In the good ol days, (like maybe the late 1990s) SEO used to be a fairly simple exercise that would ensure your web site would not only be listed in the major search engines, but also be listed on the first three pages, where it seems to matter the most. But as with most technologies, things change quickly, and SEO is no exception. It used to be that if you added Meta tags such as description, title, and keywords, you were all set with your SEO strategy. Today, it takes so much more for the search engines to notice you, and it takes several strategies all used together to give your site a fighting chance. Being listed on the first three pages of search results is also the goal of the millions of other web pages out there, and competition can be stiff. Of course, the best way to get your site ready for the search engines is to hire a professional. But the reality is that small businesses dont always have the budget for this. So if you really want to improve your rankings in the search engines, learn as much as you can about the following techniques and implement the ones that make sense for your business. Then, track your results over several weeks to see if your efforts are working. Techniques to Learn 1. Search Engine Optimization True optimization of a web site combines creative use of keywords, creative writing, and measuring effectiveness through density statistics and lots of good, quality content. Research your keywords (there are several free or low-cost tools on the web that you can use) before plopping them into your page. Often, the keywords you think make the most sense for your site yield the worst results. 2. Link Popularity Link popularity is important to search engines, and the theory goes something like this: the more web sites that link to your web site, the more popular your site must be. But.you cant have just any site out there linking to yours. The sites that link to yours must relate to your business in some way. They should be similar in theme or subject matter, and be well-established, authoritative sites with high rankings of their own. Not easy to do, but well worth it if you take the time to establish this type of linking. The biggest mistake you can make with link popularity is to add your site to link farms or free-for-all listing sites. Many of these sites are already banned from the search engines, and your site could be penalized for being listed on these sites. 3. Articles You know your business better than anyone, so why not share your insight and expertise? Writing articles is a great way to get links to your site, and also establish your company as an expert in your field! Write an article about an interesting area of your business, a current event relevant to your business, or anything that would interest your target audience. Then, submit your articles to sites like www.content-articles.com and www.ezinearticles.com. One of the most important things to remember when submitting articles is to ALWAYS add your business information in the resource box, the few lines at the end of the article that identifies the author, including a text link back to your web site. To Be Continued In next months issue, we will be discussing some of the newer techniques used for boosting search engine rankings, including RSS (Really Simple Syndication), Blogs, and Diversification. Start with the first three techniques we listed in this issue, and by next month you will be ready to tackle the second half of what it takes to improve your search engine rankings! |
