Images. Position your cursor over an image. If the name of the image appears (and I do not mean 'image 1', or 'image 2' etc.) then you website has probably been developed with both visitors and search engines in mind.
• External Links. To gain an indication as to which web pages, and hence the number of web pages linking to your website go to a search engine and in the search area type "link:www.yourcompany.co.nz" or possibly "link: http://www.yourcompany.co.nz depending on the search engine.

The real test of course is when you type in the keyword phrases identified above into say Google or Bing. If your site appears as one of the top 30 listings (i.e. on pages one to three) then all is well. If not the search engine optimisation is required.

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