Search Engine Optimization
The Florida Bar Board of Governors recently considered the issue of using metatags for search engine optimization after the Standing Committee on Advertising asked them for an opinion on the issue. Yet many lawyers are still in the dark about what exactly search engine optimization (or “SEO”) even is, and how one would go about using it.
Almost everyone has a basic understanding that having your site appear on the first page of search results can sometimes mean getting a client who otherwise would not have found you. Shady web marketing companies prey on lawyers who desire this outcome without understanding the process of how it works.
Search engines like Google work by using programs called “metacrawlers,” which scan pages on the internet and rank them by relevance to the search. Aside from reviewing the publically available content on a webpage, metacrawlers also review invisible metadata to determine relevance. The metadata includes keywords listed in main topics and descriptions of the picture files.
Some SEO companies attempt to artificially game the system by artificially enhancing search results. Some ways they do this is by repeating desirable keywords in nonsensical content, linking their clients to one another, or using dummy website to link to client’s pages. But Google is constantly fighting back, deploying its algorithms to reward high-quality content that actually makes a site useful for human beings.
Google penguin is intended to reward this kind of high quality effort, called “white hat” optimization. This type of optimization requires that your static web content does not overuse keywords and your metadata includes accurate keywords. Posting of interesting and relevant content for users is rewarded, because user feedback in the form of clicking on and linking to your site and social media sharing enhances relevance the most.
Moral of the story: You can use SEO techniques to improve your search ranking, just do it right.
Read full article here.
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