Search Engine Optimization
A Brief Overview
If someone wants to know something, or buy something, or go somewhere—do they crack open the phone book? (What's a phone book?) No, they Google it. Search engine optimization (or SEO) refers to a process of developing and adjusting the pages of your website with the goal of coming up higher in search engine query results for targeted keywords or phrases.
How Do I Get My Website to Show Up on the First Page?
There's good reason why the majority of users never make it beyond the first page of search results. They usually find what they are looking for in the first two to three suggestions. There are many techniques you can use to make sure you are visible to search engines but the most sure-fire way to show up for a specific key-word or phrase is to actually be the most relevant and/or authoritative site on that particular subject.
What Are These Techniques You Speak Of?
If you Google steve + anderson + net, Google is smart enough to know that this site is the most likely candidate for what you are looking for and place it at the top of the list. But what are the odds that potential customers who haven't heard of me would ever type in that exact phrase? Not good right? This is where targeting keywords comes in.
If I was a local restaurant that specializes in southern barbecue, I would likely want to target the words "southern + barbecue" or "southern bbq" for local searches. Here are a few initial steps I would want to take:
Target Keywords
- Build pages with content all about "Southern BBQ". (Note - search engines are smart enough to know barbecue and bbq are the same thing so pick one and stick with it.)
- Meta Tags: Title, description, geolocation
- Paid keyword campaigns
External Links From Reputable Sites
- Be listed in all relevant directories
- Press releases
- Critic and fan reviews
An always expanding repository of expert relevant content
- Start a blog - Nobody knows your product or your field better than you, your the expert. Enlighten us with your expert wisdom!
- Interact with your user-base through social media and it will expand exponentially