Most people know that being listed on Google's first result page will
bring them a lot of targeted visitors and that they will get a lot of
sales through that listing.
Unfortunately, some people don't know how SEO (search engine
optimization) works and what they can expect. Some webmasters still
expect that their website will be listed on Google's first result page
after submitting the site to Google. That might have worked eight years
ago but it does not work today.
1. SEO takes time
You cannot
optimize your website today and expect results tomorrow or next week.
Search engine optimization takes time. Search engines have to find your
new optimized pages, they have to find the new links to your website,
they have to update the index, etc.
2. You must change your web pages
If you want to get
high rankings for certain keywords, then these keywords must appear on
your web pages. It is possible to get high rankings for a keyword that
is not listed on your website if lots of other websites link to your website with that keyword. That's the exception, though.
In general, the keywords for which you want to be found must appear on your web pages and they must appear in the right elements
on your web pages. For that reason, you have to change the HTML code of
your web pages to make it as easy as possible for search engine spiders
to parse your site.
3. You need links and you need the right links
Good backlinks are
the key to high rankings on Google. Automatically created backlinks
usually won't help your rankings and they even might get you banned from
Google's index.
As a general rule,
the easier it is to get a link, the less is its influence on the
position of your website on Google. The links to your website should be
from related websites and they should contain your keywords in the link text.
The more attractive
your website is, the easier it will be to get good links. Your website
should offer linkworthy content that other people can talk about.
4. It's crucial to choose the right keywords
If you optimize
the website of a rock band than you might think that it would be cool if
their site was found for the keyword "mp3". That might be cool but it
does not make sense.
People searching for
"mp3" can be interested in anything: mp3 players, mp3 decoders, the
latest Justin Bieber song, general information about the file format,
etc. If these people come to your rock band website, they won't find the
information they are looking for.
Optimize your
website for keywords that attract the right kind of people. For example
"unsigned rock band" or "rock band london".
5. You must be realistic
Getting on the
first result page for a highly competitive keyword such as "mp3" is
possible but your competitors will be old and established websites with a
lot of backlinks. It is very difficult to outrank these pages.
If you have a
website with just a few pages and your competitors have large websites
with forums, communities, blogs, etc. then you must improve your website
if you want to compete. Search engines want to show the best sites on
the result pages.
If you absolutely want to get high rankings for a term such as "mp3", start with less competitive keywords
and then proceed to the more competitive terms. Search engines must
trust your website before they give you high rankings for very
competitive keywords.
6. You must set the right goals
Search engine
optimization is not about getting a high Google PageRank (the green bar
in Google's toolbar). It is about getting high listings for the right
keywords so that the right people will come to your website. The goal of
search engine optimization is to increase your sales.
You don't have to be
listed for any possible keyword even if they are related to your
business. You have to be listed for keywords that will bring buyers to
your site. It usually takes some time to find the best keywords for your website. Running PPC ads and tracking their conversions will help you to find the best keywords.
Doing the right things
is difficult if you're not sure what to do. That's why we developed
IBP. IBP offers step-by-step checklists that help you to optimize your
web pages in the right order. IBP offers all tools that you need to get
high rankings on Google, Yahoo, Bing and other search engines.
