The following guidelines will help you boost your page’s ranking in organic search results. Unlike print materials, writing for websites has additional layers, some of which are involve “invisible” yet important information.
Follow these best practices to ensure your page deploys the strongest possible SEO strategy, remains accessible to all audiences, and maintains a highly engaging user experience.
What is SEO?
Simply put, SEO is the combination of strategies, techniques, and tactics we use to ensure our website pages appear higher on search engine results pages (e.g. Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc.).
Why is SEO important?
- Proper SEO improves the quantity and quality of visitors accessing our website - expanding the Law School’s work and mission to more people - without needing to spend money on advertisements.
- Only 2.8% of U.S. web-searchers will click on paid online advertisements.
- Compared to paid search ads, cultivating a higher ranking on organic search results presents a 20x greater traffic opportunity.
How does SEO work?
- Several factors contribute to whether a webpage will appear on someone’s search results.
- Search engines like Google will show pages that appear most trustworthy and that best answer a searcher’s query.
- Keywords are one of the most important signals for search engines to assess your page’s relevancy. It’s important that website text includes keywords that website visitors are most likely to use in their search queries. For example, if your page is about academic areas of study, choose “areas of study at Penn Carey Law” as a focus keyword.
SEO Keyword Guidelines
SEO keywords are the words and phrases in your web content that make it possible for users to find your site via online searches. Identifying and using the right keywords ensures we are attracting the audiences we want and helping those audiences find the content they seek.
Walk in the user’s shoes when choosing keywords.
- Keywords should match how people search for information online - typically short, quick phrases that may or may not be grammatically correct.
- For example, “Penn Carey Law’s acceptance rate” is better than “University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School rate of acceptance.”
Use keywords in important parts of a page.
It’s extremely important to place keywords in a page’s Title tag, Url slug, and H1 (primary header).
Choose one primary and 2-3 secondary keywords.
- A primary keyword should be most directly related to the overall content on the page.
- Secondary keywords should be permutations of or tangentially related to the primary keyword.
Metadata is information that does not appear on the page but which search engines use to index a website’s content. Metadata must be completed for all new pages created and should follow these important guidelines.
Title Tag
This refers to the name of the page as it will appear in search engine results. Be descriptive and try to keep the title tag under 60 characters.
- Format: [Insert Descriptive Page Title] | Penn Carey Law
- Example: JD Admissions Application Process | Penn Carey Law
URL Slug
This is a unique identifier for a page and refers to the last part of the page’s URL. URL slubs should be descriptive, not more than 3-5 words, and mirror the keywords used in the title tag.
- Title tag: Q&A with Professor Hoffman | Penn Carey Law
- URL Slug: /q-a-professor-hoffman/
Meta Description
This refers to the short paragraph that appears in search engine results below the page title. It describes what users will find on the page - key words are important here. Keep meta descriptions under 160 characters.
- An education from the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School opens doors to leadership opportunities in public and private sectors across the nation, around the world, and in our own backyard.
Image Alt Text
Every image needs alt text or a short snippet that describes the visual content of an image or graphic. Alt text is important for image searches and screen readers. Keep it short, and keep it accurate.
- Law School’s students participating in courtroom simulation.
Calls-to-action (CTAs) should always be added to articles. Despite their brevity, calls-to-action are enormously important to the success of our website. Use the following guidelines when writing CTAs to ensure they are consistent and effective.
Lead with a strong verb
Verbs in CTAs should be strong, memorable, and lead the phrase.
- E.g., Find Your Place, Forge the Future of Law, Give Today
Keep CTAs short (<4-5 words)
Be clear and direct without becoming too verbose. This helps the user decide to take an action.
Address the user directly
When relevant, CTAs should use the second person to directly speak to the reader.
- E.g., Discover Your Path, Craft Your Future, Submit Your Application
Adhere to brand voice standards
Like all website content, CTAs should align with the Law School’s brand voice: pioneering, esteemed, and collegial.
Hyperlink and format as a button
When added a CTA in WhiteWhale, be sure to add an appropriate link and format the hyperlinked CTA as a button.