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Tips and Tools for Improving Search Engine Placement

This article assumes that you have objectively, and correctly tested the effectiveness of your website for bringing new customers to your business.  If you are unsure on how to correctly test the effectiveness of your website, please read our article on:
Testing your website's Effectiveness.

So I'm Not on the First Page of Results, Is that really so bad?

If people can't find what they are looking for on the first page of the search results, they will often search again instead of driving themselves to frustration.


This is a valid question.  "So what if I'm not on the first page, I come up on the third page.  People can still find me.  Why do I need to be on the first page?"  The answer is best found by looking at normal human behavior.  When you search the internet, if you don't find what you are looking for on the first page, do you go to the second page, or do you type something else into the search engine?  More often than not, the answer is "If I don't find what I'm looking for in the first page, I'll type something else in and try again."

 

What determines search engine placement?

All of the search engines, such as, Google, Yahoo!, MSN and AOL, are fairly tight lipped about the exact algorithms they use to determine placement.  Quite simply, they don't want people manipulating their search results.  The search engines strive to have their search results accurately display quality results, so that people will find what they are looking for each and every time they enter a new search.

Google, AOL, MSN, Yahoo! and the other search engines strive to insure that their search results are not being manipulated by clever programming or website tricks.  Attempting to manipulate the search engines can often cause your website to be "Placed in the sand box," a tech term which means they simply omit your website from the directory.

To put it plainly, trying to manipulate the search engines, is one of the fastest ways to get your website omitted from the search engines completely.
 

So if you can't manipulate the search engines to get a better placement, what CAN you do?

Although the Search Engines keep their coding secret, they have been kind enough to share some useful hints and tips for improving your websites visibility.  The search engines want you to be found...  as long as you actually have something to say.  Here are some basic tools to improving your search engine placement.

Be a Good Communicator
If your website is about selling cars, write pages for your website that discuss SELLING CARS!  Your content goes a long way toward determining your ultimate search engine placement.  The search engines will decide what your website is about, based on WHAT YOU WRITE ABOUT.  If your website is about cars, but you never discuss them, then how is the search engine supposed to know?

Use Your Meta Tags
Meta Tags have lowered in importance in search engine optimization, but are still important.  Meta Tags (Meta Data) are used to tell the search engines what you say your website is about. The search engines will then compare what you say your website is about, against what it finds on your website.

Often this is where many people have gone wrong.  They have set their meta data fields to say their website is about a certain product, but then never discuss the product in their content.  There must be consistency between your content, and your meta data. 

Limit Your Use of Graphics, Movies and Flash
Did you just hear that?  I swear I just heard a chorus of people all screaming: "What!  I can't have flash on my website?"   Don't worry, I didn't say REMOVE all flash, movies or graphics, I only said limit their use.  Here's why. 

Spiders gained their name because they were programmed to "crawl the web."

Search engines look through the Internet by using computer programs called "spiders."  These computer programs do not see web page the same way you do.  They read the code BEHIND all the pretty colors, high-tech graphics, and movies.  They can't see the pictures, they can't see the videos, and they can't see the cool high-tech Flash movies.  Therefore, if your content is all in flash movies, graphics or videos, you've, in essence, just told the search engines that you have a website with nothing on it.

Have Other Quality Websites Link to Yours
The last key point I want to recommend is having QUALITY websites link to yours.  Websites that are Effective for their key words can benefit you by linking to your website.  Google and other search engines use a weighted calculator for determining the quality of a link.

Let me explain it in these terms.  Your car is having trouble, and two friends hear it.  The first, who couldn't tell a carburetor from a tire, tells you that it just needs more gas.  Your other friend, who just recently rebuilt a 1969 Cougar, tells you that you should get it into a shop immediately.  Which one are you going to listen to?  Well if you care about your car, I'd hope you'd listen to your friend who knows what he's talking about.

The search engines are the same way.  Once they find a website that knows what it's talking about, any recommendations it makes concerning its area of expertise is going to be weighted more than the website that can't accurately describe itself.
 

Putting It All Together

Building an effective website is not a difficult project for those who understand HTML and website design.  Following the tips and tools above are sure to help you improve your search engine placement.

However, if this page seems to have been written completely in Greek, you may want to consider hiring someone to put it all together for you.  There are very experienced web design companies that can produce results at very affordable prices.  Consider contacting Cornerstone Web Design, at (941) 286-3643

Lastly, consider listing your business in the Port Charlotte or Punta Gorda Business websites.  These websites have been designed to give your business website a high quality link which can help people find your website.  To get listed on these websites, contact their office at:
(941) 286-3643 or click the following links

Get Listed with Port Charlotte Business .NET  Click Here
Get Listed with Punta Gorda Business .NET  Click Here

 

This article was written by Kenneth Swett, founder of Port Charlotte Business .NET, and Punta Gorda Business .NET  Ken has over 8 years experience in web design, search engine optimization, and website placement.  He has used his years of experience to help build thousands of web pages, and help his clients gain internet visibility.

 

  
 

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