Search Engine Optimisation

A popular myth suggests that adding your keyword phrases to the "meta tags" on your web site will give you great search engine rankings. In fact the meta tags only play a small part in getting your website pages well ranked.

To get good, sales producing search engine traffic for a page on your web site you need 3 key things:

1. Good content on a well constructed page
2. Page Optimisation - a page that is targeted to a popular and relevant keyword phrase
3. Link Popularity - a good variety of high quality links from other web sites that talk about a similar topic (i.e. use similar keywords), and plenty of them.

Before you do this though, you need to identify a great keyword phrase.

Identify a Great Keyword Phrase

Choose popular keywords that are relevant to your product or service and you can create a flood of traffic - and a stream of sales that grows steadily.

Or if you get a top search engine ranking for a keyword phrase that nobody is searching for, you'll get no traffic and you've wasted your time.

So choose a keyword phrase that is searched for frequently, and about which you can offer expert advice.

For example, if you sell camping equipment then "camping gear" is a popular and relevant keyword phrase.

There are plenty of traps when finding good keywords, so use some good keyword suggestion tools: Search Engine Positioning Tools or a professional search engine marketing company.

Good content on well constructed pages

We'll assume you have a great web site design company, so this will be covered.

Page Optimisation

If you prefer to do your own search engine optimization (and you don't mind a BIG learning curve), then search engine optimisation tools like WebPosition Gold give the best results. Otherwise hire a professional - it will save you both time and money and you are likely to get better results.

Link Popularity

To get a great ranking you need to show search engines that your page is popular. That means getting plenty of links from other web sites that use similar keyword phrases.

To get ranked well for "camping gear", 10 links from web sites that talk about camping gear, are probably better than 100 links from web sites that talk about politics.

Effective ways to improve your link popularity include:

1. Submit your site to quality free or paid web directories
2. Write an article and submit it to an article directory
3. Build a small info site focused on the keyword phrase you are targeting
4. Use keyword rich links throughout the navigation of your web site
5. Swap links with suppliers, partners and associates
6. Swap links with other top ranking sites

Traps to avoid (search engines may penalize you for these):

1. Submitting your site to link farms (web sites that are just big lists of random links)
2. "Keyword stuffing/spamming" - over using your keyword phrases
3. Swapping links with web sites that you think are junk

Remember - if you find a web site that you think is drivel and nobody would ever want to visit, then there is a good chance that a search engine will agree - so don't swap links with them.

Search engines want to return the best and most popular information to their customers - so make it your mission to produce it and make it popular!

About the Author
Since 1998, Phil Donaldson has helped hundreds of business owners understand, in plain English, how their web sites can help their businesses grow, and find the simplest solutions to do it.
If you'd like to apply this system to your business, but don't have the time or inclination to complete all the steps yourself then we can help. Contact www.anyware.co.nz for professional web design and search engine marketing services in Wellington, New Zealand.
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