|
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
| |
| Search Engine Optimization |
 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
1: Putting You First
How to Position your Website at the Top of Search Engines
 |
by Simon Conroy
Specializing in customer acquisition and internet marketing using search engine positioning techniques, Simon has run a number of successful Web ventures over the last four years and is now Technical Director at Web Site Promotion Services Ltd, the leading UK search engine placement specialists.
|
In this article -- the first in a series about improving your website promotion efforts -- we look at the basics of what search engines are looking for and what type of companies are operating in this mysterious field.
 Empty Promises
"Submit your site to 1200 search engines" goes the line from hundreds of search engine submission websites around the globe. This may be the answer to achieving your e-commerce dreams. But beware.
The most likely effect is that, by using these submission services, you will generate 1200 spam e-mails selling you everything from fax paper to 'Sindy's secrets'.
You will have thrown your money and time away, without making your site search engine-friendly in the first place. No amount of submitting will raise your site's position from the inky depths of page 14 to the hallowed heights of a top 3 search engine spot.
How Search Engines Operate
Search engines examine pages submitted to them, along with pages their software (known as spiders) find whilst traveling across the Web. Spiders identify Web page addresses (URL's) through links on a Web page, and then visit those pages. Next, these spiders extract information from the programming code used to create the Web page. This allows them to calculate how relevant the page is when a surfer (you and me) searches for a particular phrase.
They work by identifying different elements in the Web page code -- such as meta tags and text headers -- and by analyzing each element, using mathematical calculations to determine what the page is about. They then rank their results to provide users with what the calculation determines is the most relevant Web page for the phrase being looked for.
Achieving just a few top positions for your site on relevant searches can help make the difference between success and failure of your Internet-based ambitions.
Why Search Engines are so Important
Search engines provide access to your website for people around the globe. Visitors are targeted because they have specifically chosen to look for the products or services you are selling. They are probably the hottest sales leads a business is likely to encounter. If your website is not appearing on a search, then who's is? Probably the competition's...
There are hundreds, if not thousands, of search engines and website directories on the Internet. 98% of users stick with the major names in this field -- AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, Lycos, Yahoo, AOL, MSN, Looksmart, Netscape, Go, Snap, GoTo and their UK versions.
Targeting these has to be the main priority of any search engine promotion strategy. Other selected engines and directories are valuable if they are region- or industry-specific to your business.
The Art of Search Engine Optimization
There is little value to be listed in one of the hundreds of small search engines as these are unlikely to generate many visitors. Smaller search engines also tend to use the databases created by major ones as their results. A good position on GoTo will also mean a good position on many other engines that use the same information.
Submitting a site alone is not enough. There are too many other sites all wanting to be at the top of the search engine results. Without making a website search engine-friendly, little benefit is likely to be achieved just by reputably submitting your website.
The art of consistent top positioning is shrouded in mystery. Many online businesses are taking advantage of this to separate anxious site owners from their money. Others act in an ethical manner and have the best interests of their clients at heart. But how do we separate the two?
Using Optimization Software Packages
Many of the companies offering to optimize your website do so using widely available software packages. These can be useful tools if you have the time to do it yourself.
Web Position Gold is the best known of these optimization packages (a trial download is available at www.topwebsite.co.uk ). This software has been hugely popular with website owners. However, as more and more businesses use this method to create specially targeted doorway pages, a levelling factor begins to creep in. Each page is similar to the next -- with little to differentiate between them. Pages created in this way can be ugly without some alteration, and that alteration may adversely affect the optimization techniques used. Doorway pages may put visitors off visiting your website altogether.
Companies using this method may offer a "Top 10 Guarantee" and "Money Back" offers. It is always a good idea to read the small print. It is also worth considering how much time an Expert will actually actually spend working on your site for the amount you are paying for it.
If my solicitor charged less than my gardener, I'd consider finding a different solicitor, or a different gardener! Somewhere within their business plan, people running this type of operation have to make money. If they do that by spending just an hour or so on a site, after paying for their phone, bills and expenses, you should be suspicious. One hour can hardly be enough.
Customized Site Optimization
Other optimization companies have actually spent time analyzing the search engines themselves, conducting experiments and tracking results to reverse-engineer the calculations used by different search engines.
They are then able to use their knowledge to optimize your website, so that you can achieve a spread of high positions. Optimizing a site properly may involve rewriting the site code to make certain words appear to what visitors actually see of your site. And this, of course, takes time. Fees for such a service therefore tend to be higher.
Hiring Site Optimization Specialists
You will generally not find site optimization specialists advertising their services. They get all the work they can handle from their own websites and from referrals by satisfied clients.
Site Optimization Specialists will not offer guaranteed positions because they know that search engines change their criteria and that placements will ebb and flow with them. It is also worth noting that this is not a cheap service. Clients using search optimization specialists are paying for an expert to spend considerable time working on their site, with the purpose of attracting more visitors and achieving greater sales.
Optimization specialists will try to understand the market your site is endeavoring to reach and actively help you to become a strong player in that market.
These are the promotion companies who know the black art of making a site search engine-friendly. In the long term, they will offer the best value for money.
Doing it Yourself
The other option, of course, is to work out how to do it yourself. There are many websites offering advice and free information about how to improve the search engine positioning of your site. By far the best are:
www.searchengineforums.com
Forums where all the professionals congregate to discuss developments and changes.
www.searchenginewatch.com
Provides a wide range of general information about search engines.
www.topwebsite.co.uk
Includes a range of optimization tips for your own website and has a search engine position check to identify if your site is currently listed on the major search engines.
|
|
|
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
