For successful search engine ranking you must understand the ever-evolving requirements of the top engines. It is best to implement a three part process including search engine optimization, search engine site submission and link seeding.

Search Engine Optimization practices

Extensive Keyword Search: Perform an extensive keyword search, benchmarking against other sites and portals that are successful in the given space, to define key words and phrases that are currently generating good results.

Site Traffic Analysis: Review your web traffic statistics, analyzing all visitors and the keywords they have typed in to search for your site. You should have full access to these keyword statistics, and can use them to guide ongoing site optimization efforts.

Based on both the keyword benchmarking and the visitor/keyword statistics, proactive companies continue to optimize the entire web site monthly after launch, with the goal of earning as many top positions as possible. Over a period of 6 months fine-tune keywords, Meta tags and html-code, not only to move up the ranking, but also to drive more well-targeted visitors to your site.

Ethical Optimization: Always follow the guidelines of the search engines. Don't use tricks to fool the search engines [no cloaking, no doorways, no gateways, no keyword stuffing, and no hidden text]. These kind of tricks usually only work for a short period of time and may result in getting a site “black-listed” …not a good strategy for the long haul. Play by the rules, with the goal of generating long-term results.

Title Optimization: The title is one of the most important parts of your web page from the Search Engine’s perspective. Optimize each page title individually with the most important keyword phrases for that specific page to make them as effective as possible.

META Description: This is the description that search engines use to rank and describe a site as a whole. Take the time to craft an effective description for the site.

HTML Code Optimization: Adhere to specific coding guidelines that make them search engine friendly and quick loading.

Keyword Density: Optimize the keyword density in your page for the greatest effectiveness. Content of pages, title tags, description tags, keyword tags, heading tags, navigation, link text, anchor text, alt text, 404 pages, domain name, and page names.

Search Engine Spider Accessibility: Create a sitemap, directory structure, 404 pages with updated links, and repeat links at the footer. This will increase the likelihood that the site will be highly ranked with “spidering” type Search Engines.

Design Techniques: The home page must contain content and not be merely an “enter” screen. This is why designs done completely in flash, and/or flash introductions are not ideal for search engine optimization. Flash elements that do not require too much code before the copy and key word elements, can work just fine. It is also poor form to design a site using “frames” as most engines can’t read them.

Copy Development: Search Engine algorithms (the formulas by which sites are ranked) include many factors related to the subject matter and formatting of the page copy. Optimized copy is written in such a manner that it continues to appeal to the site visitor while also being compatible with the Search Engine’s criteria.

Page Headings

• Search engines give high value to text placed in heading format (<H1> and <H2> tags).
• The headline, suggestive of what the page is about, is placed in the <H1> tags. The sub heading is placed in <H2> tags. This is then followed by keyword rich body text.

Content Formatting

• Include your important keywords within the hyperlinks (anchor text) as this gives a high relevance not only to the page but also to the linked page.
• Use the <b> </b> (bold) tags around some of your keywords on each page.
• Include phrases that you have used in your other tags (i.e. metas, alt, headings, title, etc.) within the body of your copy
• Add additional content rich pages to your site. For example, how-to articles, hints and tips, or tutorials. These types of content pages not only help you in the search engines, but many other sites will link to them as resource materials, thereby improving your link seeding.
• Insure that the text within the title tag is also within the body of the page.

Ongoing monitoring and re-submission are the final components necessary to stay on top. By analyzing a site’s ongoing position within search results, you can make subtle changes to improve our clients’ ranking. As new content comes online, it is important to submit that content to the search engines as well, which is why you should perform a monthly submission as part of your search engine campaign.

It is vitally important to continue your search engine marketing campaign… it is not something you can do once and hope to be #1 on Google. Like anything, it takes persistence and patience to get the results you want.