With so many websites on the Internet, it can seem like an impossible task for yours to get found at all unless you’re some ubiquitous corporate juggernaut with billions in the bank. This is not true and this is why: Google rules the world of online search, yet if your website is setup and maintained properly, it can be ranked well and show up on the first page for relevant search terms.
As more search terms become more competitive, it is more important than ever to make sure that your website is Google friendly. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are thinking about how to beat your competitors to the first page of Google:
Identify the Search Terms Most Relevant to Your Website
The very first thing to do is keyword research. Identify which keywords broadly match what your website is about, and then drill down to create phrases of two to four or five words each.
Using a keyword research tool, you can find out the search volume and how many websites are competing for your specified search terms.
Strategically place your most relevant search terms within your content, especially your page headings (located in the top line of your browser) and your content headings.
If you are in a competitive market, start with less competitive keywords to grab the low hanging fruit where you can. It can be surprising what search terms are still under-represented in Google and your website could fill the vacuum.
Offer Unique Content that is Useful to your Visitors
When speaking of content, we’re talking about the text and images that appear on your website’s pages. This is the aspect of your website that is judged most closely by Google’s search algorithm in terms of relevance to your search terms. That is why your search phrases need to be used within your content. Beware of text that does not read well and sounds contrived. Your text needs to also be useful to your visitors and not written supposedly to feed a robot. Remember that in order to please Google you need to have content that will enhance their end-user experience; this is the reason Google is so successful.
Make Your Website Easy to Navigate
Your website needs to be easy to navigate. Although a lot of website designers like to use flash menus or image based menus, your links should be text-based to make it easier for Google to identify what the page is about. If you do have a non-text-based menu system, you can balance this with a text menu elsewhere on the page. Remember, Google can’t actually “see” your page like humans do, so image or coded menus that have no plain text have little value to it as a search engine.
Be popular to Other Websites
Being popular on the web is key to getting ranked well for competitive search phrases. The more links you have to your website, the more popular Google will believe your website to be. The text within the link back to your website tells Google what your website is about according to the linking website. Google calls this a “vote” and the more “votes” your website receives the better. The value of links from other websites varies depending on how Google sees it relative to yours. Link farms, for example, do not offer much link value.
Be hosted on a Fast Server
Recently, Google made it known that how fast your website loads will impact on how well your website will rank. This comes back to usability and protecting the Google experience. If your website is noticeably slow from several Internet connections, it would be a good idea to change your web hosting provider.
Make It Easy for Google to Crawl Your Website
Nothing makes it easier for Google’s web crawler (also known as a “spider”) to scan your web pages and index them appropriately than to create a compatible XML sitemap and submit it using Google Webmaster Tools. Google’s webmaster tools is a suite that most importantly includes the ability to submit your XML sitemap where you can also check the status and results of Google’s attempt to crawl your website.
Submit Your Site and Business Details to Google Maps
If you have a physical business address, you can list your business in Google maps for free. Having your business and website details makes you searchable within your geographic area. This is perfect if you are a local business and if you have a good website that is Google friendly, you should be found in local listings related to your keywords.
Keep the Content Coming
Google likes fresh content on your website. Continually publishing new content on your website means Google can index new pages to the search results. Adding new special offers, adding new products or otherwise keeping a blog or news section on your website are great ways to keep your content fresh.
Implement Social Network Buttons
Google is starting to integrate social networking and media sites into its search results. If you have any social media profiles for your website, like a Facebook Business Page, you should represent this on your website somewhere. Also, although this is not really related to Google, you should incorporate social media bookmark buttons into your website. The reason for this is to give your visitors the opportunity to recommend your website to their friends.
A really popular method right now for encouraging visitors to share your web pages are to add a Facebook “like this” button on pages with interesting content like blog or news pages.
Get a Free 1 Hour SEO and Internet Marketing Consultation
The above is a very brief outline of what it takes to make your website Google friendly. If you would like to receive a 1 hour consultation discussing your website and what can be done to promote your website in the major search engines, how to get ranked on the first page of Google and how to otherwise effectively promote your website online to get maximum exposure on a budget, then contact the Professional SEO experts in Melbourne.
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