How to Become a Google Superstar
The web is very interesting in how it levels the playing field in business.
Billion-dollar businesses and start-ups compete on an even playing field for
exposure on the Internet every single day. To the victor goes the spoils: Top
rankings on major search engines are possible for skyrocketing a business’s revenue
as well as for keeping a business where it’s currently at.
The strategy of placing your brand’s language and keywords in targeted
online spaces in order to gain exposure is known online as search engine
optimization, or SEO. Mastering this practice will increase the number of links that
drive traffic to your site and the amount of real estate you control on the Webwhich will significantly increase your site’s visibility on the search engines.
Here are nine ways to master the art of SEO and to get to the top spot on
online searches.
1) Register your Web site on search engines and online directories. Google,
Bing, Yahoo and other search engines allow you to add your URL to their
databases and help them to find your Web site for free. Since the search
engines all have their own requirements, take the time to locate and follow
the instructions for each database. You can also use paid services such as
Web.com Visibility Online Service ($76.95 per month) that you can use to
register your Web site with search engines, maintain your SEO program, and
receive on-demand SEO reports that detail ways you can improve your Web
site’s online visibility. It’s extremely important for you to research and create
company profiles on relevant online directories such as Angie’s List,
DMOZ.org, SearchLocal, Yelp, MerchantCircle, SuperPages, and Google
Business Center. The more credibile links that lead to your site, the higher
your page-rank and the better your chances are of appearing in search
results.
2) Optimize your Web site. Making your Web site search engine friendly is
essential to improving your online visibility. To start, you’ll need to have a
Web site header title that’s no longer than 70 to 80 characters, as well as a
site description that’s no more than 200 characters. Both the title and the
description must include all of your brand language and keywords. You also
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want to make sure that all of your keywords and phrases are included at
least once in your site’s meta tags, search engine description, and body text.
Do not overuse these keywords or phrases because that could cause the
search engines to define your Web site as a spam site, which will result in a
lower search engine rank.
Distribute optimized press releases. Distributing and posting press
releases online monthly will create a large number of link-backs to your site.
These in turn will increase your visibility and site ranking. When you are
drafting your press releases, be sure to include your keywords and phrases
once or –at most- twice within the body text. Once you lock your copy, embed
the appropriate links back to your Web site by using your keywords and
phrases as anchor text. To avoid having search engines read your releases as
spam, only hyperlink one keyword or phrase per 100 characters. In some
cases, press release distribution services, such as PR Web, will have you
create hyperlinks by using their software. In all other cases you can learn
how to do anchor texts at http://w3schools.com Use wire services such as PR
Web (Cost varies) and free services such as PRLog.com to distribute your
releases to hundreds of Web sites and social media networks. There are also
many Web sites where you can post and share your press release for free.
Visit this link to see more than 50 of these places:
http://tinyurl.com/ngarjpressreleases
Create online video and social media channels. Social media and online
video sites offer your brand the chance to control hundreds of pages of prime
real estate on the Internet, many of which have high site rankings. Populate
all of your profiles with your company tagline, bio, and Web site URL. Most
importantly, include your brand language and keywords in the headlines,
descriptions, and tags of all your images, videos, media files, and social media
posts.
Create online content to connect popular keywords to your brand
language. Newsletters, articles, and blogs that offer valuable content can
exponentially increase a site’s exposure in search engines. If you’re creating
the content, make sure that your headline and first paragraph are rich with
keywords and brand language. Link keyword-filled phrases back to your Web
site. Avoid link-dumping by selecting a few meaningful phrases at a time.
Surround your keywords and brand language with descriptive text, which
will help search engines determine the relevancy of your subject matter to a
search query.
Syndicate, share, and bookmark your media. Each placement of your
brand name, content, and URL on the Web increases the possibility that
prospects will find it and click. Syndicate your own articles and blogs across
the Internet by using sites such as iSnare.com (Cost: $10 to varies). Share
your online content using social-bookmarking sites, such as Digg, Delicious,
StumbleUpon, and using auto-syndication services such as OnlyWire.com
(Cost: Free to $24.99) and Ping.fm (Cost: free). Enable users to share the
content easily as well by integrating free social media tools such as ShareThis
and TweetMeme into your newsletters, blogs, and Web site. Social-
bookmarking sites and other social media sharing tools pull the header of
your content onto their sites, so be sure that you always include your brand
language.
7) Guest blog and comment regularly. Comments and guest posts are
essential on relevant industry threads, Web sites, and forums is another way
to create valuable link-backs to your site. Make a list of the top blogs and
online sites in your industry by using sites like AllTop.com and
Technorati.com. You may be able to offer your services as a guest blogger,
and as such, include your brand language and company credentials along
with your posts. For all other sites on your list, comment and respond
regularly to posts made by site content providers with relevant advice that
incorporates your brand language and Web site URL. Avoid self-promotion or
spamming messages because this doesn’t add value. Whenever you register a
user account, use one of your keywords or phrases as your username and
link it to your Web site URL. In many cases, usernames become hyperlinks
when comments go live.
8) Swap links with other Web sites and social media friends. One of the
most important parts of SEO is getting links to lead to your Web site from
other high page-ranked sites. Don’t be shy about this either. Ask your friends,
customers and partners if they’d be interested in swapping links or sharing
content with their friends, fans and followers.
9) Stay in the know about the latest SEO tips and tricks. The Web is
constantly changing- as are the strategies and tools needed to take advantage
of it. Use resource sites like SEOmoz.org or SEOBook.com to keep your SEO
arsenal up-to-date.