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A successful website is one that gets found and looked at. The best way to be found is to place high on Google search results. Seriously, look at this...
Google doesn't even have a contender. Search Engine Optimization is achieved by following basic SEO principles and fine-tuning processes to match changes in Google algorithms.
One thing to understand about search engines is that they
are looking for the one, single webpage, that best matches a given keyword phrase. They
don't look at your site as a whole. That's just part of the reason you need
to use something like the strategy outlined below to get their attention.
But even with all the competition and rigorous standards, you can
still gain prominence in Google (and Yahoo and all the rest) by finding your niche, observing the basics of search
engine optimization, providing view-worthy content.
The Basics:
KEYWORDS You must come up with a list of keyword phrases,
phrases that a potential customer or client would put into a search engine to find your products
and services. Have meetings and brainstorm with your colleagues. This is the first
step of search engine optimization, and there isn’t really anything to talk about until you’ve
come up with this list.
To achieve high search engine relevance, a separate page on your site
should be written for each keyword phrase. This page should have a lot of text including the
phrase. Image names, meta tags, and descriptions should be tailored to repeat these
words. Not only that. The page needs to actually say something about the keyword
concept, and it needs to say it better and at greater length than your competitors’ webpages.
DESCRIPTIONS Page description is the text that comes up with
search engine results… 20 to 150 words. You know it. You read it to see which site in
the results you want to visit.
Basically, you want to be straightforward and informative
when writing a description. That is, include the facts, and leave out the
superlatives. Put yourself in your customers’ shoes and write a single, complete sentence
that lets people know what you have, and why they want it.
Now, write a separate description for each keyword page.
SEARCH ENGINE SUBMISSIONS Mostly, direct submissions to search
engines just speed things up. They are a good way to kick start a new or revamped
website, and you can start to see the effect you site will have in, say, four weeks rather than
three to four months, if you launch a search engine submission campaign.
There are often good discounts for submitting multiple
domains at the same time: like, submit five for the cost of three. If you want to do search
engine submissions, see if you can find other website owners to do it with. Ask your webmaster about
it. I try to put together a group submission campaign for my web clients once or twice a
year.
RECIPROCATING LINKS People at large commercial websites have
made careers out of forming reciprocating link alliances. Links into your site are
important. You’ve got to have a few just to get your site crawled and indexed. For
links to help your search engine results placement, they must be relevant to the keyword page
to which they are linked.
Ask your vendors for reciprocating links to their websites. Make
it part of your purchasing strategy and procedure. And don't just let them link to your home
page. Have them link directly to your most relevant, product / keyword page.
Finally, CONTENT Imagine having a page so useful, or
interesting, or entertaining, that others link to it based on its merit alone.
If location is the secret to success in brick and mortar business, then the three most important
things determining your website's success are content, content, content! New Google algorithms make this truer than ever,
as they tighten their focus and demand more specific and relevant information.
Bottom line: If you want a top-10 webpage, you’re going to have
to build a top-10 webpage. Contact Cheryl Tupper, SDWEBPRO, to find out how.
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