Fresno, CA -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/24/2014 -- SEO website design is not like painting a house, which can be done once every 10 years. Instead, it is like vacuuming or laundry; it must be done on a regular basis to prevent problems.

For this reason, many SEO experts that specialize in website design, charge a monthly retainer fee. This fee can include all the services that must be performed on a regular basis, such as checking competitor's sites, changing keywords, refreshing web pages, updating coding standards, browser compliance, and tracking metrics or analyzing performance. In some cases complete redesigns are necessary, as in the example of implementing a new responsive design from a former design.

However, randomly performing these tasks will not give the results you want. Website updates and other tasks must be scheduled on a regular basis with attention to best practices in SEO web design. Standards are available that help you know when to perform certain tasks and optimize web site performance, no matter who is doing your SEO.

Developing an Update Procedure for Your Website

Having a list of things that should be done and the frequency with which these tasks should be performed is a useful resource for website managers and business owners alike. With a well-planned schedule, everyone will be included in the decision-making process about how to achieve top SEO results. Developing a "style guide" can help everyone involved in your SEO process understand your goals and what you have already done toward building strong SEO. Some things that should be included in this list are:

File naming. The naming conventions used for new website pages, image files, audio and video files and all other types of content should be clearly defined and checked on a regular basis. File names should describe the contents and ideally will include specific keywords.

Directory structure. The directory structure of your website can make it easy or difficult for search engine bots to find you. A well-defined silo structure, which uses top-level themes and builds downwards, is often the best choice for websites.

Redirects. Best SEO practices indicate that the ideal number for redirects is 301. Redirect codes should always take into account your SEO strategy; failure to consider this in redirection planning could lead to less-than-optimal results. Routinely, webmasters or SEO experts should also remove pages that are no longer working or are no longer needed.

Linking. The exact procedure for identifying links and keywords should be written out so that everyone understands the process. Guidelines for linking should be established before the linking activities begin.

New pages. Before a new page is added, there are several important questions that should be answered, such as: What keywords are we using for this page? What is the purpose or goal of this page? What silo does this page support? The page should be designed with the answers to these questions in mind.

Style guides can make ongoing website development and SEO a clear and straightforward process for new coders and programmers adapting to your needs for expansion. Make sure that everyone involved in your IT team is clear on company objectives, technology requirements, and equally as important, search engine trends.

Guest blogging was probably the biggest buzzword throughout 2013. SEO professionals and online marketers preached the value of this tactic for building links, brand authority, credibility, and myriad other benefits. For many marketers, that was all turned upside down when, in his January webmaster video and blog post, Matt Cutts made the startling and controversial pronouncement: “Stick a fork in it: guest blogging is done.”

In response to misinterpretations of his statement, however, he scaled his announcement back by differentiating ‘good’ guest blogging from bad. In short, ‘bad’ guest blogging means doing so solely as a means of getting links; ‘good’ guest blogging means contributing excellent content to build your audience and reputation.

He writes: “There are still many good reasons to do some guest blogging (exposure, branding, increased reach, community, etc.). Those reasons existed way before Google and they’ll continue into the future.”

Guest blogging will continue to remain an excellent strategy for building your audience, your brand and your personal thought leadership plan. And yes, those inbound links will still count. However, spammy, low-quality guest blogging is a thing of the past, and smart marketers will focus instead on using guest blogging for the many other benefits it provides

SEO is becoming more expensive as it becomes more difficult to get inbound links and create link-worthy content

Pre-Panda, producing content that would rank highly was relatively easy. Slap up some keyword-rich content, get a few keyword-rich links to it, and you were good to go.

But as ranking well becomes more difficult, marketers and business owners are realizing the need to increase their investment in content creation and link building in order to rank in the search engines.

Roles like Content Manager, Director of Content, and Content Marketing Officer (CMO) are becoming increasingly mainstream, as is the outsourcing of content creation and link building. I predicted the rise of this responsibility in a June 2013 post titled “The Job Title That You’ll Need to Hire by the End of 2013.”

According to recent research by Kapost, 54.1% of marketers are prioritizing content marketing team hiring above any other sub-discipline.

This hefty investment in content creation and SEO is meaning brands are having to carefully re-evaluate the types of content they’re producing, and actively track whether that content is helping them achieve their goals.

About Web Design Fresno
Web Design and SEO Fresno is the search arm of Cloud1 Marketing and is California's #1 SEO & PPC Company. Web Design and SEO Fresno specializes in ensuring that small and medium businesses get prominently displayed in search results of leading search engines like Google, Yahoo!, Bing and more, to help small & medium enterprises connect with customers searching for what they offer on their website.Cloud1Marketing

For more information about their Web Design Fresno SEO & PPC services, please visit http://www.cloud1marketing.com/ or call Paul Singh http://www.cloud1marketing.com/Website-Design-Fresno