Keep at the Top

of Search Engine Rankings

By Tom Ogg

The last time Google revamped their search algorithms, many sites fell in ranking from their previous stellar search result positions. In fact, I had one site that had been consistently in the number six spot for very popular keywords for years that fell to the seventh page.

Hits on the site fell right along with the site’s position. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what happened. The event was discussed at length on the Webmaster’s forum I belong to and no one could figure out what Google had done to create the changes.

At the time META tags, keyword density and link popularity seemed to be the most important factors that search engines looked at to establish rankings — a reasonably finite environment that one could manipulate to gain high positions. I struggled with my site, and while it wasn’t one of my more important ones, I still wondered what happened.

I finally got around to updating the site’s appearance and content a few months ago. I gave it a facelift and added a good amount of content. I was shocked when I found that it immediately took up residence at its former address as the number six spot in Google. So here is what I surmised is important to gain and keep high rankings in the new Google world.

How Current Is Your Site?
This is one of the mistakes that I made. The site was designed as a static site that didn’t require updating to maintain its relevancy to its visitors. I suspect that Google now looks at how often the site is updated. The sites that I have in the number one position in Google are updated daily, sometimes several times a day.

I have noticed that Google consistently delivers current articles from Travel Trade when keywords searches are used, hinting that current information weighs in heavier than static information. Here is how you can take advantage of this.

Be sure to add an article or two every month (or more often) relating to the keywords used for your Web site. This will keep your site current and interesting to Google, not to mention your visitors.

This was another area where my site fell short. While it had everything I thought it needed to stay in high position, my competitors were consistently adding content to their sites.

The combination of not being current and static content is what caused the site to fall in ranking, even though it was completely optimized for the keywords it was designed for. Here is how you can take advantage of this.

Everyone knows the mantra “in real estate the three most important things to consider when buying are location, location, location,” but when it comes to your Web site, the three most important things to consider are content, content, content! To gain high placement for popular keywords, you need lots of relevant content. Don’t make the mistake of sacrificing quality for quantity, though. Any content that you add should enhance your reader’s experience and be pertinent to your keywords.

Here are some ideas on how to add meat to your Web site:

• Post a monthly article related to your keywords. This should be easy. As our world changes, keep your site current by updating it using keyword driven articles;
• Add a page about the key phrases that you use to define your services, products or unique selling points;
• Invite experts in your area of specialization to contribute articles that can be published on your Web site;
• Look for every opportunity to add important content to your site;
• Budget time on a regular schedule to write, research and develop content to be published to your Web site.
Optimize Every Page in Your Web Site
Now that you are adding content on a regular basis and keeping your site current, you should make sure that each page in your Web site is optimized for the search engines to crawl. Here is a list of things to ensure that they are:
• Although they’re not as important as they used to be, META tags still matter. Be sure that they are included on each page and that they are focused on the content of the page;
• Alt tags for images and graphics should reflect the keywords that the page is focused upon;
• Make sure that your keyword density is optimized (especially within the first paragraph of the page);
• Include your keyword phrase in the header of each page;
• Avoid common mistakes that will cost you search engine ranking by checking your site before you publish it.

Links, Links and More Links
Link popularity is very important for gaining search engine popularity. However, more important than the quantity of links is the quality of sites linking to your Web site. You should seek out links that will enhance your site’s popularity rather than just joining link reciprocity schemes.

I must get 10 offers to exchange links every day from link building sites. I don’t even open them anymore.

The best way to gain a link relationship is to make a proposal to the site you are considering and to be prepared to pursue the link via E-mail, snail mail and telephone. You should have a motivating reason for contacting the Webmaster/owner of the site and have a specific offer that will benefit them (as well as yourself). Do not send spam to every site under the sun, as this will hurt your effort rather than help it.

See you on the top of the search engine!

Tom Ogg is editor and publisher of www.CruiseReviews.com and www.PortReviews.com