Search Engine Optimization

JMH Consulting uses a rigorous four stage process to increase ranking and attract more organic search traffic. Our approach includes milestones and metrics to ensure that every stage produces clear deliverables and measurable results. Below, is a diagram of our process, followed by a detailed description.

Contact us today for a FREE Ranking Analysis to see if your website could benefit from search engine optimization or to speak with a consultant about our search engine optimization services for higher education.

Phase 1: Keyword Generation and Evaluation

Keywords are words or phrases commonly used when searching for a topic, class, certificate, program, or training event. Choosing appropriate keywords for your audience is a vital part of the web optimization process. JMH Consulting uses a proprietary combination of techniques and tools to identify the right keywords, including competitor analyses, brainstorming, keyword generation tools, pay-per-click results (when available), and website analytics (when available). 

After generating a robust set of keywords, JMH Consulting categorizes, evaluates and ranks the keywords by their relevance and frequency of use in search engines. Keywords are grouped into sets of first, second, and third tier optimization phrases.

Phase 2.1: Baseline Evaluation

Before optimizing the website, JMH generates baseline data to document how the current website performs on search engines. This baseline measure is repeated after the optimization process to indicate the effectiveness of our optimization efforts. The baseline evaluation consists of four components.

1. Inbound Link Analysis - Inbound links are links from other websites to your site. JMH documents the quantity and quality of inbound links, which are an important part of the algorithms used by search engines to rank websites.
2. Ranking Analysis - JMH uses keywords from Phase 1 to assess how well the existing website ranks on major search engines. This helps us understand how well the site already performs and reveals opportunities for improvement
3. Site Architecture Analysis - JMH experts analyze and apply sophisticated site mapping tools to generate visual and XML sitemaps of the existing site. This helps reveal the scope and organization of the site.
4. Site Traffic Analysis – Using website analytics, we study the traffic from search engines and other sources to the existing website. This also provides a benchmark to measure improvement after the project. 

Phase 2.2: Analysis

Along with the baseline evaluation, JMH conducts a deep site analysis to assess how well the pre-optimized website is optimized and notes areas with the most potential for improvement. This identifies “low hanging fruit” as well as opportunities for deeper, long term improvements to the site architecture, internal links, etc.

Phase 3: Optimization

After completing the Baseline Evaluation and Analysis, JMH presents a complete set of recommendations optimizing the website. Many factors contribute to a site’s ranking, so our recommendations are extensive.

During the Optimization phase JMH typically works with a client representative (often a technology coordinator or a webmaster) to implement approved changes. Simple changes and those most likely to produce significant improvement are first implemented and evaluated. Then, based on results from the initial set of improvements, we conduct additional rounds of optimization to further improve the ranking.

Phase 4: Evaluation and Improvement

During our final phase, we measure the impact of changes from the Optimization phase. JMH repeats the baseline evaluations to gauge the effectiveness of each round of optimization. The results from each round of optimization are used to target and guide the next. During this stage, we deliver periodic reports on the progress and success of the improvements.

Footnotes