SEO

Definition

Search engine optimization (SEO) refers to the process of optimizing web pages to increase their visibility in search engine results pages (SERPs). It involves on-page, off-page, and technical strategies to improve how content is discovered, crawled, and indexed by search engines like Google. Focus on these key areas:

Know Your Goals and Audiences

Defining your web goals and understanding who your audiences are is the first and most important step to building good SEO. Before anything else:

• Create an editorial mission for your website (e.g., drive admissions, increase research visibility, sell products) and ensure that all of your content serves that mission. Content that doesn't fit the mission belongs somewhere else.
   
• Define specific web goals (increase applications by 15%, increase traffic to a key landing page by 20%, etc.).
   
• Understand your audience: Who are they? What are they searching for? What problems are they trying to solve? Do you have the content they are looking for?

Do Basic Keyword Research

Keywords are the words and phrases, also known as long-tail keywords, that people type into search engines.

• Use tools like Google Analytics and BrightEdge to learn keywords for which your website ranks highly or poorly
   
• Look for:
  • Alignment with your content and web goals
  • Keywords with decent search volume
  • Opportunities to move your webpage up in SERP rankings

Organize keywords by page or topic, and monitor and update them frequently.

Structure the Site Logically

A well-organized site helps both users and search engines.

• Use a clear navigation menu with one- or two-word labels
   
• Create topic clusters: a main page (e.g., “Undergraduate Programs”) with related subpages (e.g., “Biology Major,” “History Major”)
   
• Keep URLs clean and descriptive
  • Good example: yoursite.edu/graduate-programs/public-health
  • Poor example: yoursite.edu/page?id=123

Prioritize Accessibility

Websites that don't meet the accessibility standard have suboptimal user experience, which in turn has a negative impact on SERP rankings. Learn more about how to make accessible content on accessiiblity.columbia.edu.

Write Great Page Titles

• Be descriptive and concise. In page titles, embed keywords that accurately reflect page content.

• Include primary keywords early. For example, “SEO Best Practices for Content Managers” is more effective than “Tips and Tricks for Managing Web Content.”

• Keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation in search results.

Don't Skip Meta Tags and Summary Field

• Write compelling summaries (150–160 characters) that encourage clicks by using relevant keywords naturally.

  • Example: “Learn essential SEO best practices for content managers, including tips on page titles, meta tags, images, and content structure.”

• Every page should have a meta tag.

Structure Page Content

• Use headers strategically: H1 for main title, H2 for sections, H3 for subsections. Be sure to use them in the correct order and don't skip levels.

• Incorporate keywords naturally: Avoid stuffing. Use synonyms and related terms.

• Add internal links to related content for better crawling and user engagement.

• Include external links to authoritative sources when relevant.

• Keep content fresh to maintain rankings.

Use Descriptive Image and File Names

• Use descriptive file names: Replace default file names like IMG1234.jpg with seo-best-practices-chart.jpg.

• Include keywords in file names and file paths when relevant.

• Alt text: Always provide concise, descriptive alt text that includes keywords naturally.

  • Example: Diagram showing SEO content optimization techniques.

Track Performance

SEO is an ongoing process. Once your site is live:

• Track performance using tools like BrightEdge and Google Analytics.

• Regularly review click-through rates, bounce rates, and ranking positions.

• Keep content updated and re-optimize low-performing pages.