Web users rely on search engines when seeking out information about businesses. Local service providers in particular stand to reap enormous gains from tweaking their sites to make sure that those sites are ranked highly when users search for services within a specific geographic area. A Denver dentist, for example, would do well to optimize his/her site so that it would display prominently when web users searched for ‘Denver dentist’ or ‘dentist in Denver.’
The process of adjusting a site so that it appeals to search engines is called search engine optimization (SEO). It is important to optimize any site so that it attracts search engine spiders and user traffic. This need is especially pronounced for sites running on the Drupal content management system (CMS) . Without tweaking, this CMS does not lend itself well to SEO.
Site administrators who are not experienced SEO practitioners may be at a loss for how to take advantage of SEO techniques to increase traffic to Drupal-powered sites. , a leading provider of Drupal search engine optimization, develops tools to make the Drupal SEO process easy. The guidance of a professional consulting firm like is a boon to navigating Drupal SEO, which includes a vast range of best practices.
Fully implementing SEO may seem intimidating, especially because this CMS is not initially rich in SEO features. Fortunately, modules can be installed to add SEO functionality. Users who lack SEO experience but who understand how the module system works can make some easy changes right away to improve search engine traffic to their sites.
Let’s move down the Drupal SEO checklist to break this process down into five steps. These simple steps are just the beginning of what can do for Drupal websites, but they serve as a good starting point for new SEO practitioners.
Many modules are specifically tailored to Drupal SEO needs. Some of these modules provide basic functionality, such as Page Title. For Drupal SEO Page Title is an essential building block. Search engines assign heavy weight to a page’s title when determining that page’s relevance to a user’s search query. If a site owner only makes one change for Drupal SEO Page Title is a good candidate. For this reason, Page Title is Step 1 of this 5-step process.
Another essential Drupal search engine optimization building block is the URL of each page on a website. URL, or Uniform Resource Locator, refers to what is commonly known as the web address. Just as search engines weigh page titles heavily, they also weigh page URLs heavily.
Several Drupal SEO modules work together to make URLs friendly to search engine spiders. These modules, including Path, Path Redirect, and Path Auto, make up Step 2 of the process. Path allows each page’s URL to be changed manually to suit specific keyword needs. Path Redirect allows many different URLs to be created that all redirect to the same page, increasing each page’s ability to exploit related keywords. Finally, Path Auto helps to automate the process of modifying URLs.
Fittingly enough, another good module is called Drupal SEO Checklist. SEO Checklist keeps track of SEO techniques implemented so far and of techniques that have yet to be implemented. It adds timestamps to each step of the SEO process to allow for better coordination among a team. Drupal SEO Checklist is a vital tool for keeping a team’s SEO efforts organized, so it is Step 3.
Big blocks of SEO text might lure in search engines, but any site’s ultimate audience consists of human readers; keeping long stretches of SEO readable is a challenge. Many site owners can benefit from Step 4 of this process, the Mini Panels module, which streamline the process of sprinkling SEO snippets throughout a website. The Mini Panels module is related to the Panel Nodes module, so install both.
Many might overlook this last Drupal SEO module: XML Sitemap, which is the fifth and final step. A sitemap gives search engine spiders an overview of an entire site and how the site is structured. An XML sitemap guides search engines to deliver more accurate search results for the site in question. This module makes constructing a sitemap a breeze for the amateur web cartographer.
Like any tools, these features must be used properly. Simply installing the modules is not enough. The site owner must carefully monitor site analytics to glean maximum benefit from each module. Proactive monitoring is the only way to determine which keywords bring in the most traffic, which pages yield the highest conversion, etc. Site owners often find themselves awash in data but are unsure of how to apply this data to their SEO efforts. As elsewhere, ‘s expertise can demystify this process.
Each Drupal SEO module mentioned above contributes to making a site more attractive as a search engine destination. The more attractive search engines find a site, the more user traffic is directed to that site. Consider the expense and effort of crafting a Drupal-powered website. It would be a shame for all that effort to go to waste because the site never reaches its intended audience. Even the most elegant and user-friendly website is nothing without visitors. A website designed to draw in user traffic brings fantastic benefits to its owner.
Drupal search engine optimization may seem intimidating, but breaking it down step by step is a good way to get started. By that same token, Drupal and SEO may seem at first to be on shaky terms with one another. Yet all that’s necessary’at least to get started’is some module-based tweaking.
Getting started is important. But the best returns on investment come when a site has been fully and mindfully search engine optimized. To do so, a greater depth of effort is required. Open-source modules can only take a site so far. To get to the next level, a site owner would be wise to enlist the help of professionals who make their living drawing search engine traffic to websites. That’s where comes in. knows SEO, and knows Drupal. With ‘s help, Drupal and SEO can go hand-in-hand.
Drupal websites need to be enhanced with specific features to become fully search engine optimized. Drupal SEO modules like the ones just mentioned are invaluable to doing so, but they are only the beginning. can develop custom modules to add unique functionality to a website, enhancing the speed and efficiency of the site all the while. makes it simple even for technically inexperienced site owners to work with custom modules for Drupal and SEO.
All of this information is a lot to digest. Overwhelmed site owners would do well to consult one-on-one with about how Drupal SEO modules, both open-source and custom-made, can maximize traffic to their Drupal websites. Search engine optimization is a journey, not a destination. Embarking on this journey brings a website to .