| So your company has a website - an important | | | | your page generated by other languages such as |
| step to validate your company, boost its visibility | | | | JavaScript, you should have these codes in |
| and increase its sales. Now how do you get it to | | | | external files. There is also an html validation tool |
| show up on Google and the other search engines | | | | at that is useful. Errors in programming code and |
| like Yahoo and MSN?A high search engine ranking | | | | incorrect html can keep the search engine robots |
| for your website is essential. At least 85% of | | | | from indexing your web pages. Keep coding clean |
| people looking for goods and services on the | | | | and simple.4. META Tags. This may sound like |
| internet find them through search engines.To | | | | something out of a science fiction movie, but it is |
| increase your website's ranking on search engines, | | | | very simple code that should be included in your |
| you could hire a company to do it for you. There | | | | site because its makes it more inviting to the |
| is a whole search engine optimization (SEO) | | | | search engine spiders that crawl the internet.5. |
| industry that will gladly take your money. SEO is | | | | Don't Cheat. Don't try to 'spam' the search |
| simpler than it is made out to be, and there are | | | | engines by including invisible keywords repeated |
| several steps that you can do yourself to | | | | hundreds of times or by repeating key words in |
| increase the rank of your website.1. The content | | | | META tags. The engines are getting smart and will |
| of your website is key. Search engines check to | | | | penalize you for this. They may even drop your |
| see if search words appear close to the top of | | | | site all together.6. Patience, Patience, Patience! It |
| the page and their frequency on the page. You | | | | can take weeks for the search engines to |
| must first determine what the key words that | | | | re-index and re-rank your site once you have |
| your customers search with. Consider the website | | | | made changes or if you have a new site. Search |
| from the perspective of a potential customer and | | | | engines are smart, but they taken time to sort |
| try to understand what they would be searching | | | | through the vast amounts of information that's |
| for on the web. Aim to have 100-250 words on | | | | thrown at them. If you are patient, you will see |
| each page with those key words used as often | | | | results.7. Many of the major search engines still |
| as possible. Those same key words should be | | | | include a free submission section for their listings. |
| included in the title tag of your coding, but keep it | | | | It may take 6-8 weeks (or more) for your |
| to six words or less. (this is the coloured bar at | | | | listings to show up, but Google, AltaVista and |
| the top of the page). The site at has some great | | | | Yahoo still accept free submissions. Since search |
| tools to help you optimize key words.2. Link | | | | engine rank is key for success on the internet, |
| Popularity. This is a factor that is extremely | | | | you may want to budget for search engine |
| important in search engine rank. Almost all of the | | | | optimization and consider paid listings (Yahoo), or |
| search engines use link popularity to rank | | | | pay-per-click advertising on Google.Good web |
| websites. Inbound links matter most, and highly | | | | design is a balance between what looks great and |
| ranked sites linking to your site are worth more | | | | optimizing your site for search engines. Your |
| that lower ranked sites. If you can provide | | | | content must be good enough so that other sites |
| content that other sites want to link to, you will | | | | want to link to it while at the same time include |
| move up in the rankings. This means that you | | | | key search words that will draw potential |
| may have to actively solicit links to your content | | | | customers. You also need to have your site built |
| and perhaps write articles for other websites.3. | | | | correctly and take the time to manage it and |
| Proper Page Structure. This can be tricky for | | | | keep it fresh. Now you are well on your way to |
| people who don't know HTML, but it really isn't | | | | having a high ranking website on Google. Good |
| that complicated. Your pages should be coded | | | | luck!Colleen Happ designs effective and affordable |
| correctly so they are easier for the search | | | | websites and graphics. Her portfolio can be |
| engines to index. Your site should have easy to | | | | viewed at She offers free one hour consultations |
| follow text navigation, and you should avoid using | | | | to show how an effective website can benefit |
| Flash to build your entire page because it makes | | | | your business. |
| the site harder to index. If you want dynamics on | | | | |