Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a raging field with its own pundits, top ten lists, and pages and pages of information. In a nutshell, your most important task with your website is to provide high quality content and high quality links.

High Quality Content
High quality content, and lots of it, is how your website gets to the top of the listings. Use up-to-date content, a controlled message, resource listings for your associates, and gifts like articles, field reports, white papers, and commentary on your industry.

Up-to-date content. If your pages haven’t been updated lately, they are considered “stale” and no longer relevant. A quick way to add page content to your site is to add a blog or videolog, this may be as simple as installing Wordpress and linking the first few entries to your home page. When you add continuous content to your site, you distinguish yourself as the authority in your specific field and you are a thought leader.

Control your message. Speak directly to your target market by controlling your message, including the specific phrases you use, the “look” of the site, and the content of your pages. You are differentiating yourself from your competitors: use your words and images to reach your direct customers. For example, if you are a luxury high-end “eco-friendly” real estate development company, you use words like luxury, high end, green, eco-friendly, and LEED-certified. If you are specialize in uniquely-designed Swarovski crystal necklaces, you use words like Swarovski, crystal, artisan, necklaces. You get the idea.

Add links to your associates. When someone comes to you for one need, they might end up needing many different related needs. For example, for my company 10K Webdesign, people often need domains, hosting help, logo design, a brochure, an editor, and strategic marketing advice. They might even need a printer, an accountant, an attorney, and a graphic designer: all of these are part of our referral network and we have a strong team of people who all work together towards our clients’ successes. When you add links to your associates on your website, you provide additional ranking points to them as well as to you. Be judicious in adding links: only link to people and products you trust.

Adding “Free Stuff.” It’s important for you to offer your knowledge in the form of top-ten lists, frequently asked questions, “how-to” articles, and useful tools for your clients and customers. When you add these documents in HTML or PDF format to your website, you’re providing a true service and a knowlege base that will endear you to your visitors. It also shows your expertise in your subject. Give and you’ll find that you’ll receive back much more.

High Quality Links
Because so much of your site depends on who is linking to it, be careful about your outgoing and incoming links. Thank friends and associates who link to you and prominently mention your outgoing links on a “links” page. Check your website stats periodically to test how people are using search words to visit your site, and edit your keywords accordingly. Check your stats to also see how people are visiting your site. Chances are you will see the typical path a user follows as they go through your site, and you will be able to adjust accordingly.

Finally, in terms of linking, if you follow the instructions above, you’ll naturally rise to the top when it comes to your targeted, specific niche. For example, consider how you desire your clients, customers, or visitors to find you and identify five to seven keyword phrases that embody that, then make sure to sprinkle those throughout your site.

A good web developer will help you get your website to the top of your listings. Work with them in a continuous feedback loop until you are where you want to be.

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