state websites

[Penny]

I'm new to learning about search engine registration and optimization. Do the tips for optimizing for crawlers (key words positioning/frequency etc.) also apply to gov't sites? Are there possibly other rules or resources for gov't sites, or should gov't sites follow the same strategies listed on this website for best results?

[rcjordan]

It's generally accepted that .gov and .edu sites as well as subdomains of the .us tld get something of a free ride in seo. I compete in this sector and feel that I can see some evidence of this, but let's just chalk that up to competitive jaundice and say that it's a reasonable conclusion.

What I can tell you with certainty is that many, many gov sites apparently could care less about seo. The logic I've seen in action generally boils down to why should a bureaucratic organization staffer be concerned, [A] their check comes anyway and/or [B] we're official so people with naturally find us. Other issues are the time & cost factor as well as the sheer size needed to cover their subject matter.

Applying SEO techniques would certainly be beneficial but just don't seem to be given a high priority.

[Penny]

Thanks, that's what I'm finding--that it's very very difficult to find info on state sites unless you already know the url.

If states were to pay attention to seo, they'd follow the same strategies, right? What did you mean by "they sometimes get a free ride"?

[rcjordan]

>Thanks, that's what I'm finding--that it's very very difficult to find info on state sites unless you already know the url.

Let me rephrase that to "it's very very difficult to find THE info on state sites unless you already know the url." State & local sites like to unload the boat and dump every Word .doc onto their sites because it shows they're doing something. Then they trump up press releases to their equally clueless sister/subordinate agencies and everyone ooo's & ahhhs and pats each other on the back. I'm not kidding about the press release --one of the best laughs I've had recently was a press release touting that XYZ State-funded Agency had just been able to get an entry into (drumroll, please) Wikipedia.

>If states were to pay attention to seo, they'd follow the same strategies, right?

Right. And if they do even a half-decent job they will rank. This causes some problems in areas where they really have no expertise, but it's generally a minor one from a competitive standpoint because anyone ranked around them knows that the user will get frustrated and return to the serps.


>What did you mean by "they sometimes get a free ride"?

They get higher rank than they merit on the basis of seo or even content. In comparison to the scale of the web, the major gov sites are relatively finite and it's not out of the question to think that a search engine could simply manually boost them via editorial staff.

[kina]

The boost, if it does exist, would be automatic and based simply on the '.gov' (and possibly '.org') extension.