Jill Kurtz, Owner, Kurtz Digital StrategyEvery website should be created and maintained with search engine optimization (SEO) in mind.The effort doesn’t need to be complex or daunting. But, it does have to be intentional.First, you need a content strategy. You need to take time to develop a deep understanding of the interests of your audience. That means defining an audience that is much more specific than “everyone” or “the general public.” You need to understand who is most likely to be interested in you and your business.With that information in mind, you need to make sure your site is developed to provide that audience with the information they want on an ongoing basis. You need to address their needs and answer their questions. How you will do that is outlined in your content strategy.Building your website around the topics that are of interest to your audience and having a plan to actively present that information will inherently boost your SEO around those topics.Optimize your site for mobile. Making a mobile version of a site and a mobile-friendly version of the site are not the same thing. You mobile site needs to present only those things most likely needed by mobile visitors and in a way that is easy to use on the small screen.

• Narrow content
• Simplify navigation
• Make all buttons easy to click with a finger
• No pop-ups
• Google searches on mobile devices will not show sites that are not mobile-friendly. With more and more people searching on mobile devices, if you are not seen on those searches you are doing great harm to your SEO and business.

Now, reach out to your audience. “If you build it, they will come,” is a great idea but most often it doesn’t work that way. You need to invite the people you want to connect with you to engage with your website.Here’s where your social media efforts can play a big role. Share content and send people to your website to learn more. After all, with your awesome content strategy in place, you are always offering fresh content in line with their interests, right?Sending that traffic to your site not only builds SEO, it also helps cement your position as an authority for your audience. When you become a go-to resource, your website becomes a go-to place.[author]About the Author: Jill Kurtz founded Kurtz Digital Strategy to help clients see the communication potential of the newest trends and technologies. She is an expert at website strategy and redesign, social media planning, and developing exceptional content.[/author]