Can you imagine buying a new car after shopping around for a few weeks? You find the right dealership who has just what you are looking for. They offer full service, a great warranty, and treat you well. The vehicle has just the right combination of leather interior, chrome wheels and exterior color. It has a great sound system, GPS, backup monitor, power seats. You get excited just thinking about taking it home once you make that decision to buy it. The day arrives, you open the door and you are met by that wonderful 'new car' smell. Settling into the seat you take your time, savoring the moment as you look around, rub your hands over the dash, then grip the leather wrapped gear shift in the center console. Taking the key into your shaking hand, you insert it into the ignition and turn, waiting for the gentle roar. And, nothing happens. Nada! Zip! Zilch! What a disappointment!

Building a website without search engine optimization is just like that experience! It may look beautiful, have all the bells and whistles, and make you proud to know it is yours. But without the engine, without the guts, it will never get you where you want to go. Website optimization is essential to gaining traffic. Without traffic your website is just like that car without a motor. Pretty, maybe. But, chances are you wanted it to function as well.

Getting More Website Traffic Through Ranking Well in the Search Engines

Search engines are used daily by four out of five internet users. Of adults aged 30-49, 82% are internet users. Of those aged 50-64 70% are internet users. Internet use rises proportionately with education and household income. Your website must be found within the search engine results pages, to be an effective advertising medium for your company. Being found in the search results is absolutely necessary to drive traffic to your website.

80% of all internet users say they stop looking for a site after 30 results. That is typically 3 pages of search engine results pages with 10 results on each page. Eyetracking studies have shown, your best bet is to be 'above the fold' or on the top portion of the page, on the left.

It stands to reason that the higher your site is positioned within a search engine or directory, the more you will increase your website traffic. Optimizing your website for higher search engine ranking and strategically planning keyword inclusion is a measurable/traceable method of attracting self-qualified customers. It's importance is critical.

How Do I Get My Website Listed in the Search Engines?

Many things have changed over the past few years in regards to search marketing, and search engines. Unfortunately, many ideas about how to get your website found within the search engine results pages have not. Search engines are simply not like the Yellow Pages. You don't call them up, send an email, visit their site and fill out a form, or anything of this nature. Directories are another story. You can submit your website to directories.

But, search engines such as Google, will find your site, and every page of your site I might add, unless you tell them not to. That means, your complete site should be ready for indexing by the engine on the day that it is launched. If you prefer to build your site, or if your designer builds your site, page by page and places it live, online, be sure it will be found by the search engines and read, ready or not unless your designer knows how to prevent this. This is where utilizing professional services can save you a lot of trouble.

In this scenario your designer is building a couple of pages for your construction company that are by no means complete. In fact she has used "greeking" for the text, which says nothing in English, has a few 'construction' photos of someone else's business (who happens to be a competitor in the next county) in place for placement and sends you over a link to see if you like the look. You open your email, look it over and get back to her with a positive response. You email "Great Job Sally, This is the type of site I was looking for, but with some minor changes. The colors look great but I'd like to use the red logo. The navigation is easy to find where you want to go and the design leads you to the customer testimonial page well. I will get those actual testimonials over to you as soon as possible, as well as the new photos that are on my foreman's camera, that I will send Monday at lunch time. --- thanks! Bill"

Sound familiar? This is they way the back and forth usually goes. But, if your designer has not blocked the search engines from crawling the website - which the great majority don't know how to do, by Monday you are probably already "listed' online with your competitor's photos, a bunch of text that says nothing, and the wrong colored logo.

If I Am Listed in the Search Engine Before My Site is Ready What Can Happen?

Continuing along in the above scenario: While speaking with your brother in law about the websites, he enters your unique company name and city (which happens to be the title in every page built so far) in Google and up comes your 'not so impressive' website in the results pages. Ooooops. He clicks on the link to the site, and his mouth drops open. He tells you what he has found. You rush to grab and turn on your laptop, confirm what he saw, and subsequently panic! You call the designer. Not in. Search for her cell number and call it frantically, reaching her at a church picnic, and she is surprised and at a complete loss about what to do to get the information off of the internet, let alone, how to do it quickly. But she promises to look into it when she gets in to the office, and let's you know they will all be praying. And, what's worse, you are realizing, is there is a 'cached' page of it and other pages that are under construction, that might be available (with your competitors photos - which is now sinking in that it is a copyright violation) for some time to come. What seemed like a simple process got very complicated very quickly.

So you see getting a search engine to "list" you isn't a challenge. Making sure the right pages are indexed, made available at the right time, made accessible or are off limits to the engines, are listed in the main results or found in supplemental results are all important issues. Whether pages are indexed, followed, cached, archived are all options you can design into your site. And a simple text file will direct them. You can remove URLs or pages, prevent sites from being crawled until you are ready, block folders and more using text files, on-page code and Webmaster Tools. Before you hire a designer, make sure to ask them what they would do in this situation.

Organic Search Engine Marketing/ Website Optimization

Organic search engine optimization (SEO) is not the sponsored results you see in the search engines (paid advertising) or pay per click. This optimization is designed to focus on a variety of activities generating a highly targeted stream of traffic to your website by improving the ranking of your website within the results pages for a relevant search. This builds a foundation upon which your successful online advertising effort is based. Successful website optimization ensures that a link to your website is included in the top search results returned by a search engine for the keywords and phrases that are most important to you.

Our successful search engine marketing/website optimization program includes:

• Monitor specific website traffic, analyze sources and visitor demographics

• Adjust and monitor keyword and search string strategies

• Assign alternate text to graphics accordingly

• Add content that is user specific and monitor results

• Increase external links from quality websites utilizing reciprocal linking

• Content related linking throughout site

• Metatag strategies that correspond with content

• Code development

• Continual re-evaluation of search engine algorithms and coordinating action and adjustment of SEO strategies

• Public relations and article submission coordination

• Testimonial insertion on website and strategies for mining external links

• Competitive analysis

• Ranking reports

• Additional strategies and coordinated advertising efforts to drive traffic and increase external linking

 

• Compliments your current advertising tonality, message, and objectives

• Lowers overall cost of integrating outside help with advertising vendors

• Lowers overall cost per lead

• Reduces the waiting period before seeing results of increased consumer traffic via the internet

No One Can Guarantee a #1 Spot on Page One of Google

Positioning, of course, is dependent upon the search engines themselves. Search engines and the algorithms they use, their formulas and guidelines are every changing. A good knowledge of their changing recommendations is necessary to "list your website" effectively. Search results are generally based on relevancy, keyword usage, density of keywords within the text, etc. Where they rank your site is certainly out of anyone's hands. There are no special relationships with search engines that some SEO firms tout, and no one can guarantee a #1 spot on page one. But adhering to their guidelines, and applying specific SEO knowledge on-site and off-site can make a huge difference in your website's search engine ranking.

A cautionary note: I have seen SEO companies who proclaim "top ten ranking in major search engines", and they guarantee it. Please read the fine print. The deceptive wording really says that you will rank [somewhere] in the top ten major search engines. NOT that you will have 'top ten ranking' which is presumed to mean you will be on page one for a search for a specific keyword or keyword term. Well... most of you already do rank they way their contract states. And when you point out to them that you are nowhere to be found (not in the top ten on a page) for your favored keyword terms that they "guaranteed" you results for, they will most certainly point out to you that you are ranking in the top ten search engines, and they never said you will rank 1-10 on page one. Read the contract. No harm. No foul. The bottom line is, there are no shortcuts, and someone has to do a great deal of hard work to make sure all of your i's are dotted and t's are crossed. And, a workman is worth his hire. Believe what you mother told you. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. If it were that easy, I guess all of the fortune 500 companies with extensive six figure marketing budgets and the finest ad agencies at their disposal, would be taking up all of their time and they wouldn't be able to help you for $149. Think!

Top Placement for the Appropriate Keyword Terms is Achievable

Hard work, understanding of good and acceptable practices, and coordination of traditional advertising materials, site information, public relations, external linking techniques and more, give you a distinct advantage. The proper knowledge obtained from each major search engine guidelines source, hand posting, intelligent use of keyword phrases, content management and collateral information is crucial. Awareness of unacceptable tactics, changes in algorithms and advances in technical requirements are important aspects SEO that we monitor. Search engine optimization, which as we have already established, is a necessary part of your Website marketing plan.

Application of this search engine marketing program has no guarantee of top ranking within a specific search engine. But, we do assure you that we will get you placed where you need to be to increase traffic and sales through exercising ethical practices. Top placement in the appropriate area is achievable and we exercise due diligence to get you there. Ask us about our techniques and practices at any time. We keep everything up front and on the table for your review. Our current clients are experiencing phenomenal results. And, they actually do have hundreds of Google and Yahoo page one position #1, #2, #3 - #10 results. Just the facts here. No hype.