The number one question I get these days from clients and website owners is related to “how do I get better search engine results?” Everyone wants to be listed at the top of internet searches in hopes that it will bring more business. There is some good news and some bad news. Although there are ways to virtually guaranty that a site will appear near the top of targeted searches, it is a continuously moving target, takes constant attention, and no one strategy is appropriate for all.

First of all, remember that search engines are just one component of marketing your website and in turn your business. Others include listing your internet address (URL) on business cards, telephone messages, literature, advertisements, signs, promotional items, and everywhere else you interact with your market. A comprehensive and consistent strategy is the key.

Regarding the specific question of internet searching, here are a few important points.

1. Search Engines are databases. A site must be listed in the database in order to achieve any position at all. Listing is a result of registration.

2. Web site design along with careful placement and density of content, long the holy grail of search engine optimization (SEO), is important, but less so than in the past. As the search engines continue to develop, they strive to imitate the human searcher, so realistic, useful, and relevant content far outperforms that formulated to “fool” the system.

3. Some of the most elegant and beautiful looking sites incorporate special designs such as flash and multimedia, which inhibit the ability of the search engines to digest and therefore catalog your site, rendering it virtually invisible.

4. Links from other sites is increasingly important yet often overlooked. The more your site is discovered through searching other popular sites, the higher it’s perceived importance and therefore ranking, by the search engines.

5. Your position today may be quite different from your position tomorrow due to an ever changing landscape. Maintaining top placement requires frequent attention and care. A regular program should be employed.

With US 2004 Holiday figures tallied, the internet scored gains of 25% over prior year, or approximately 4-5 times the growth in the traditional market place. 2005 should have been better. Careful and intelligent use of your resources and strategies will allow you to gain a larger portion of this increasing pie.

John Geiger owns and operates the local affiliate of WSI Internet Consulting and Education, a Toronto based global network of consultants, developers and production centers providing turn-key internet business solutions for small and medium-sized enterprises to include web-site design, development and hosting; site maintenance and upgrades, full e-commerce solutions, on-line training and education, and other cutting-edge internet technology and solutions. For questions, comments, free consultation, or ideas for future articles contact John at (828) 328-5929 or jrgeiger@webmasters-wsi.com

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