How to Get a Top Ranking in Google

By James Anderson

Everybody wants to get their website in the top spot on Google or Yahoo! Many SEO companies promise to get you to this coveted top spot for a fee, but nobody can really guarantee this. If they do make a promise be vary careful to check out the reputation of the company before signing up. There are no special secrets to getting the top position, but rather knowing what to do. Anyone with some knowledge of SEO techniques can optimize their own website and improve the chance of getting a high position in the search engines. There is a lot of learning to do before you can master all the techniques but if you are in a hurry that’s when the SEO companies can help.

Having one-way back links to your site is no longer enough. You also need to use proper anchor tags on your site catered for your main keywords. For example, if you are selling web tools and use the click-able text “products” to take a user to the products page, this would be less effective. It is more appropriate to use “web tools” for the click-able text, which is part of the chosen keywords. For example, see the site Sandanco.com and click on the web tools anchor text.

Although most search engines no longer use keywords as part of their ranking algorithm, the keywords are still very important to help users find what they are looking for and steer them to your site. Most users tend to pick one word phrase in their key word list. Although this still works, but to get more relevant traffic to your site you should use a keyword phrase to describe what you are selling to drive visitors to your site. For example, simply using “tools” is too generic and would bring up millions of hits. However, if you use “web tools” this would narrow down the search area to drive the visitors that type “web tools” to your site. It is no use having a visitor coming to your site that is looking for machine tools when you are selling software. This is called targeted traffic. To get targeted traffic you need to use targeted keywords.

Once you have made a list of keywords for your site, you next have to find out how many people are actually typing these keywords into the search engine to find the appropriate web sites. There are many free online keyword tools on the net to help you perform this research. You would of course want to pick the keywords most often used in the search to find website with like yours.

The next step is to get more one-way links to your website. Don’t waste time getting hooked on with link-farms that have no relevant content and only pages with links to other pages. Some search engines will penalize you for this while others would just ignore these links and not count them in their ranking. Remember, the people writing the code for the ranking algorithm know most of the tricks in the book that people try to use to fool the search engine.

The right way to get back-links is to actually use strategic links from another site that has something in common with your site. Most often, this can be done by simply writing to the Webmaster from another site to ask if they could place a link to your site. Sometimes they may say no and other times they will agree to place a link to your site. This is more effective then a reciprocal link exchange. A reciprocal link has less value because it is a two-way link. Each website owner agrees to exchange his/her link to the other site.

If you are in a hurry to get to a top ten position, you can increase your back links by using a paid one-way link campaign. There are many companies that offer this service and you should do your homework before you part with your money. Nevertheless, this is the fastest way to increase your back-links and improve your rankings in the search engines. Remember, it is more important to the search engines on where your link in coming from rather then how many links you have. There are many factors that determine how you can get your website to the top position in Google or Yahoo. This article is not intended to be a complete guide on how to get a top ten position but to point out some common methods to get there.

Tips to Add Credibility to Your Web Directory Listings

by Jim Degerstrom

Natural linking to add related one-way links to your website is an accepted method for boosting search engine ranking. Done properly, the results will be worthwhile. If you are determined to take shortcuts, consider the consequences. There are valid services who will hand submit your URL to directories, and the best will provide evidence of value for money paid.

Quick and low cost solutions may backfire because others may broadcast your site to 500-1000 or more sites for $19.95, or some similar number up to $99, with varying results. You may see ads for one million sites for some ridiculously low amount. You need to think twice about where your www domain will end up listed. A low price may not be a good price.

None of the services can guarantee you will be approved and listed to all that receive your submission. Each directory has rules, and although some will automatically add your URL, most are reviewed by a human editor prior to approval.

My advice is doing it yourself. Unless you hand submit your www domain to website directories, the quality backlinks you expect from a service company could leave you wondering if your efforts were in vain. By physically visiting each site and reviewing their guidelines, you improve your chances of being approved. More importantly, the rules change.

For example, I developed a list of 150 well established directories that accept free listing of your URL. For natural listing, I choose to submit 5 per day to avoid a spike in backlinks that may be perceived as spam by the search engines.

In the course of submitting over several months, I discovered some directories change policy due to the large number of sites submitted and then they do one of three things. They charge a fee, require a reciprocal link, or temporarily discontinue accepting free submissions. Broadcast submissions will fail without picking up this valuable information, so many will not be approved.

The first step is making sure your website is ready to submit. Be prepared with quality content and then do search engine optimization review prior to submitting to website directories. Use these guidelines to determine if your site is worthy. Keep in mind these are general rules, and may vary from one directory to another. Each listing structure may be organized with variable categories, so an automated system may not properly evaluate the rules.

Do not submit:

1. Websites under construction
2. More pages other than your home page
3. To unrelated categories
4. Porn, vulgar, hate, or illegal content sites
5. Sites in languages other than English
6. Pages with plug-ins, pop-ups, or flash only design
7. Any graphic only sites with unreasonable load time
8. Just your sitemap, a pdf, or catalog only page
9. A site designed primarily with ads or affiliate links
10. A mirror site with duplicate content to another URL
11. The same URL disguised to try to get multiple listings
12. To unique niche directories if your site is unrelated

Some website directories will tolerate minor violations of the above rules. For example, some may allow you to submit multiple pages of your www domain. Most will not list subdomains from free hosting services. If you have built high quality unique content on a free hosting service, some directories may make an exception. By physically visiting each directory, you have the opportunity to evaluate each based on first impression, other sites listed, and any special rules that may affect your approval.

Bonus Tip: Do not use a free service email address when submitting to directories. Most require that you provide a working email address to qualify for submitting your URL. Some may not tell you, however, most expect that the email address provided includes the same ending as your www domain. The editors are often too busy to respond to each site submitted, so if you are not approved, they won't tell you.

Finally, if all this seems like a lot of work, it is. The preparation and time to submit requires long hours. Fortunately, you may spread out the task over time to make the job easier. Once you're ready, do 5 a day for natural linking, and your listing in 100-150 directories should be accomplished in less than 2 hours a day over 30 days.

Article Source: http://www.jimdegerstrom.com/web_directory_advice_article.html.

About the Author: Jim Degerstrom offers small business advice based on 30 years in management, sales, and marketing, including President or General Manager of small companies in 5 states. He is proficient in website and graphic art design, and runs his online Small Business Resource Center at http://www.jimdegerstrom.com from Kissimmee FL USA.

What makes A Good Website?

By James Anderson

Any experienced Webmaster can tell you that functionality is more important than looks. People will NOT stay on a web site that is hard to use or a site that doesn’t work. It doesn't matter how pretty you make your web site or what color scheme or template you use. Don’t waste time presenting a hundred choices with fancy flash introductions that make your site more complicated. Your customers will not stick around and probably never come back if they can’t find what they are looking for fast. If you are selling something, make it simple for someone to purchase. For example, if you were in a Department store and decided to buy something, you may have second thoughts when you see a long line at the check out register.

The best way to create an effective website is to use simple web pages and not depend on commercial HTML packages like FrontPage or DreamWeaver. You should spend the time to learn some basic HTML so that you can create pages that are easy to use and modify. The main problem with using commercial software for building a website is that these packages change every couple of years. Your site may look different in a newer version of the software.

If your website is designed to sell something make sure to focus on what your selling. For example, if it's an information site, then make sure your focus is on providing information. If you are selling games or movies, then make sure the focus is on entertainment. Your goal should be simple and clean with a functional web site that delivers the content or services to your customers in the most efficient manner possible.

Pitfalls of Starting An Online Business

by James Anderson

So you want to start and own an online business? Well, you are not alone because millions of people dream of early retirement with a mansion in the hills believing they can get rich by starting their own business. You have dreamed of starting your own company where you can set your own hours, work from home, pick up your kids from school and be there for them when they are sick. Of course, the downside is that you end up working on weekends and late into the evenings and there is no sick time or paid vacations. If you think that running a Web-based business is easy then you have a big surprise coming. Starting an internet business requires a lot of hard work and dedication to make it successful. The best way to learn to do a business is to watch other successful entrepreneurs and build awareness for your own ideas.

One mistake people make in starting their online business is to rush in and sign up with some “get rich quick” program they have seen advertised. There are plenty of companies that offer to help you to start your own online business and handle everything for you. Don’t be tempted by the cleaver marketing because they are happy to take your money. For example, there are scam artist that get you to sign-up with a turn-key online store and charge you a monthly fee to receive their services. They give you the impression that once they set up your Web pages and online store you pretty much sit back and let the money roll in. If only life was that simple we would all be millionaires.

The scam artist who promise to set up your new online business prey on your lack of computer knowledge, programming skills or not knowing where to start to sell you a worthless package. They promise that you don’t need to do anything except pay the initial setup fees and they will get your store online overnight. While some of these companies are legitimate, many of them are not and they will sell you the same storefront loaded with worthless products that no one wants to buy.

Another problem with the complete store solutions is that you become nothing more then a commission sales person for someone else business. Also, you have the same looking store, selling the same products as millions of other people. It is not surprising that you will sit around all day twiddling your thumbs and never make a sale. However, the scam artists have already taken your money so they don’t care if you make a cent.

The biggest mistake that most new internet sellers have in common is that they try to offer everything under the sun. You need to pick one niche market and focus your efforts to promote that item instead of scattering your efforts in multiple directions. Before selling anything, you need to know your audience and understand your market. By taking the time to learn about the products or services that you are offering you can create a site that builds credibility. That credibility builds trust for your customers.