I know what you’re thinking... Google - a search engine that searches for all sorts of information from all sorts of websites and boy, there are so many websites out there. Almost too many to comprehend when we really think about it...
But, did you know that Google conducts around 16,000 searches per minute?
So when we think about it, eventually we are bound to be found in Google, right?
Wrong! Just having a website does not guarantee that it will be found in Google.
Why?
There is more to having a website than just bragging rights and a pretty picture to show online.
But, all hope is not lost…Having high rankings in search engines such as Google can have a phenomenal impact on the success of your business no matter what size the business may be.
With strategically planned website marketing steps, you can get those higher rankings in Google. The rankings you may have been thinking about for some time.
So, just to be a nice guy I thought I would get you started on some of those steps.
Step 1. Do some keyword research and compile a keyword list.
What is a Keyword List?
A Keyword List is exactly what it states - A List of Key Words.
A Keyword List must contain around 10 Keywords and 3 Key Phrases.
In order for you to compile a Keywords List, you will need to think about the types of keywords that people may type into a Search Engine (such as Google) in order to find your listed website.
Step 2. Content, content, content...
It may not be as exciting as a dynamic flash banner or splash page, but having informative content on the home page of your website can very beneficial in more ways than one. Not only will search engines be happier but so will the visitors to your website, especially if they find something they like - information!
Step 3. Modifications to your HTML code
Title, Description and Keyword Meta tags...
These are some of the most important tags within your website’s HTML code.
The Title tag - Search engines such as Google may display the first 60 characters from your page title in their search results. It is recommended to use 5-10 words to write a keyword-rich title that’s relevant to the webpage/website (name of website last). This is the most important element of the webpage.
The Description tag - The Description tag should contain a brief description about the businesses and services you offer, and should be a normal sentence that gives the searcher the exact information on what you have to offer. It's better to restrict the number of descriptive words in this tag to 10 to 15 words. Try to avoid including duplicate words in your description and the recommended maximum number of characters in a Description Meta tag is 155 characters.
The Keyword tag - Once you’ve compiled a list of keywords, the list should then be shortened with the most popular Keywords remaining.
Usually, DO NOT include: commas as they take up space and keywords that are of no relevance to your website. Leaving them out makes it possible to include more combinations of keywords. The maximum amount of keywords that should be used is 15. The recommended maximum number of characters in a keywords Meta tag is 256 characters.
Step 4. Links
Resources, Sitemap and internal page links...
In my opinion, these are the 3 pieces of information that are taken for granted time and time again throughout website development.
A Resources page - Having a resources page with links to other relevant websites such as your own can have a good advantage for your website, especially when it comes to search engine spiders, it is also considered by search engines as a vote of popularity for your website therefore improving your search engine rankings.
A Site map - Have a good sitemap that allows users to be able to link to ANY page of the website; this can have a good advantage for search engine spiders.
Page links - Having other relevant websites linking to your website (external links) can help to make your rankings within search engines higher as your website is seen to be of greater importance.
Those are just some of the foundations for developing a search engine friendly website that can ultimately lead to not only a higher ranking in search engines, but to more potential customers in the future.