Search Engine Optimization; by Michael Toguchi

ARTICLE:

Think tanks are in constant competition with diverse sources for the attention of online users. One increasingly important strategic aspect of web development is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Though SEO can occur in many forms, it is loosely defined as a process to boost organic traffic, both in overall volume and quality of website visitors. Increasing your visibility through search engines can help you capture and convert visitors into quality users that read publications, attend events and generate online revenue.

The question is: How do you optimize your website for search engines? Here are helpful tips:

• Link Building. Encourage partnerships with affiliates and like-minded organizations to link to your work - and return the favor. Search engines generally favor sites that have content linked from trusted sources.

• Friendly URLs. Modify a webpage's URL to include descriptive information about the content. This provides additional information to the search engine and can influence users browsing through their search results. Extend this concept by adding author or title tags to the top of web browsers.

• Meta Tags. These tags provide keywords for a webpage's content. Such tags augment search results and help attract visitors, and can even be used to optimize your RSS feed.

• Search Engine Tools. The major search engines offer web tools for developers designed to improve your site's performance. You can gather a wealth of information with these tools. Don't forget that while Google is the most popular search, plenty of visitors come from other search engines like Microsoft's Live Search and Yahoo! Search.

• Avoid SEO Scams. Some sites try to "beat the system" by using unsavory techniques designed to "trick" search engines. This practice is known as spamdexing and should be categorically rejected. It might have some short-term benefits, but your site could be penalized with decreased page ranks or removal from search engine databases.

Numerous resources, including free tools, available to help optimize your site and increase the return on your technology investment. Of course, SEO is but one component of an overall plan to enhance website performance. No amount of optimization will help a poorly designed site. Talk with your web developer about how to best integrate SEO with your marketing strategy and technology plan.

Michael Toguchi is vice president of eResources, a full service website and technology provider. He can be reached at mtoguchi@eresources.com.