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- One of 47 entries in the i3m blog (40 before this & 6 since).
Ten ways to improve your Google ranking
- June 9, 2009, 9:15 am
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Maintaining usability while optimising your web site
Nowadays it’s not enough for your business to just have a web site. Ten years ago (and ten years is an age in Internet terms) it was certainly was enough but the world and the Internet have changed. Google is king and intends to stay there. Every company wants to be number one and on top of the pile in searches for its products and services however most organisations that are there are not there by accident. They have earned, or sometimes even paid for that privilege.
So you want to be top of the pile?
Doesn’t everyone? Well, you’re going to have to change the way you think about the Internet and learn a little about how the likes of Google actually work. We are not talking about the algorithms of the Google search engine here, as that is constantly changing and is even rumoured to include some human input too, just to keep us on our toes.
So, unless you’re an EBay, Microsoft or Facebook the short answer is that there is no guarantee of hitting the top every time and beware anybody who tries to ‘sell’ you different. The realistic answer depends on how niche your product offer is. If you sell nuts and bolts, for example, then your chances of being number one in Google for this search is next to nothing. If however you do a line of yellow, left hand thread, Torx head bolts then you stand a considerably better chance! While there certainly will be number one result for Google in standard nuts and bolts, this company is virtually guaranteed to have used above and below the line SEO tactics to get there (we’re not talking about the paid Adwords results at the top of the search but the first in the actual search results).
A word to the small and start up business owner about choosing a web designer. Making a basic web site is easy and the barriers to entry are low. As a result there are a huge amount of ‘Fred in a shed’ web designers doing a really bad job. If your web designer hasn't discussed the bigger marketing campaign and SEO by your second meeting then you’re probably better off spending the money on an off the shelf template or DIY build your own website software. That’s all your alleged web designer has probably done! Oh, you could always give us a call here at i3m :)
Think better search rankings by niche results
There are steps you can take to help your web site become more ‘Google friendly’ and let’s face it; Google has got to the top by providing relevant results to visitors searches. It is in their and your interest therefore to make your site as relevant as possible and as easy to crawl as possible. There is no need to develop your site just for Google’s search results too. You’re in business to make money by selling your product or service. Not writing sites for Google! By combining your site with your other, more traditional, marketing activities you can raise your sites profile, raise your sites traffic and ultimately attract new customers.
Basics of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
Trying to get your site up the rankings is big business and with big business comes big claims and big bills (or big bucks if you happen to deal in dollars!) There is a raft of companies out there claiming top results, every time. Some even go so far as to guarantee it! Buyer beware, especially when it comes to the Internet. While there are certainly some excellent, legitimate, SEO companies out there who will charge a premium for their services but there are also many sharks. One thing is for sure; no one can absolutely guarantee you top search engine results every time. What you need to do is take some basic SEO steps to improve the ranking of your site and here’s our top lessons learned:
General - There are no shortcuts or quick fixes
It’s absolutely true. There is no overnight improvement and every step requires work and effort. So whether you are a keen amateur, company webmaster or SEO company the same rules apply. Start now and keep going.
The site - It’s all content and who’s recommending you
Well thought out, well presented, original and factually correct content that is going to be of interest to your human visitors and it will generate return visits and recommendations from others. But keep it updated or your hard earned visitors will drift back from where there came. Links pointing to your site, especially from reputable, popular, sites, will increase your ranking too. Also remember that if you’re writing in English there is more than one type of English. If you’re targeting an American or Australian market for example, be aware of local differences in spelling. Likewise if you’re targeting European customers then using their words and spellings where appropriate will help. A glossary page can offer a limited work around if need be.
The code – Keep it uncluttered, valid and up to date
Write descriptive page titles and make sure it is a title and not just the company name etc. Use the format “Title | company name” if you are including it.
Use real html headings (h1, h2, h3 etc) are an essential element of your page as they define key areas of text titles.
Use search engine friendly URLs instead of passing variables all the time. It may be the case that search spiders don’t even look passed the ‘?’ character in the URL.
Use valid markup; cluttered and invalidated web site code (or mark up) slows down or can even turn away search engine bots.
Don’t try to fool the search engines. It may offer a short term gain but you need the search engines. Getting banned for misappropriate behaviour (cloaking, link farms, keyword stuffing etc. is a sure way to do this. Don’t!
Leave frames where they belong; back in the 20th century. In this day and Internet age there is no place for frames in a site that you want search engines to rank. Get a grip and keep up.
Be careful with browsers. Yes, it’s a pain the proverbial having to accommodate different web browsers and platforms but that’s the nature of the job. Sure, in an ideal world everyone would be standard compliant. This however is not an ideal world and therefore be careful at a coding level that browser detection script do not in fact turn search engine spiders away. At a human level a visitor who receives your page with bits missing or all over the place is not going to hang around to long either.
Meta Tags have reduced importance. Again, back in history Meta data was there to define a site and its contents but it has been pushed down the pecking order by misuse over the years. It won’t hurt to include Meta description and Meta tags but at this point there appears little point in placing too much effort in the process.- 'Making a basic web site is easy and the barriers to entry are low. As a result there are a huge amount of ‘Fred in a shed’ web designers doing a really bad job.'
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