By: Ben Norman
If you are trying to get your online business the attention it needs, you already know that search engine optimization is a lot more difficult than it looks! Using a search engine to get business to your site has been around as long as search engines have, but the methods for getting your site the relevant traffic it needs are getting more complex. Take a look at some search engine optimization advice and tips that might be able to help you get your web traffic where you need.
1. Be mindful of your keywords.
Keywords are what your prospective customers use to find your site. Think about someone who is looking for your services without being aware that your company exists. How are they searching, and what terms are they using?
2. Keep it relevant.
Search engines look for more than just keywords. They will also look for words that are related to the keywords in question, and they will look at the context that the keywords are used in. Resist the current trend of "stuffing" your website with keywords; search engines are sophisticated enough to discover instances of inflated content and your site rankings will suffer for it!
3. Be useful!
One of the best ways to get people to your site is to offer something useful and free. Industry-specific glossaries and things like mortgage or plan calculators fall under this topic. The more useful gadgets and resources that you put on your site the better.
4. Work with link building.
When a site links to you without you providing a reciprocal link, you can be said to be link building. Link building, aside from bringing you traffic in its own right, is one of the factors that search engines use to rank your site in its natural searches.
5. Establish yourself as an expert.
Chances are, you are already an expert in your specific field. Let everyone know this by spreading your know-how and putting your information up around the web in article and forums. These will give you excellent links back to your site. It is important to make a name for yourself in more ways than one, and establishing yourself as an expert in your field will go a long way towards getting you attention via more viral methods as well as through links.
6. Code well
Did you know that clumsy or awkward coding could cost you in terms of getting good search engine hits. make sure that your website validates through the W3C. This way you will be sure that the search engines wont have any problems crawling it.
7. Get a professional.
Search engine optimization is something that brings together a lot of factors that need to be balanced, and sometimes, it is difficult to make sure that they blend well. There are many professionals that can help you improve your ranking on search engine sites like Google, and if your business is reliant on the customers that it attracts online, this is definitely a resource that you want to take advantage of!
