This is the question on everyone’s lips. If you are creating your own website, having website designers make it for you or you already have your website, pretty soon you’ll start to wonder…
Why am I not appearing higher in the Google search results ?
We will explain this concept here with minimal use of jargon (quite a challenge).
What is Google for ?
Simply put, Google tries to find relevance. So if you search for “ball-bearing manufacturers” and you are located in Australia, that’s what it will attempt to show you.
How does Google decide where to rank your website ?
A definitive answer to this would make me an overnight billionaire…it is one of the most closely-guarded secrets.
However, it goes like this;
1. Site must have relevant content
2. Site must have good quality incoming links.
3. Site should be regularly updated.
What does that mean for my website ?
What we are talking about here is [ Jargon alert ! ] Search Engine Optimisation, lovingly referred to by all the geeks as SEO.
This breaks down into two areas;
1. On-site SEO
2. (you’re ahead of me here) Off-site SEO
On-site SEO
Ok, I could fill a book with this stuff but here’s a clue as to what you need to do.
Think about what searches your potential visitors will make, e.g. “Where to buy ball-bearings” “ballbearing manufacturers in Victoria” “ball bearing makers”
Settle on about 5 or 6 and these become your ‘keywords’.
Now, as you make your website, ensure that the keywords and phrases are used frequently throughout the site. Crucially though, resist the urge to over-use them (known as keyword stuffing), your site may be penalised by Google.
If you have the skills, try to make sure your page titles and the address that appears in the navigation bar (e.g. http://www.billybobsballbearings.com.au/ballbearings/automotive/pricelist )..is relevant.
There is an awful lot more to On-site SEO, see ‘More Help’ below.
Off-site SEO
Ok this one is a little simpler, but still a challenge.
You must acquire inbound links (other websites displaying a link TO your site). The links will be rated by Google for relevance (in our example; www.ballbearingworld.com GOOD, www.icecreamproductsoficeland.com BAD)
Don’t be tempted to join any link-acquiring schemes and my advice is don’t even bother with link-swaps (you link to me and I’ll link to you). They tend to cancel each other out.
