Site’s content critical to high search engine rankings by Debra A. Jason, The Write Direction
Questions I hear, more often than not, are, “I have keyword meta tags on my Web site, but I still don’t show up in the search engines?” Or, “I use keyword meta tags, but my site doesn’t show up in the top 10 -- not even in the top 50. How come?”Upon reviewing sites such as these, one of the main reasons they’re not getting good positioning is quickly apparent. There are no keyword phrases in the actual page content. How can your site be relevant when you don’t even mention the keyword phrase(s) in your text?
In addition, as Search Engine Watch’s Danny Sullivan says (and has said for years), “Meta tags are not a magic solution. They have never been a guaranteed way to gain a top ranking on crawler-based search engines.” That holds true more so today than ever before as very few search engines support keyword meta tags anymore.
Since day one, search engines continually have changed their algorithms for determining relevancy of a Web site. Certain key criteria, however, have remained the same and still can make a difference in your Web site. Granted, it’s getting harder and harder to achieve or maintain top search engine positioning -- especially with pay-per-click options growing in popularity -- but it can be done.
Content Still King
As I’ve stated repeatedly in the past, although there are many different criteria the search engines take into account when ranking your Web page, one of the most important places they have always searched and continue to search is the actual page content.
This doesn’t bode well for your site if the home page is simply a large logo or image that says “Enter here.” Same goes for a Flash presentation with an option to “Skip intro.”So, what can you do? Whether you do it yourself or hire an experienced pro, here are a few guidelines. Adhere to them and increase your chances of creating a relevant site.
1. Location and frequency. I have long maintained that your home page needs content on it -- it’s one of the most important things to the search engines’ spiders (not to mention to the viewers of your site). Content is where the spiders look for the keyword phrase that your viewers have typed in. And, they look in certain strategic places for those words or phrases.
Those pages with a greater frequency of the keyword also often are considered more relevant and therefore, can obtain higher positioning. As always, be careful not to overdo it or the search engines will think you’re ‘spamming’ and penalize your page.
2. Link popularity. Are there links from other Web sites that link to your Web site? I’m not talking about links from search engines to your site, but links from other compatible sites that offer your site as a resource.
Last time I checked, The Write Direction’s site had more than 300 links from other sites to its site. It’s a time-consuming process, but you can do it, too. First, check your current link popularity. You can do this at www.linkpopularitycheck.com. Then, go online and do a search. Find sites that are compatible -- not competitive -- with yours and contact them directly requesting a reciprocal link.
Or, visit LinkPartners.com. It is a free categorized directory of Web sites that trade reciprocal links with one another. You can swap links with other quality sites, increase Web site traffic and boost the link popularity of your site.
3. Length of time you’ve been online. If your company’s site has been online for several years, the search engines deem it a viable and credible business. Therefore, the site is considered relevant to them.
If you’re just getting online, it doesn’t mean you’re not credible. It just means it may take you a longer time to be recognized and achieve a higher rating. Patience is the name of the game here. Even when you submit your site to the search engines and know it’s relevant for a specific keyword phrase or phrases, it can take months till it’s indexed in the rankings.
I had one client who kept calling each month saying his site wasn’t showing up in the search engines. Or it showed up one day and was gone the next. Six months later, he called to thank me because the site was consistently achieving top ranking for two to three of his keywords. It just was a matter of time. Today, years later, the site is maintaining those high rankings.
As a professional marketing your business, it's vital for you to understand the Web and its intricacies simply for your own education. Whether you optimize your site yourself or retain a specialist to assist you in your efforts, your knowledge of the subject will make it easier for you to achieve the results you want online.
Debra Jason is a seasoned copywriter with more than
19 years of experience in the field of direct marketing. Formerly based
in Boulder, she is now on the island of Kauai, Hawaii. Her business, The
Write Direction, specializes in writing Web and direct marketing communications
such as brochures, catalogs, direct-mail packages, Web sites and more.
She also helps clients optimize the content of their Web sites to improve
search engine positioning. She may be reached at (808) 826-1846 or e-mail.
©Copyright 2003 Debra Jason dba The Write Direction. All rights reserved.
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