No Shortcuts to Good Search Engine Rankings
Why patience and quality are the keys to high rankings in the search engines.
Search engines have one goal – to provide high-quality, relevant, and useful results to their searchers. They aren't interested in sites that use tricks to drive up rankings, and their reaction to such schemes will be harsh. If you attempt to trick the engines into giving you higher rankings than your site would otherwise deserve, sooner or later your site will be banned from the results altogether. Driving valuable search traffic to your website is completely possible, even for the smallest of companies. All it takes is some practice, some patience, and a commitment to quality. Here are five ways to achieve good SEO, without resorting to dangerous tricks that could get you blacklisted.
Do Your Research
Find out which search terms your customers use to find the products they need. The words customers type into the search engines to find information are called "keywords," and you'll want to tailor relevant pages of your website to feature those phrases.
Write for the Reader First
Before you think about what a search engine wants to see, think about making things easier for your readers. Your readers are the ones paying your bills, not search engines, so make sure that everything you do makes things simpler and easier for them, too. Your search engine rankings will follow naturally.
Use Keywords Thoughtfully
Cramming keywords in your copy willy-nilly will read awkwardly, driving your customers away (and not impressing search engines). Use keywords in headlines, in link text, and where they naturally belong in your copy.
Build Solid Links Over Time
Links, both from within your site and from other sites, have a huge influence on search engine rank. Court inbound links from respected and relevant sites, but don't fall for the "seo trick" of paying for links from low-quality sites.
Use Your Ranking Well
Search engines rank pages, not websites, so make sure that your pages are able to capitalise on your search engine traffic. Remember that search traffic can enter on any page, so provide plenty of context. Use strong calls of action to move visitors to other pages, and to encourage them to fulfil your website goals.
By following these tips and having the patience to stay the course, you can achieve great search engine rankings without running the risk of being blacklisted from one of your best sources of free traffic. Too much for you to do? Let us help, call 08452 579606.
