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how to be found in the
ever expanding internet |
Search engine optimisation
(SEO)
A single web page can be likened to a grain of
sand
on a beach. Someone recently estimated that there are some 2 million
NEW WEB PAGES being created EVERY DAY. So how is it that some web
sites continually rank close to the top search results at sites like
Google, Yahoo etc?
Let me first say what is not the answer. It has
nothing to do with luck. It has little to do with paying $100 to a
submission service to submit your site to 3,000 obscure, never heard
of search engines. Nor is a few dozen "keywords" embedded into a web
page going to get you there. There is no simple answer but it can be
done and at surprisingly little extra cost.
What is required, if you are to have any chance of
those top listing positions, is a carefully considered strategy,
that must permeate the web site from the first keystroke to the last
GIF file. The site must be designed from beginning to end with the
desired outcomes in mind.
So what are these strategies, you ask.
Well for starters, we prefer not to use the term
"Search Engine Optimisation", as we (nor anyone else) can optimise
search engines. A better description of what we do is web site
Search Engine Preparation in that we prepare web sites with all the
design elements that search engines like to find in order to create
their web indexes and that they use to decide which web sites
appears on page 1 and which are buried on page 101.
While it would seem nice if we simply listed the
procedures for our process, experience has taught that to do so
would likely not help you achieve optimal results. It really is a
case of experience and "understanding" what is required as opposed
to "reading the instructions".
When you become a client of ours we will not only
be creating a number of web pages for you but will also be
incorporating the essential elements of our strategies into the
design from start to finish. These are sensible strategies that are
"search engine friendly" as apposed to short lived "tricks" that
attempt to deceive or manipulate results artificially. Our design
strategies will lead to content rich, easy to navigate websites that
search engines will be able to index fully without impediment.
TIP: If a few hours of our time are beyond
your budget and you feel you must attempt what we do yourself, here
is some advice....
"To achieve favourable listing on any search
engines, start by constructing web pages that are worthy of those
favourable listings". Cryptic maybe, but absolutely true. If you
want to appear on page 1 of Google when someone searches for "Widget
Winders", then you really should have a web site packed with lots of
information about "Widget Winders". Remember the old saying, "you
cant make a purse out of a sow's ear" (apologies to all pigs).
A Word on SPAM: "Don't"
Some SEO strategists promote various Search Engine
Spamming techniques to achieve results (although they won't call it
that). This may involve numerous specialised "doorway" or "gateway"
pages, meaningless repetition of keywords (keyword stuffing),
disguised text (white text on white background), or other methods
that result in meaningless and nonsensical pages. These techniques
are rapidly losing effectiveness as the major search engines
introduce their own strategies to defend against SEO spamming. In
fact it is now quite possible for a web site to be heavily penalised
or even banned outright for use of some of these techniques.
WebStart Design does not use these techniques, yet
we regularly achieve excellent results for our clients.
"improve YOUR bottom line - with a WebStart web design"
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