Search engine marketing optimization.

Introduction

Search engines use computers to search the Web looking for pages to index in their database. In order to ensure your pages are indexed for the words that will drive traffic, you need a long term strategy.

Every search engine uses a set of rules, an algorithm, to evaluate and rank each website page.

To increase search engine ranking and drive more traffic, there are only a handful of things to do onsite to insure your targeted pages are indexed.

True, it will take time, but the basics are clear, easy to understand, and implement. We’ll go over the basics here and flesh out the strategies in the Chapters that follow.

Step 1: Develop a list of keyword phrases that will drive traffic.

The search engines’ success depends on providing good results to the user for their searches. Your success depends on finding the keyword phrases that searchers will use and then providing the search engines with pages that contain the keyword phrases. This must be obvious enough for them to recognize and rank your pages in the top 20 results of search pages. The lower the ranking, the lower the percentage of searcher choosing your site.

Step 2: Decide which pages of your site are best to be ranked well, then make sure that the text is rich in the use of your keyword phrases.

All your pages don’t have to be optimized or ranked by the search engines, only the ones with keyword phrases that will drive traffic. So make sure they find the ones rich in your Keyword Phrases and don’t fret about the others.

That doesn’t mean you only need a few pages on the site. You need as many pages as you need to get all your keywords found and ranked well. Plus, the more extensive your site, the more the search engines are able to recognize your value to searchers.

Step 3: Magnify your Keyword Phrases in the HTML.

Once you establish the keyword phrase and targeted it in the text of the page, you lead the search engine further along the path by showing them in your HTML what you stated in your text.

Step 4: Establish a linking relationship with a number of strong sites that will link to your site.

All search engines are now considering how recognized you are by other quality sites, especially Google. It’s vital you have good incoming links in your Theme area from other sites. One way Google checks you out is by establishing who values you enough to link to you. If other sites with good PageRank and popularity link to you, then it’s likely you are a good site for searchers to find.

Step 5: Make sure the Search Engines and Directories know about you.

After doing all the good work of optimizing your pages, don’t expect the world to come knocking at your door. You have to go out and tell the world you there and ready to be of service.

Step 6: Check your ranking monthly and improve the pages that are not ranking well.

To ensure that your hard work is paying off, check the search engines monthly to see how they have ranked you for your keyword phrases.

Sometimes you can hit it right the first time, but often you have to keep shifting things around to increase your ranking.

There also is the issue of the search engines making changes over time. So you may need to go back and adjust things to meet their evolving criteria for determining ranking.

In Chapter 1, Determine Your Current Website Theme And Website Page Themes, we begin preparing to improve ranking and increase traffic.