Initial Background Analysis

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Designs_Folder_Black_128Before we get into the nuts and bolts of the site audit and the Search Optimisation itself, it’s very important to get some background on the business and the market. The client would normally brief us on the market and the business. We would establish who the main “off line” competitors are and get to grips with some of the dynamics of the business and the market.

During these discussions we will get a feel for some of the keywords and industry terms used in a particular market. In many instances the keywords are generally widespread terms and we would have a good handle on them prior to the meeting from our own background research.

But there are markets where there are very specific terms used: used by the businesses in the industry and, after a while, used by people who have researched the industry in order to get some product details on the way to perhaps making a purchase.

A good case in point would be the cosmetic surgery business where ‘everyday’ terms have a medical equivalent and would be the standard in the business. You begin looking for “nose surgery” and end up discussing “Rhinoplasty”

We use these discussions to get a ‘first pass’ on the keyword-research and to benchmark the sites against these industry specific terms.

We would also to see if there is a “local search element” i.e. is the business being searched for using geographic search terms and if so to what extent. There are plenty of strategies simply for the local search phase of the process.

Finally we would look to any emerging trends, innovations and new products. It’s important that if there are new trends and developments you want to ensure that that terminology is embedded into your site.