Mar 28, 2024  
College Catalog 2021-2022 
    
College Catalog 2021-2022 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

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ITWP 1450 - SEO (Search Engine Optimization) For the Web

Credit Hours: 3.00


Prerequisites: ITWP 1000  

(formerly ITWP 1400)

This course is designed to teach participants current Search Engine Optimization concepts and website techniques to obtain the most favorable search engine positions possible. Course topics include identifying appropriate keywords for optimization, designing a search‑engine‑friendly website, on/off page factors that influence search engine results, link‑building strategies, using analytics to refine search results, and web copywriting. This course will also provide an overview of pay‑per‑click advertising and how various new media are used to promote a website and examine common industry tools for analyzing websites and improving search results.

Billable Contact Hours: 3

When Offered: Winter semester only

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OUTCOMES AND OBJECTIVES
Outcome 1: Upon the completion of this course, students will be able to outline how search engines obtain and use information to produce search results.

Objectives:

  1. Evaluate how search engines impact the way a website is developed including content creation.
  2. Use a search engine results page (SERP) to identify which results are paid placements vs. those that were returned “organically” by the search engine.
  3. Identify the elements that website owners used to achieve the search position they attained by using a known search term/phrase and the first page of a search result. 

Outcome 2: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to develop a fully optimized website that ranks well in search engines for the desired search terms.

Objectives:

  1. Research the search engine optimization efforts of competitors for a target audience.
  2. Develop a keyword and key phrase list for a target audience.
  3. Create a search engine optimization plan for a business or organization. 
  4. Create a website that is fully optimized for search engines using navigation, layout, page elements, and web copywriting techniques for a business or organization.
  5. Submit a fully optimized website to search engines and directories.
  6. Evaluate whether to pursue a local search strategy for a fully optimized website. 
  7. Explore off-page search engine optimization tactics for a website that is search engine optimized.
  8. Apply a minimum of two offf-page search engine optimization tactics to the optimized website.

Outcome 3: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to refine website optimization efforts through the installation of website analytics and interpretation of the metrics.

Objectives:

  1. Install analytics code on each page of a given website. 
  2. Analyze visitor behavior on a “live” website using data produced by web analytics software.
  3. Recommend improvements that favorably impact the website’s performance. 
  4. Implement improvements that favorably impact the website’s performance.
  5. Configure the web analytics software to track actual results vs. a defined goal. 

Outcome 4: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to outline the tools that are available to evaluate the search engine strategies of competitors and to analyze, monitor, and refine the search engine optimization efforts of their own website.

Objectives:

  1. Evaluate the most appropriate tools that can be used to identify both on and off-page optimization opportunities for a website that has not been search engine optimized. 
  2. Evaluate a website for search engine optimization opportunities.
  3. Recommend changes that will improve search engine rankings. 
  4. Use available SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tools for identifying what tactics the competitor site is using.
  5. Recommend improvements to their own site to achieve a higher search ranking than the competitor site. 

Outcome 5: Upon completion of this course, students will be able to apply information from authoritative sources regarding changes to SEO (Search Engine Optimization) tactics and tools to their SEO efforts.

Objectives:

  1. Evaluate topics discussed in blogs or forums of authoritative sources regarding the search engine optimization industry. 
  2. Distinguish between authoritative sources of search engine optimization information and sources of opinion found on the internet. 

COMMON DEGREE OUTCOMES (CDO)
• Communication: The graduate can communicate effectively for the intended purpose and audience.
• Critical Thinking: The graduate can make informed decisions after analyzing information or evidence related to the issue.
• Global Literacy: The graduate can analyze human behavior or experiences through cultural, social, political, or economic perspectives.
• Information Literacy: The graduate can responsibly use information gathered from a variety of formats in order to complete a task.
• Quantitative Reasoning: The graduate can apply quantitative methods or evidence to solve problems or make judgments.
• Scientific Literacy: The graduate can produce or interpret scientific information presented in a variety of formats.

CDO marked YES apply to this course:
Communication: YES
Critical Thinking: YES
Information Literacy: YES
Quantitative Reasoning: YES
Scientific Literacy: YES

COURSE CONTENT OUTLINE

  1. Search Engine Basics
  2. Factors Impacting Search Results
  3. Factors Impacting Search Results (continued)
  4. Choosing a Target Audience
  5. Choosing Keywords
  6. Usability, Site Architecture and Wireframing
  7. Site Diagram and Wireframing
  8. SEO Planning and Developing Search Engine Optimized Websites
  9. Developing a SEO Friendly Website
  10. Developing Content That Gets Found
  11. Measuring Success with Analytics
  12. Content Development: Making Your Site Work
  13. Overview of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) Tactics
  14. Local Search and Link Building
  15. Local Searches (continued)
  16. Applying SEO

Primary Faculty
Wanner, Jacqueline
Secondary Faculty

Associate Dean
Evans-Mach, Patrick
Dean
Balsamo, Michael



Official Course Syllabus - Macomb Community College, 14500 E 12 Mile Road, Warren, MI 48088



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