Although keywords are still an important part of search engine optimisation, the move beyond text-based websites means that other technologies have to be taken into account when developing a search engine optimisation strategy.

An increasing use of smartphones for mobile web browsing means that new SEO strategies have to be developed for sites that may be already perfectly optimised for desktop browsing. Optimising for mobile web search has to take several types of search into account: ‘on deck’ searching using the phone provider’s own search engine; ‘off deck’ searching using mobile versions of browsers developed by traditional search engines such as Google and Yahoo!; and the mobile phone applications that can be loaded on to the phone and used alongside (and also interfere with) the browser. ‘On deck’ and ‘off deck’ search engines use different algorithms that require different strategies compared to traditional web browsing. ‘On deck’ search engines also promote sites that have been submitted and paid for.

So far, smartphone users appear to be sticking to the mobile versions of mainstream search engines, such as Google, in their searches. Luckily, these search engines work well with traditional SEO tools. Webmasters have the option of creating a subdomain with the same page content specifically for mobile users, but this runs the risk of tripping a search engine’s filter for duplicate content. It is better to adapt your page specifically for the needs of mobile web browser users – this will improve the viewer experience as well as ensure the best optimisation for search engines.

SEO for video and image content is becoming more important. As websites move away from text content to create more visually interesting sites, attaining keyword density becomes more difficult. Sites created in Flash also have difficulties with SEO, as search engines can treat Flash as any other image. Whether you choose to feature hosted video or have self-hosted video, you’ll find it difficult to convince a search engine’s spiders that your content is as interesting as your human viewers find it is.

As a search engine doesn’t experience your video the way your human viewers do, the text surrounding the video becomes even more important. A video’s description, title and tags are all the search engine sees, as well as subtitles and captions.

There are a few other easy ways to SEO your video. Using the tag ‘video’ in your title and URL is a simple step which is often overlooked – viewers love video. Place a watermark on the video you own: this will not only protect your branding but make it easier for traffic to flow back to your site if the video becomes viral. In the same line, encourage others to interact with your videos so that they can bring in traffic. If you are hosting your own video, use XML video sitemaps to enable search engines to identify the file. On the viewer’s side of things, be careful to choose an attractive thumbnail for the video link.

At SEO Consult, we specialise in offering advice in all aspects of search engine optimisation.

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