Search Engine Optimization

Organic search engine referrals (traffic from non-paid search listings) result in 52% of our annual traffic, to the tune of about 2.5 million visitors per year. Our internal search engine is used 200,000 times per year with nearly 8% of all site visits utilizing on-site search. Search engines are one of the most valuable tools at our disposal for reaching both internal and external audiences interested in our offerings. Well-written, well-organized, up-to-date content is the fuel that drives search engine traffic.

The importance of keywords

The basic premise of intentional keyword-usage is to understand the terms visitors will use to try to find your content, and then making sure that those terms appear in contextually-appropriate ways in the page. It is equally important to use keywords and terms in page titles, headings, and content, and not “stuff” keywords into page content in contextually-inappropriate ways. Keyword “stuffing” will negatively impact search scores for the entire SJSU website.

Document structure

HTML is a structural language. This means that the purpose of HTML is to organize web documents rather than design them. For both search engine and accessibility purposes it is important to appropriately organize the content of your document.

Headers are weighted by search providers and are critical to the ability of users to effectively and successfully scan content to find information relevant to them. Additionally, screen readers and accessibility support tools depend on correct and appropriate use of headers to deliver a functional user experience to the users who utilize them. 

In short, appropriate use of headers is a federal and state accessibility compliance requirement in addition to being critical for successful user experiences and search engine optimization.

Removing outdated and unnecessary content

A website is less like a digital filing cabinet with infinite space and more like a garden. It requires regular attention in order for that garden to be a pleasant experience for visitors. If the people who manage a garden never did any work to prune existing plants and just kept adding new ones, it would be an overgrown mess in no time at all.

Many of the problems users have finding accurate and useful information stems from the proliferation of old and outdated content on our websites.

Efforts to delete old web pages and files (including outdated PDF and Word documents) and to fix broken links will pay off in better search placement for current, active, valuable content for prospective students, current students, staff, and faculty.

A best practice is to thoroughly review your content regularly. Add a reminder to your calendar to prompt you to remove outdated information, confirm the accuracy of what is posted and think about what your audience will need over the coming months.