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Google has become the giant by simply providing a superior service and
creating innovative marketing products that even George Orwell couldn’t
think of. The search engine’s algorithmic science for providing the most
relevant search results has made them one of the most trusted search engines
and forced companies to provide quality information on their websites in order
to compete. Top SEO firm, New Media Technology has achieved top Google
rankings for many of its clients by learning the science behind the Giant’s
system and implementing only white hat techniques that can’t be rivaled with
“quick fixes”.
Design with a Purpose
Flash websites with pretty images and hi tech graphics became obsolete as soon
as the SEO world learned that content was the determining factor for higher
search engine rankings and flash was seen as just one big image. Google’s job
is to provide the internet viewer with the most relevant and informative
websites pertinent to the search query.
Content layout and SEO tactics need to be the cornerstones of
your website’s design and development from day one. Your website must be laid
out in a logical fashion where the content can be indexed and located very
easily by the viewer. It is crucial to build out a strategic hierarchy of
content that is logical and can grow over time. Your ultimate goal should be to
design a site which each page is indexed in the search engines for a viable
search term.
Go Natural
Everyone seems to be going green these days, jumping on the all natural, organic
band wagon and the same goes for Search Engine Optimization. The great debate
between paid search engine results vs. natural rankings has been argued for some
time but the long term benefits of natural SEO have proven to yield better
results. While earning the natural one position entails a tremendous amount of
work the great thing is that once you achieve rankings, competitors have to do
the same amount of work you did to get there.
By ranking number one naturally, you won’t have to worry
about maintaining adword campaigns or throwing thousands of dollars out the door
each month for paid advertising that may never convert.
Become an Authority
Content, Content, Content! If you want to dominate your industry and become
number 1 naturally on Google then you want to be viewed as an authority. Not
only do you want consumers to come to your site for products and services but
you also want to become a trusted information source.
By building out a comprehensive site that includes detailed
information on keyword rich landing pages, you are helping to build credibility,
while at the same time, giving your visitors additional reasons to view your
site. In addition to just the static content, a strong public relations effort
also plays a large role in getting higher rankings. The most successful
companies execute consistent content distribution campaigns with articles and
press releases. This method allows your company to gain exposure on other sites
and media outlets while helping to create text links that could potentially
drive relevant traffic back to your landing pages.
Go after the low hanging fruit first
Earning top natural rankings on Google takes time and hard work, especially if
you are in a competitive industry. Obtaining natural rankings is not an
overnight feat, but there are ways to see results more quickly. When starting an
SEO campaign you want to put together a strategic plan over a minimum of 6-12
months and target less competitive terms first. For example, say that you are
looking to compete for the term "Landscape Architect" over the long
term but you also want to target your local market with terms such as
"Landscape Architect in Florida" and various less competitive terms
that may be easier to achieve rankings for. Depending on your industry, you may
also want to drill down to cities, neighborhoods and other specifics.
While those less competitive terms may not be searched as
frequently they are more likely to convert and will take less time to earn top
rankings for. Drilling down to your local and regional markets will help you see
the fruits of your labor in a shorter amount of time.
Start Blogs
Because of the value that content has on the search engines, the Blogosphere has
boomed over the last few years. If you are releasing a lot of keyword rich
articles, a blog is another great place to publish. Create a blog for each of
your most desired search terms and utilize it as a platform to publish articles
relevant to the blog’s target term that can point links directly back to your
website’s specific landing pages. This method is also a great way to release
editorial opinions about your industry, build a readership and credibility for
your company.
Don’t put 10lbs of stuff in a 5lb bag
SEO experts used to think that labeling the html tags on a site’s home page
with as many search terms as possible would help their cause, this is no longer
the case. Internet Marketing Consultant of NMT, Jason Rhodes utilizes a
practical metaphor for his clients, “When setting up your tags, think of real
estate. Think of the terms closest to the left side as ocean front real estate
and the further to the right are the slums. You want to list your most important
terms first, labeling your tags with only a few terms, trying to cram in too
many will only hurt you.”
Build Roads to Your City
Think of your website as a final destination. Just like any city, you have to
have roads and bridges built along with an infrastructure to get to that city
and quality links provide just that. The days of link farms and exchanging links
with any website that is not related to your industry are long gone. Reciprocal
links are viewed as referrals. Google has become savvy to link baiting and only
rewards quality, relevant text links. In addition to this you want to attract
serious traffic to your site by getting them from other relevant locations. For
example, if you are in the luxury travel industry you will want to link with
travel related news sources, blogs, resorts and even tourism boards if at all
possible. You wouldn’t want to link with a computer sales site or hurricane
shutters.
The reality is that Google actually penalizes websites that
have too many outbound links and also those with no relevant links pointing to
them. Just like the mental exercises you did as a kid where you selected the
item that didn’t belong, don’t place a link on your site that doesn’t
belong because it will stick out like a sore thumb and really has no benefit
despite page rank.
The most important thing to remember about Google is that it
is always changing. If you are relying on published books for SEO for
information, chances are that half of the techniques are obsolete by the time
you read it. The best way to be successful in this industry is to keep in touch
with other likeminded professionals, re-optimize occasionally, keep up with
forums and networking groups and experiment at times. By following the tested
methods above you will definitely see a drastic improvement in your website’s
search engine rankings.
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