So you want to be number one on Google??

You may know the drill, or soon will. If you're a website owner, you've probably received that daily spam mail informing you that the target keywords for your website aren't ranking well in the major search engines and you're losing major business traffic. If you act now and contact said spammer they will give you the magic elixir to instantly shoot your website to the number one spot of Google and all your woes will be solved. Sounds too good to be true? Well, you're probably right.

Know this: there are never any shortcuts to instant success and SEO is no exception. An effective SEO campaign requires time and persistence, but more importantly, a solid game plan. Without the combined understanding of your business objectives and the tendencies of your target audience an SEO campaign is like driving with a blindfold; you're not likely to get the results you desire, and someone might even get hurt.

KimDesign & Organic SEO

Image of panda regarding Google SEO Panda algorithm

Kim Design & Organic SEO

When it comes to SEO, the term organic at the most basic level refers to the 10 listings commonly known as 'organic search results' that naturally appear on the SERPs (search engine results pages). That said, the term 'organic' is a much more foundational concept in the larger world of SEO.

Simply put, Google seeks to reward websites that increase user experience and build longer lasting relationships. They measure this in two ways:

1) the organic structure of your website: code, architecture, and navigability.

2) the natural appeal and value of the content on your website.

At Kim Design we specialize in Organic SEO. We begin by focusing on the quality of your code, which creates a better user experience in regards to your search engine findability through the use of meta tags, schema, and keyword implementation, while also increasing page speed and smoother navigability (learn more about navigability in the brief article titled Does My Website Help My Clients?). Focusing on quality code is like putting organic nutrients in your garden. The second aspect of organic SEO is your content, which we discuss in greater detail further down this page (Content Is King - Acces is Queen). Your content is the series of seeds that you plant over time, which, through proper cultivation will grow and bear fruit for your clients.

Google discourages unnatural practices that only build an illusion of health. It distinguishes organic content from paid content and advertising, or even worse, duplicate, stolen, or even false content. Unfortunately, because most advertising operates via repetition, and more importantly, competition, it often dilutes the quality of information being promoted. The inherent nature of advertising is often driven more by the quick sale than building an enduring relationship. Its often a numbers game that casts a broad net; quantity over quality, and speed over depth. Google believes that the promotion of your brand should be based on your authority in your industry, rather than aggressively inserting yourself in front of a potential customer by any means necessary.

In 2011 Google rolled out Panda (originally called Farmer), an element of its algorithm that reviews the depth, frequency, staying power, and overall quality of your content. Upon Panda's release, nearly 12% of websites were docked for 'spammy' 'click bait' content, including Ebay which lost 80% of its 'organic rankings' and is working to recover to this day. The beauty of organic search engine optimization is that when properly implemented it is hardy and offers long lasting value to your clients.

See our full list of Organic Search Engine Optimation Services w Technical Specs

Site Mapping & Hierarchy

  • naming conventions 
    • keyword mapping
    • pages, articles, products, categories, tags
  • url management & link structure
    • pretty url's & slugs
    • no follow tags
    • robots text
    • sitemap.xml
    • htaccess redirects

On-page Optimization

  • Meta data: title, description, keywords
  • Coding: Semantic HTML5 title & content tags
  • Schema.org structured data: products, places, reviews
  • Content
    • keyword targeting & density
    • page titles & subtitles
    • anchor text
    • images: naming, titles, alt tags
    • Local search place page(s)

Performance & Accessibility

  • Responsive Mobile Optimization
  • Website Speed: file compression, image size, speed
  • Search Engine Registration
    • Google
      • Google Analytics
      • Google Search Console
        • sitemap.xml
      • Google My Business
    • Yahoo
    • Bing

SEO is both Science and Art Form

Search Engine Optimization - Eugene, Or: image of car with powerful engine

SEO is both Science and Art Form

There's a long list of purely technical aspects to search engine optimization essential to increasing your page rank in the search engines, but without a creative vision all the science in the world will never magically turn a frog into a Mustang. The science of SEO functionality can be listed as a series of arcane jargon boasting of intellectual muscle and technical knowledge, but its the art of SEO where the rubber meets the pavement. The science of SEO is the engine under the hood, but the vehicle will stand still until an inspired driver gets behind the wheel and turns the key. That driver needs to know where they are going. A solid SEO campaign creates a road map for the driver to follow. Even then, one can never predict the traffic ahead and the actions of the other drivers on the road, let alone the condition of the road itself. Creativity and the ability to adjust to changing demands are always essential to reaching your destination.

SEO & Google: Fear the Penguin

Image of penguin regarding Google SEO Penguin Algorithm

SEO & Google: Fear the Penguin

The thing about Google and its mighty algorithm is that it despises tricksters and cheaters, and indeed often catches and punishes those tricksters. In 2012 Google launched what they call Penguin, which is a clever beast that see's everything in black and white. It crawls the web looking for black hat seo practices to punish, while rewarding white hat seo efforts that make websites more logical, understandable and accessible. Tip: in old black and white movies the bad guy always wore a black hat. The good guys wore white hats. The point is, Google isnt into tricks. There is no magic formula for high page rank, and Google wants to discourage peddlers of such magical claims. Websites get docked routinely for black hat SEO practices.

Content is King - Access is Queen

Image of chess pieces illustrating that content is king and access is queen when it comes to SEO

Content is King - Access is Queen

There are two primary objectives of the Google algorithm: 1) provide quality content, 2) make it easy for web users to access that content. The science of search engine optimization put all its emphasis on that final word...optimization...making the most of what you already have. Google provides a vast collection of tips, resources and tools to optimize the 'findability' of your content, but the rest is up to you, and whomever writes your copy. Google delivers content, they don't create it. Google cant write your copy for you. The art of writing quality copy, whether creative taglines and calls to action, or in depth articles and educational content, its the key to bringing visitors to your website and keeping them there. If they find you because you've only done the science of optimization, addressed the accessibility, but neglected the art of content creation, your visitor will quickly 'bounce' away. Google tracks your visitors page time and whether they bore deeper into your site or leave. Its up to you to take care of your visitors; Google is evaluating your ability to do that. 

SEO Keywords are Key

Image of key regarding SEO keywords

SEO Keywords are Key

You have to know what your client's, or audiences', interests, desires, and tendencies are. You have to structure your website in a way that makes sense to them, but more importantly, you have to speak their language. That's where key words come in. Knowing the words that your business and audience have in common is the key that unlocks the intended purpose of SEO, bringing people together. The art of a strong keyword strategy requires going beyond industry insider jargon inherent to most business operations, and massaging it to make sense to the layman. Because you cant actually put words in your clients mouths, its more important to learn the words they would naturally use and build a keyword campaign that truly speaks to their needs. The art of keywords is a matter of knowing your clients tendencies so well that you can anticipate what they might type into a Google search, and then providing quality content that naturally answers their inquiry.

The Short Tail and Long Tail of It All

Image of puppy biting tail regarding SEO longtail keywords

The Short Tail and Long Tail of It All

There are obvious words to target when creating a keyword lexicon for your SEO campaign. Very often they are your industry, service or product, and region. For Kim Design those would be, web design, search engine optimization, graphics, eugene, oregon. The more obvious keywords are closer to the core of your business, or, in insider SEO jargon, 'further up the tail' of the dog, while less obvious keywords are 'further down the tail'...thus, we have short tail and long tail keywords. Through the art of keyword investigation you may be more likely to strike gold in your less obvious long tail keywords, simply because the obvious nature of short tail keywords makes them highly competitive. When every attorney in town targets the key words 'attorney' and 'lawyer' in their SEO campaign, those words can become neutralized across the industry. At that point, you need to find a more competitive edge, by offering something that is rarer to find. 
 
Case in point: if you are a realtor, 'homes for sale' or 'home sales' are short tail keywords that obviously represent the heart of your business model. Type 'homes for sale' into Google and you will find the page thoroughly dominated by Zillow, Trulia, RedFin, and a number of corporate brands. Smaller real estate companies simply cant compete with the monetary investment and site traffic those large brands command. You must be more creative and nimble to offer details your larger competition simply cant address. Imagine a potential home buyer finds a home of interest on Trulia but now they desire more information about where the home is located and submit a Google search for 'college hill neighborhood, eugene, oregon'. Those are beautiful long tail key words. If you can provide rich content about local neighborhoods you may have just drawn a potential client to your website.

SEO Rates

Our seo estimates are custom tailored to meet the unique demands of each client.

There are a number of factors that go into establishing your level of investment:

  • the type of services or products you wish to promote
  • the quantity of services or products you wish to promote
  • the region or geographic coverage you wish to target
  • the degree of comptetion in your given industry and target region
  • how aggresive you would like to be in establishing a strong seo presence

Search Engine Optimization Consultation

In order to save you time and expedite your seo consultation please complete the form below by providing as many details as possible. This will help us be more prepared to assist you by the time we contact you. Thank you.

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