Every marketing tactic gets more scrutiny when budgets face the severity of a struggling economy. As a result, marketers increasingly are responding to the accountability found in digital marketing, and budgeting toward efforts they can clearly measure.
Put search engine optimization under this microscope and it consistently delivers. But marketers need to ensure they are getting the most out of their SEO, especially during a recession. Every search matters, and an optimized search marketing effort can yield more value to an organization.
Here are several key tactics to maximize your SEO efforts:
* Eliminate navigation barriers. Search engine spiders prefer easy-to-navigate sites as much as your end-users do. Each is seeking to understand where to find information on your site, so providing clear pathways to all your Web site pages is essential for findability.
* Create an XML site map. XML site maps provide guidance to spiders about what pages exist on a site and how often you update them. They are becoming the standard for crawl submissions. In addition, user-friendly site maps provide additional navigation links throughout your site for users.