A search engine ranking refers to a site s place on the search engine results page. This page is usually called the SERP or Search Engine Result Page. There are many factors that determine a sites ranking. These factors can also be affected by the purchase of advertising and by search engine optimisation techniques.
Some SEO techniques like Pay per click (PPC) can affect a sites ranking. Other SEO tactics such as directory submission may also affect the rankings. In both cases, those businesses that can best establish ways of making their websites more visible to searchers will be able to gain greater visibility. They then can benefit from a greater number of potential customers.
So how can you improve your chances of being noticed? You need to work hard at building organic links. Organic linking comes from other webmasters who appreciate the value of having quality links to their website. It can take a long time to build these relationships so it is sometimes better to concentrate your efforts on those areas of the Internet where the real traffic is found. Areas like Yahoo Search, Google Places, Facebook and Twitter are all excellent places to focus organic link building efforts.
Organic search rankings can also be increased by using certain keywords in the text on your site or within your links. In this whiteboard Friday, Rand advertised a contest to increase the rankings of one hundred bloggers who used the keyword “beef.” The winners of this contest were given a twenty dollar prize. Many of the bloggers listed on the first page of Google took the prize seriously. Rand realized that these results could be a major boost for his company’s organic rankings.
Search engine positioning is also influenced in part by visibility. If you cannot be seen in search results, you will not increase your rankings. Search engines look for clear and concise sites with fresh content. Users like easy-to-find sites. That is why many marketing professionals advise their clients to produce clear and concise web pages.
Visibility is also related to the search query itself. If people are not looking for your service, then your services are not in demand. The concept of supply and demand has been used time and again in the business world. If you are offering something people are not looking for, they will not use your service.
Organic search engine rankings are determined by the relevancy of your site as compared to other sites on the same topic. The higher your site is ranked, the more credible you appear to consumers. Rand emphasized that many marketers focus only on the numbers and do not pay enough attention to keywords or content. “In this whiteboard Friday, we will answer the question of how to achieve organic rankings,” he concluded.
Organic search engine rankings take time to improve. Marketers should continue to tweak their strategies to improve rankings. Most marketers agree that in order to build long-term sustainable relationships with consumers, it is important to use organic tactics along with paid advertisements. In fact, many local business owners agree that the best part about working with Rand is that they provide their clients with free internet marketing consulting and strategies.
Rand added that one of the keys to achieving high rankings is to create a good user experience. Consumers are notoriously fickle and when a site does not deliver on their expectations, they will not spend money with that site. For example, he noted that Google’s algorithm for determining page ranking is based on a number of different factors. “If someone was to devise a formula that guaranteed page ranking without any consideration of user experience, I would be very interested,” he said. He went on to say that many of Google’s ranking algorithms are designed so that the webpages are as natural as possible.
Rand then discussed the importance of building domain authority. Domain authority is the ability to obtain higher search engine ranking by improving the rank of the websites that link to them. This is achieved by increasing the website’s link popularity to relevant websites. Rand recommended that local business owners work to obtain a few high-quality links each month to keep their websites at the top of the rankings.
Search engine optimization is not an exact science and no two campaigns will ever be exactly alike. However, search marketers can use a variety of tactics to try and ensure that searchers have the best possible chance of finding what they are looking for. Many of these tactics involve the use of advanced computer programing. Rand touched upon some of these techniques in his speech, but explained that many of these programs are beyond the abilities of most amateurs and only recommended to professionals. Machine learning systems may someday replace these complex systems, but for now, computer programs such as those offered by Rand carry much more promise for helping search marketers achieve their goals.