Most companies, whether big or small, face one common but widespread problem – that of their keywords not ranking high in Google. Ranking on page 2 or subsequent pages sharply reduces the chances of being seen by potential visitors, so the question is not really “to rank or not to rank” but “how to rank” on page 1.

With competition intensifying, each company wants its keywords to rank on page 1 of Google but most do not know how to go about the process of improving the ranking.

There are two methods of improving ranking- On-page and Off-page optimization. This blog talks about On-page optimization.

One of the basic tenets of Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is that each web page must have proper meta tags in place in the source code. These are the title and description tags that one may see in well designed pages (by pressing Ctrl U on either Firefox or Chrome.) Yet, it is amazing that a very high percentage of companies either do not have meta tags in place or have defective meta tags. The starting point therefore is to use a competent digital agency to analyze the meta tags on each web page and get them to insert proper tags.

There are also many cases of large companies whose website has grown explosively and who are then at a loss as to where to start optimizing their web pages.

Last quarter, pepper square moved – lock, stock and barrel. After seven years of operating from the  JP Nagar office in Bangalore, we moved a little distance away to a four floor, 8000 sq feet facility. The office overlooks a tree lined street and we can see the new Metro coming up at the other end. We can see Bangalore changing and it energizes us – and we can sense a change in ourselves.

Our new office has minimal air conditioning and uses a natural ventilation system that drives air upwards from the bottom to the top. The complete front of the building is glass, allowing natural light to fill the workspace. We use CFL bulbs when required. Everything inside is custom designed wood – real wood – or bamboo, coir and banana fiber. Everything is made from natural material. And we plan to plant the equivalent of the trees that went into this office. That’s because we want to regenerate, reuse, reduce.

But pepper square is not really obsessed with its carbon footprint. And that’s because conservation and recycling come easily to us (we use less than one sheet of A4 paper for every Rs 30,000 we earn). We have ways to consume water that are naturally respectful of how the water is used and ensures a minimum wastage.