Search
Engine Optimization
Most of the users
of the internet today find the websites that they are looking
for by doing searches using one of the major search engines
such as Google, Yahoo, Excite, Alta Vista, etc. Rarely will
someone know the exact name of a business' URL before knowing
that they want to visit that site. On top of that, people
often misspell or mistype the URL if they know it and dont
get what they are looking for. And lastly, in order to market
just a URL by itself, you usually have to launch a major marketing
campaign where the primary goal is to get your name out there.
This includes, but is not limited to, adding your domain to
your business cards, letterhead, envelopes, and any other
printed materials, launching radio and TV ads to announce
and promote the website, as well as generally telling everyone
you come in contact with. While this is still an effective
marketing strategy, and something worth considering, it is
costly and time consuming, and used alone is generally the
downfall of most marketing plans. You see, a website to a
non-internet based business is merely a marketing tool - an
advertisment if you will - that allows the business in question
to give a great deal of information at a fraction of the cost
of a standard printed ad. More over, it allows people who
are looking for that specific service to find it, grouped
with other services that are similar in nature to it. This
is what proper search engine placement will do for your site.
When you do a search
for something, say 'dogs', the search engine queries the database
of websites that it uses to find all the pages that contain
the specific term 'dogs'. Through a series of complex algorithms,
it determines which of the sites that it finds to contain
the word 'dogs' use the term the most, and more importantly,
use it in context the most. This is your 'relevancy score'
and it determines your ultimate ranking. And the algorithms
that determine them are very smart these days as well. Simply
typing in 'dogs' over and over again in your site will not
necessarily rank you high under that term mostly because it
wont make sense. The search engine knows that you are trying
to trick it and will punish you for it. In some cases, search
engines will ban your site for such mischevious practices
in an attempt to keep the playing field level.
So obviously there
is a right and a wrong way to optimizing a website for the
search engines. We believe in fair play, but what this means
for you is a site that contains all the proper and supported
information that ranks your website as highly as possible
without resorting to cheap tricks.
We strongly suggest
a search engine optimization for all websites as that it has
the potential of GREATLY expanding your exposure on the internet.
Having a site that is viewed once or twice a week is almost
pointless, and not usually viable as a marketing tool. You
want the most people viewing your site as possible... and
to do that you need it readily available for people to find.
The key to having
a site that ranks well is having proper META tags, invisible
code that contains keywords, descriptions, and titles that
all relate to the text contained within the actual site. Also,
a content-rich site with multiple pages of information will
generally rank better than one with only a few pages, so it
is generally advised that you add as much content as possible
without it becoming overbearing. At Focus Power, we know how
to optimize your META content to fit your site perfectly and
therefore give you the best ranking we can get. We also know
how to custom tailor your site to contain key words and phrases
that relate to you and your business and make it our number
one priority to do so. We strongly encourage you to consider
the search engine optimization for your website as that it
will help bring you more business and help you create a higher
return on your investment.
Beyond the standard
optimization of META and page content, there are also several,
more in-depth methods of generating traffic for your site.
These are extra services that we provide and are happy to
do so, and are mentioned as things to consider for the future.
- Cross-linking
- This is probably the most common method of getting more
traffic to your site and is relatively simple, though takes
time in the way of research and implementation. Basically
you find other sites and/or directories that pertain to
you and your business and 'trade' links with them. In doing
so, they will link to your site from theirs, and you will
reciprocate. What this does is creates gateways from other
sources that you might not have had otherwise, and also
makes it so search engines find your site easier. It is
painless and generally free, short of the time it takes
to arrange for it.
- Pay-per-click
services - There are services out there that allow
you to bid on certain keywords and pay for every click-through
on those words. This is meant for people wishing to be found
under very commonly searched terms, and terms that are more
sought after. Prices for individual keywords can range from
a few cents to a few dollars depending on the poularity
of the term. This is suggested only if you are launching
a major internet marketing campaign, mostly because it can
be costly depending on what terms you choose and how often
they are used.
- On-site
Directories - Creating an onsite directory is a
great way to attract people to your website because it doubles
as a place where other businesses like yours can advertise,
increase their internet exposure, and will create more incoming
and outgoing links to and from your site - which as we mentioned
before, adds to your search engine ranking. A directory
is basically a page where you list other businesses such
as yours, generally by region or state, depending on the
nature of the business. Information for these businesses
comes from making cold-calls to inform the company of your
directory while telling them a little about your site in
the process, therefore generating interest in your site
for them. The other means for collecting information is
by providing an online sign-up form where they can enter
their own information, send it to an admistrative contact,
where it can then be reviewed, and posted to your site.
Often times, the sites that have postings in your directories
will not only create links to your site on theirs, but will
also provide free advertising for you by telling others
about it and point people to the directory.
So, if you have
a website already that isn't generating enough traffic, or
if you want to increase your internet exposure, or if you
need a website built that has this functionality built right
into it, you should contact us
right away! We can most certainly help you out. |
