Improve Your Search Engine Ranking

By Janet Smith

Simple tips to help move your website to the top.

Every website is constantly searching for ways to improve their search engine rankings or stay on top. Google is the dominant search engine to master. For the new website owner keeping up with changes and how-to�s for search engine mastery can be a nightmare.

If you�re struggling with search engine optimization help is available. Follow these few simple tips to improve your rankings� without spending hours and hours only hoping for results.

Choose the right keywords. Often when you�re searching for keywords, it is easy to forget the real purpose behind the keywords. Keywords are the phrases your potential visitors are using to search for information or products/services they want. These people are either looking for specific information or a specific type of product. It only makes sense to make their selections easier by using a specific keyword.

Let�s use the phrase �gift ideas�. A quick search at http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/overture.com reveals the last month reports show the term �gift ideas to have been searched 1, 584,791 times. While your initial instinct may be to use this phrase, it may not be the most profitable thing to do. The competition is high. If your website is new chances are you won�t even be noticed in the mass of competing sites for this phrase.

As you browse down the list of related keywords, you�ll begin to notice the primary phrase contained in phrases that are more specific. For example, the phrase �birthday gift idea� was searched 15,291 times. You�re beginning to get in the right area with these numbers. Whether you�re choosing the keywords for page content, or pay-per-clicks, or other search engine optimization factors, your competition for these keywords will be less and you are more likely to wind up on the first three pages of search results. If your placement is further down, your chances of good click-thru�s diminish drastically. The average person won�t go past the first three pages of results, more often not even past the first page.

Content is King. Regardless of whether it is on your site, in your ads, or in articles to help promote your site, content is the king of attracting visitors. While there are some low-ball methods used to keep keyword densities high on websites and in web content, the true results aren�t worth it. If the information you provide is not written in a reliable manner with a reasonable keyword density (2%) the chances of a visitor clicking thru to your site, or returning to your site are slim.

People are looking for a site they can trust to provide accurate, useful information and products. They could care less about how many time the phrase they searched is shown on the page. They want real information. In fact, when it is obvious that the phrase is repeatedly used, many people consider the information provided to be second-class. Thus, your credibility and chance of gaining a loyal customer goes down the drain.

Incoming Links - Another very relevant factor to achieving higher rankings in the search engines is the number of incoming links your site has. This is quantified by page ranks. Google especially targets this area for ranking purposes. The more sites that display links to your site, the better your chance are for achieving a higher rank in the search engines. There are several sites offering to acquire these links for you for a fee. Be cautious. I�ve tested three of these sites, and spent some money to no avail. The results were not at all as promised. Most experienced webmasters will tell you using one of these companies can be a wild guess. As you pursue incoming links, make sure the site is one that complements yours. You don�t want a link from a poorly functioning site, or one that doesn�t promote ethical practices.

There are many companies offering search engine optimization packages. Just as with every other industry on the Internet there are scams, and there are reputable sites. There are a number of sites offering tremendous results at higher than reasonable prices. If the promises seem to be too good to be true, they probably are. Don�t waste your bank account on false hopes. Investigate carefully, before you commit to hiring an SEO professional.

Search engine optimization is crucial to any successful website. Be persistent, patient, and cautious. The results will be well worth the efforts.

Janet H. Smith, Freelance Internet Marketing Consultant/Copywriter For Creativity, Reliability, and Value: E-mail janet@writersforyou.com Web http://www.writersforyou.com