Improving the Visibility and Use of Digital Repositories through SEO: A LITA Guide

Recent OCLC surveys show that less than 2 percent of library users begin their search on a library website, which is why search engine optimization (SEO) is so crucial. A strong SEO strategy can dramatically increase visitation and maximize the digital library investment.

But since library and archive SEO efforts are often an afterthought, they can be unproductive. SEO managed by a few technically knowledgeable people deep in the organization are usually ineffective and difficult to sustain, precisely because they are not driven by a strategic plan. Arlitsch and OBrien advocate that SEO only works when approached holistically and driven strategically. Drawing on their expertise in digital libraries and corporate marketing, they show how to mount a successful SEO strategy, including

• Recommended dashboards for increasing participation by sharing data
• Avoiding the four most common crawler errors that lead to low rankings
• How to effectively utilize the Google Keyword Tool
• The use of domain settings to generate unit-specific reports for special collections, institutional repositories and university presses
Arlitsch and OBrien go beyond an explanation of the technical aspects of SEO to provide a unique top-level perspective which emphasizes cross-organizational functions and communication for sustained success.