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Home » Communications and Marketing » Web Content » Web Content Resources » Web Guidelines » Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a discipline focused on optimizing websites and individual webpages to improve their chances of appearing high in search results in search engines such as Google and Bing.

SEO Is Based on Keywords

Remember that SEO is based on the searcher’s keyword or keyword phrase. E.g. “Lutheran college” or “College with communications major.” The job of the search engine is to list the pages that best match the specific search term for that user.

Target One Keyword Per Page

When creating a new page, consider for which keyword that particular page should be optimized. Never try to optimize a page for more than one keyword or keyword phrase.

Consider Keyword Difficulty

It’s easier to rank for a longer keyword phrase than a shorter one. E.g. it would be pretty much impossible to rank for “sustainability,” however, we might be able to rank for “sustainable communities.” Note: Web Content has tools to measure keyword difficulty.

Optimizing Your Page

Once you’ve decided what keyword you want to try to rank for, make sure to include that keyword in the following places:

  • Page title
  • Page description
  • URL slug (e.g. luther.edu/sustainable-communities)
  • Headings (e.g. H1, H2, H3)
  • Content (don’t overdo it though)
  • Image alt tag (if applicable)

Also, make sure to include enough text for the search engines to take the page seriously (at least 300 words).

Links Matter

Search engine robots follow links to discover new content and also takes into consideration the number of links (and the quality of those links) leading to and from a page. Hyperlink text in your content as appropriate. It can be either internal links (links to other luther.edu page) or external links (links to other websites). Use meaningful text when hyperlinking. E.g. Learn more on the Web Content site. vs. click here to learn more.

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