Search Engine Optimization
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the holy grail of Internet business: targeted advertising with unlimited potential for business at the best price imaginable: FREE.
As you would expect, competition for top search rankings is fierce and requires a rigorous, ongoing effort—you can't just type a million keywords into a meta tag and go to lunch, like in the old days of the internet. Search engines are much smarter these days, which translates to more accurate search results and a better experience for everyone.
Fortunately, there are many ways anyone can improve their search rankings, indeed Google is quite clear at Webmaster Central about the criteria it uses to rate the quality of a site. Here are some of the most effective ways to improve your ranking.
- Target specific keywords. Keywords are a critical part of SEO, so don't just guess at which are the most effective ones. Use tools like Google's Keyword Tool to see what people are searching for, then target your title, header, and img tags appropriately.
- Provide useful content. Another hallmark of a quality website is quality content. Write an article. Start a blog. Most people create websites about the things they know and love, so put that expert knowledge to use! Think about it from the viewer's perspective, what do you have to offer them that would make them want to link to you?
- Cultivate inbound links. Nothing says quality to Google like a link from another quality website. This approach, called "link analysis," is what propelled Google from late starter to the top of the search engines, and has subsequently been adopted by Microsoft and Yahoo. So how do you get links from other sites? You can start by asking for it from other sites, many will be more than happy to exchange links. Just be careful to steer clear of "link farms"—empty websites with nothing but links, which may in fact tarnish your reputation. Other ways to get links are through good press, community events, online events, charities, and blogs.
- Refresh often. There's nothing worse than visiting a site that hasn't changed a word since 1980. Consider a content management system (CMS) or popular blogging software like Wordpress, which allows even the least computer-savvy people to update a website frequenly.
- Build an XML
sitemap. A sitemap is like a table of contents for your site, letting the search engine spider know how to crawl your site. It's like extra credit -- when you make it easier for the search engines, they reward you with higher rankings.
- Research the competition. Figure out what makes your most successful competitors tick. View the html source of their webpages and see which keywords they're targeting. Use services like Compete to see basic traffic statistics for any competitor.
Search Engine Marketing
Although its not free like its cousin, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) can be an equally critical part of online strategy, in part because you can have more control over it.
This is a new era. Never before has it been possible to reach so many customers so quickly and so easily.
In the past, advertisers tried to impose their message on people who didn't want to hear it, who were angrily interrupted from watching something else. Today, programs like Google's AdWords put them in touch with people who are actively looking for their products. Most programs are based on Pay-Per-Click (PPC), so you are only charged for people who actively click on a link to your website. For pennies, advertisers can now be seen by more people than the best superbowl commercials of the past.
IF you know how.
Let us help you.