Search Engine Optimization

Search engines are sites such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN Search that explore the internet and list sites that match the words clients enter.

Clients want to find the right company quickly. Search engines want to help them (and show them some advertisements at the same time). Neither wants to see unrelated companies on the list.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is getting the search engines to find you, and to put you higher on the list (aka "rank you higher"), so clients see you first.

As with any poorly-understood topic, there are many myths and out-dated methods, and many people who use these wrong methods and make promises they can't keep. There are also many people who will give you good value for your money.

I will help you do basic SEO, but it helps if you understand the basics.

1. Use the same words your clients use. Search engines match words, nothing else. Use all the words your clients might use, including American spelling and common misspellings. I can hide these, so humans won't see a long uninteresting list. Using them early in the page, on several pages, and more often, may also help.
2. Make the search engine see the words. Search engines cannot "read" images, but can read hidden text behind them (aka the ALT tag). I will teach you how to do this, or review your content and do it for you.
3. Help clients narrow the search. If they find hundreds of companies, what will they do next? I often look for companies in my city.
4. Make the site easy to navigate. All pages should be reachable in two clicks from the main page. Larger sites should have a site map listed on the main page. (This helps your clients, too.) More complicated sites should have a site map in a special format that gives search engines even more information.
5. Register or submit your site to the major search engines. This will help them find you faster. It is not necessary to register with the small ones. Few people use them, and they often ask a bigger engine and just reformat the answer.
   
   It costs nothing to be listed on the major search engines, although you can pay some of them to list you under "paid advertisements", or to guarantee that they will explore your page quickly.
6. Use Google's Webmaster Tools to see what search engines think of your site. Like I said earlier, the engines want almost the same thing you do. A single use of the basic tools is included in our fee.
7. Put your web address on as many other sites as possible, without being abusive. If many sites link to yours, you will be ranked higher. Many cities and organizations list members' websites. Search for your competitors, clients and suppliers. You may be able to advertise in the same places. Search for yourself. You may already be listed, so all you have to do is tell them about your new site.
   
   Putting your web address on a long list of unrelated sites, or writing it on every bulletin board on the web, used to get it a higher ranking. The search engines have gotten wiser.

Lastly, do not abuse the search engines. They make money by being useful. They do not take kindly to webmasters making them less useful, and are continually improving their system.

Depending on the size of your marketing budget, it can be worth the cost of a professional SEO to do market research to find the correct words and phrases. I do not offer this service.

Google offers advice and tools for webmasters. I follow their suggestions.

Remember, the search engines and your clients want legitimate, useful sites to rank highest. You have to prove to the search engines that your site is the one the client wants to see.