Page Ranking Following Google Guidelines

Page ranking for your website can make the difference between having a successful, profitable online business and just being one of the 600 million websites on the net.

You don’t need to spend thousands with an SEO firm to get your site optimized.  Follow the rules, Google provides Webmaster tools, YouTube Videos and help to whoever asks.  It's not a secret.  If you play the game by the rules of the game and you will win.  It’s when you dig your heels in, and attempt to force the search engines to play by rules you’ve decided are better.

We’ll be going over the following areas in this article.  

• SEO Basics
• Site Structure
• Optimizing Content

Grab a cool drink or hot cup of coffee, there's a lot of information about page ranking in this article but it’s going to be worth the time you take to read and use this information.  Remember one thing.  Your competition is spending a lot of money to make their websites optimized.  This means that YOUR customers and seeing their products first.  Imagine that your competitor is standing out front of your doors and stopping customers before they ever get inside your business.  Don’t let this happen.

Before we start this journey, I want to make sure you understand that SEO on affects the organic results in the search.  We are not covering the Pay per click Ads that you would have via Google Ad Words or the like.

Titles | Title Tags

• The Title is what users and the search engines use to understand what the page or topic is all about.  
• Each page on your site needs to have a unique title.  See the Video explanation from Google’s Matt Cuff.
• The content of your page title is going to show up in the search results.  Usually they are the first line in the results.  The words in your title that match the search query will show up as bolded in the title.
• Be Accurate when you describe the page content.  Pick a title is relevant to information that is found on that page.  Don’t just call it Page 5 or leave it untitled.
• Keep your title name at or under 70 characters.  
• Make it worth reading.  Don’t try to jam your keyword into the title six times.  It will be a waste of time if a user never clicks on the link.

Description | Meta Description

• Your description of the page lets the search engines and the searchers know a little more about what they can expect to find.  
• You have about 160 characters to work with on the description so use them wisely.  
• Try to fit your chosen keyword into the description in a natural way.  This is where you have a chance to entice a consumer to read more and click on your link.
• Google may or may not use your description, they may use other areas of your page to get what they determine is the best and most relevant snippet.  
• Like the Title, the words in your description that match the search query will show up bolded in the results.
• Each page should have its own unique description.  
• Don’t use a single description across all the pages of your site.
• Don’t keyword stuff your descriptions.  If the description isn’t interesting to the searcher then they will not click the link.

The Structuring of URL’s

• The URL is also showing up in the search query.  The information provided in the URL is helpful to both your customers and the search engines.
• Create URL’s that are easy to understand.  Having URL’s that have no recognizable words or that are really long and cryptic can stop a person from clicking it.  
• Create URL’s that have the page title clearly stated.  Example.  Yoursite.com/basketball_camp_tryouts instead of yoursite.com/overlay#2?query4
• Use Google Webmaster Tools to better understand how to structure your URL’s for optimization purposes.

Optimizing your content

• When you create a website that has great content that is useful to those that are searching for the information, you end up doing more for your website than all the other factors combined.  People will want to share your content.  This creates links back to your site and the buzz that comes from the Social Media arena.
• Create your Content|Title|URL around the keywords that have to do with your product.
• Put yourself into the minds of the user that is searching for your products/services.  A person that knows a lot about your product may use acronyms or catch phrases that have to do with a product where a person that is new may type in more general words.  It’s important to understand and think like the customer.
• Write content that’s easy to read and to follow.  Break up the content with Bolded headers, bullet points and lists.  No one enjoys reading a page packed with just words, use images or videos to explain your point.  
• Not everyone is on your site to buy.  When you have content to offer customers at each stage in the buying cycle then you stand a better chance of being the site they land at when they are ready pull out the wallet.
• Use anchor text to guide your readers to additional information that relates to a certain item or topic.  Anchor text is that text that you see in an article that's clickable and takes you to a page outside or inside your website.  This anchor text should be value added and not just a way to plug the exact keyword 15 times on your page.  Natural anchor text will not always have the exact keyword.  It may be “click here” or see more about “dog grooming techniques”.  Never use anchor text for an entire paragraph or long sentence.
• Writing content can be fun and beneficial.  It may be hard to “turn on” creative juices on demand.  Do yourself a favor and just focus on creating great titles for your content first.  This will help you to form the content based on these titles.  
• Give yourself a break.  If you find that you have lost steam halfway through your article or blog, then stop and come back to finish it when you’re feeling that creative flow.   

Optimize those pictures and images

• Title your images with relevant titles that take advantage of keywords.  
• Putting text into your image is okay as long as you provide links for users outside that image.  Google can’t read text that is in an image and users will want to copy and paste or click on a URL, if you expect them to type the link into the browser then you will be disappointed with the results.

Promote your website, just don’t spam

Letting others know about your business is a great thing.  Use Blogs and social networks to get the word out but be considerate of other site owners and stay away from programs or software that promises to get your site posted to other sites for a fee.  Any site owner that allows comments on their blogs and articles knows the frustration that comes with having to delete spammy comments from those companies that were hired to get links placed online.  You don’t need to spam if you have good content.

I encourage everyone to spend time on Google webmasters tools and get all the information you could ever want in regards to the structure and quality of your website.  Visit Google Webmasters page http://support.google.com/webmasters

Did this help? We hope that you have a better handle on the tips and tools to use for your SEO goals.  If you still have a strong desire to start yanking clumps of hair from you head then give us a call.  Complete Web Solutions is located in The United States.  We are business owners just like you and can get you back to the world of sanity at no cost.  Call our office today 719 302 5029.  You can only gain from this call.