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The Mystery of Search Engines

We hear about SEO (Search Engine Optimization) all the time and it may seem that every "expert" you ask has a different answer for how to best optimize your site for search engines. PCA can help take the mystery out of SEO for you and set you on your way to making the most of your site.

Simply put, Search Engine Optimization is the process of making sure that your Web site is set up to get a high volume of traffic and and propel your site's ranking on search engines, using keywords, tags and links.

Keywords and tags are the descriptive words, phrases and categories that users type in when searching the Internet through Google, Yahoo! or other popular search engine. Understanding what terms the general public uses to conduct searches for relevant information is the first step in making sure that your site comes up as a result in a user's search.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Know your niche market. Let's say you do home renovations. Do you need millions of people looking at your site for home renovations if you only do kitchen renovations? It makes more sense to use words and phrases on your site that are specific to kitchen remodeling. Geography is important, too. If you only service one suburb, be sure and list that on your page and in your meta keywords(most important keywords, placed in the code on your site and in the content). Your goal is to bring targeted traffic to your site. The more relevant and specific your site appears to be, the HIGHER your page will show in the results.

2. Choose effective page titles. You may use a great marketing title for each page, but if it doesn't include a popular search term, it won't help your potential customers find you. Choose a title that accurately describes the page's main topic. Create a unique page title for each page. Be descriptive, but short.ccurately describes the page's main topic. Create a unique page title for each page. Be descriptive, but short.

3. Don't cram everything on one page. The more pages you have, the more unique ENTRANCES you will have to your site.

4. Content. Creating compelling and useful page content with keyword-rich copy that is updated frequently will help elevate your Web site more than any of the other factors. Take care to BLEND your keywords and phrases in the content of each page. Use these guidelines

• Write easy-to-read content.
• Keep paragraphs short and limit each paragraph to a single topic.
• Use straightforward language - don't use industry jargon or abbreviations the public might not understand.
• Use fresh, unique content. updating your content will keep your visitors coming back.

What do search engines really look for? Here's a short list of important factors search engines consider:

1. Title tags. Each page needs a relevant title.

2. Meta description tags. Use distinct description tags throughout your site.

3. Keyword meta tags. Search engines check the keywords in your code to make sure they match the content and topic of a particular page. Most search engines weigh the first 10 words listed the heaviest. After the first 25 words, the value of the words is diluted.

4. Domain name registration renewal period. Make sure your site is registered for an extended period of time. It saves you money and tells search engines you have a stable business.

5. Link popularity. How many other web pages point to your website? Are the links relevant? Are they considered valuable resources? Use only links that relate to your web site.

Search engines use a number of factors to index and rank your site. You won’t find a magic formula for SEO, but if you follow the basics, you’ll get noticed.