Switching the entire forums system to the Simplified format made me realize that I had some holes to fill. On the main index page, the new Simplified format actually allows for better descriptions of each forum. This can be helpful to those trying to figure out which forum is most appropriate for posting, but it can also help significantly with our Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It helps Google and other search engines to better understand what each forum is about, thus improving our search ranking.
So I decided to update the descriptions for all of the forums, even the ones that aren't viewable by the public. It just makes the whole site seem more complete and informative.
Pinned Posts in Most Forums
Updating the forums' descriptions caused a ripple effect, wherein I wanted to include definitions of the various types of surveying and related services or topics. Of course, I didn't want to write them all by hand, so I did a little Googling of my own to find appropriate definitions. This mostly resulted in Wikipedia results.
I then created new topics within each forum containing the definitions of those services or topics and pinned them to the top. My primary reasoning here (initially) was to provide the search engines with another great resource to index, which could potentially then improve our traffic numbers while also provide links to the external references. It helps our SEO and perhaps it helps them, too.
While creating these definition topics, it occurred to me that they might trigger some discussion amongst our awesome members. And it's already doing that, on a Sunday no less. Perhaps it will lead to the creation of our own definitions that could replace the externally-referenced definitions? That might be cool if I can get you all to agree. ?????ÿ
Anyway, I felt like these definitions might create some healthy discussion about the profession and possibly even help with our search ranking at the same time. It's a win-win!
New Forums
The ripple effect didn't stop there! While working on the tasks above, it occurred to me that we might be missing out on some specific topics that involve surveying. So I've now added forums for Precision Ag and Forensic Surveying. For both of them, I followed the above trend and created forum descriptions and companion topics for each.
I'm not sure if and when these forums will see traffic, but I'm going to put some effort into improving the overall SEO of this website. I'll apply a little bit of temporary emphasis on these two new forums to see if I can get them kicked into gear.
That's it for today ?????ÿ
I've been putting quite a bit more time into SurveyorConnect lately because I really think we are on the cusp of pushing forward to the next level. Thanks to your encouragement, advice and suggestions, I'm attempting to improve our visibility and overall success without losing our "small town" atmosphere and family-style charm. We do have those things, don't we?! ??? ???ÿ ???¦ ???ª?ÿ
Switching the entire forums system to the Simplified format made me realize that I had some holes to fill. On the main index page, the new Simplified format actually allows for better descriptions of each forum. This can be helpful to those trying to figure out which forum is most appropriate for posting, but it can also help significantly with our Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It helps Google and other search engines to better understand what each forum is about, thus improving our search ranking.
So I decided to update the descriptions for all of the forums, even the ones that aren't viewable by the public. It just makes the whole site seem more complete and informative.
Pinned Posts in Most Forums
Updating the forums' descriptions caused a ripple effect, wherein I wanted to include definitions of the various types of surveying and related services or topics. Of course, I didn't want to write them all by hand, so I did a little Googling of my own to find appropriate definitions. This mostly resulted in Wikipedia results.
I then created new topics within each forum containing the definitions of those services or topics and pinned them to the top. My primary reasoning here (initially) was to provide the search engines with another great resource to index, which could potentially then improve our traffic numbers while also provide links to the external references. It helps our SEO and perhaps it helps them, too.
While creating these definition topics, it occurred to me that they might trigger some discussion amongst our awesome members. And it's already doing that, on a Sunday no less. Perhaps it will lead to the creation of our own definitions that could replace the externally-referenced definitions? That might be cool if I can get you all to agree. ????
Anyway, I felt like these definitions might create some healthy discussion about the profession and possibly even help with our search ranking at the same time. It's a win-win!
New Forums
The ripple effect didn't stop there! While working on the tasks above, it occurred to me that we might be missing out on some specific topics that involve surveying. So I've now added forums for Precision Ag and Forensic Surveying. For both of them, I followed the above trend and created forum descriptions and companion topics for each.
I'm not sure if and when these forums will see traffic, but I'm going to put some effort into improving the overall SEO of this website. I'll apply a little bit of temporary emphasis on these two new forums to see if I can get them kicked into gear.
That's it for today ????
I've been putting quite a bit more time into SurveyorConnect lately because I really think we are on the cusp of pushing forward to the next level. Thanks to your encouragement, advice and suggestions, I'm attempting to improve our visibility and overall success without losing our "small town" atmosphere and family-style charm. We do have those things, don't we?! ??? ?? ???¦ ???ª
