How do I get to the top of the Search Engines?
I wish I had a dime for each time I was asked this question!
There are already posts on this blog regarding this misuse of Meta Tags, Google updates, etc. In this post we will focus on the KEY to getting your business web site to the top of the primary search engines. Yes, we will discuss the SECRET!
First, when we talk about search engines, the top of the line (currently) is Google. More traffic comes from Google to business web sites than any other search engine. Second place is Yahoo! and then some of the others. Do not forget a major directory (read here "not search engine") called the Open Directory Project or DMOZ as it is known on the web. For this article, we will focus on Google since we want to be top of the line.
Second, no matter how many people you get to visit your business website, if there is nothing on the page to hold interest then people will click away faster than you can blink. Having quality content on the page can not be over emphasized! Using graphics and Flash animation may look nice once loaded but, over doing these can significanly slow download and cause extreme frustration of your potential visitors (can we say click away?). Text is what people read and what search engines index. Text is what you should have in the proper places on your site (sounds like another post needed!).
Third, having content on the page only gets you started! Getting people to visit your site and Google to rank you highly requires Inbound Links (IBLs). The more competitive a keyword or keyphrase is, the more of these IBLs you will need. Also, quality IBls are generally considered those with a Google PageRank (PR) of 4 or better (4+). When you want to be the top Google Search Engine Rank Position (SERP) for your keyword or keyphrase, you will need to have more quantity and quality IBLs than the competition. Sounds simple!
Realize that there are hundreds of thousands (maybe millions?) of other people on this planet who realize the same thing! From professional Search Engine Optimizers (SEOs), professional website designers who have truly studied optimization and website marketing recently, to wannabe SEOs on the web there are a number of people striving to obtain the quantity and quality of IBLs for their particular website. This is exactly the reason you need to hire a professional SEO you can trust!
An ethical and professional SEO knows:
- when to trade links,
- when to purchase links,
- when to purchase Pay per Clicks (PPCs) and other pay per options,
- and, when to just ask properly which obtains the link for free!
There are even occassions when it is best to perform a three way (or more) back link trade to better the SERP standings of all!
The question to ask yourself is "Do I want to invest the time and resources to learn SEO and links?". If so, by all means, go after it! If you do master the processes and devote the time to maintaining your SERPs, you will have a number of visitors to your site on a regular basis.
On the other hand, if you have a business that already takes up your time and resources, hire a professional SEO! Think about how much effort and how long it takes to obtain 10,000+ Inbound Links with specific keywords/key phrases pointing to your business web site page by page. There is a reason why so many of the top web sites rely on professional Search Engine Optimization to obtain and maintain their SERPs!
For more about Search Engine Optimization, SERPs and Website Marketing please visit H2 SEO, LLC today!