New TGO Nature Center Website SEO Help, Please

[Darlene]

I have built a new website for a small non-profit organization using Wordpress and the theme built in Artisteer. The url is The Nature Center at the Great Outdoors.

About the only thing I know about SEO is H1 titles, putting keywords (which in this case is TGO Nature Center) at the top and bottom of the pages and put the keywords throughout the page when it makes sense for the reader not the spiders.

Steve Pally recommended that I come to the experts on this forum for some help on SEO.

I really appreciate any help you can give me.

Thanks,

Darlene

 

[Linda Buquet]

Hi Darlene,

Welcome and thanks for posting.

Steve shared your site with me and said he was sending you over for help.

I don't have time for a deep dive right this sec but wanted to share the most important advice with you.

Local sites, which is what yours is, are of most interest I would think to local folks. Plus it would be hard to rank nationally or internationally. Much easier for example to rank for Dentist Titusville then Dentist in the whole wide world plus people from all over the world are not going to visit that Dentist or your center - mainly the locals are your target market.

After the primary keyword, the 2nd most important keyword for local sites is the CITY they are in.

So your title tag and the H1 and your image alt and in the body a couple times should be "Keyword City" or at least city mentioned a couple times.

Additionally local sites need NAP on every page and NAP on contact us.
(NAP = Name, Address, Phone)

To Google NAP is your business identifier, like your SS# is for you as a person.

Do this exercise - PRETEND you don't know anything at all about your company and just stumbled across the site and are interested. I searched and searched and searched and could not tell what city you were located in. Location is everything to Google and to local SEO. PLUS customers need to know where you are to even know if you are close enough to visit. One small mention buried in lots of text is not enough. People skim and won't see it.

+ Really need a contact us page with NAP and a map and related local info.

But nice looking site and tons of great content, so you did a great job aside from not focusing more on location.

Gotta run but hopefully others will be by to give you more feedback.

 

[Darlene]

Thank you, Linda, for your quick response.

Great suggestions!

Our community is unique in that we are located in a gated community at The Great Outdoors RV and Golf Resort in Titusville, Florida. We have a combination of properties ranging from RV lots to large homes. For a number of residents, this is their second home. We have short and long term renters of RV lots. We also have lots of nature and wildlife here.

The nature center is open to our residents, renters and their guests and is not open to the general public. Though I hope the future articles on different Florida animals, birds, fish, reptiles and plants will interest and educate folks outside of our community.

I will implement your suggestions and then maybe a Google search of TGO Nature Center will bring up our website as so far it has not.

Thanks again and I look forward to learning more.

Darlene

 

[Linda Buquet]

The nature center is open to our residents, renters and their guests and is not open to the general public. Though I hope the future articles on different Florida animals, birds, fish, reptiles and plants will interest and educate folks outside of our community.

I will implement your suggestions and then maybe a Google search of TGO Nature Center will bring up our website as so far it has not.

Ahhh, didn't realize it was only open to residents. In that case you may not be that concerned with keyword ranking since not open to public.

But you didn't mention in 1st post you didn't even rank for your own name. That's a problem. I even searched TGO Nature Center Titusville Fl and you don't show up. (Except for your post here already ranks)

How long ago did you launch the site?

Have you built any backlinks or hired anyone too? I would not think so since you aren't really open to public so don't need that much exposure.

 

[Linda Buquet]

OK you don't rank for your name.

But when I search name in quotes you do.

https://www.google.com/search?q="TGO+Nature+Center"

But your home page ranks 4th and your post here ranks #1 so that's not good. And 2 of your internal pages rank better than home.

A big problem is your home page does not have TGO Nature Center in the title tag at all. Current title tag is just The Nature Center at the Great Outdoors.

MOST important KW should go at the front of title tag. So if people know you as TGO Nature Center, that should be 1st.

Maybe change title to:

TGO Nature Center - The Nature Center at the Great Outdoors - Titusville Fl

 

[Darlene]

Linda,

Our website not showing up for our own exact match domain name is my concern and that's why I thought some basic SEO would help.

We purchased the domain name on April 5, 2014. I have been building the site for about three weeks.

The only link into the site that I know of is from Steve's website. I will get getting two more links but I'm sure that a quantity of three links is pretty insignificant.

I'll search this site to see if there is some advice on getting backlinks. I'm pretty sure I won't be able to convince the rest of the board of directors to pay for back linking.

I'm going to make the changes you suggest.

Thank You!

Darlene

 

[Linda Buquet]

I would not pay someone to do backlinks at all. It can do more harm than good if not done right.

And honestly if all you want to do is rank for your own name you don't need any.
If you get your name in title tag and H1 that should do it.

But no matter how you cut it, sites that are that new take some time to rank and sometimes go in the sandbox for awhile. Some natural local links might help that. Get listed in some local city directories and places like City Search and Insider Pages too.

 

[Darlene]

Thank you, Linda.

I've been trying to find the title tag in Wordpress to change it. I'll keep researching.

I appreciate the hints for local directories.

I will continue to learn by looking at the posts on your forum. Thank you for providing such great info both personally and on this forum.

Darlene

 

[MarkW]

What are your goals? Are you trying to raise donations from outside sources? Increase memberships? Perhaps just provide information to members? Recruit volunteers?