Assuming you don't want to pay someone to do it for you, here is what you can do:
- Identify the key words the user might use to search for you on the search engines. Build the page from these. What is the problem that the user has? How will he or she search to resolve that problem? How does that relate to your product or service? Test the keywords using commercial tools or one of the free ones, such as Google's at https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal. Although Google refers to this as for their advertisers, it also works for their free, or organic, positioning. (The new version of our SEO book when available, will identify several free tools as well as the leading commercial tool.
- Choose a title for each of your pages that includes 1-2 of the primary keywords you are using. Google will display the first 65 characters of the title in the search engine results. That is the part you have control over to encourage the user to click through to your page.
- Do not duplicate titles between pages. If you duplicate the title on multiple pages, it will weaken your position in the search engines, as the title is used in optimization and you have one of your own pages competing with another. For the same reason, don't duplicate pages.
- Don't use any tricks for optimization. Google knows them all.
- Use Heading tags (H1, H2, H3) to define subtitles and use keywords in them.
- Build links into your site from other high-quality sites. This increases your PageRank, an objective value that is still very important in Google positioning.
- Add a few other incoming links from lower quality sites to make your link structure look natural. Minimize links going out of your site.
- Drive people to your site from your content. Google loves content-rich sites. Establish yourself as an authority. Good content on your site makes others want to link to your site. And that increases your incoming links. In other words, you've got to give away some of your expertise free to leverage users into your party.
- Google really doesn't like JavaScript menus or Flash for menus and doesn't see those links. Use CSS or direct links instead. If using JavaScript menus, for example, add a menu at the bottom of the page with direct or CSS links.
- Use lots and lots of social networking to sell your site. The pages of social networks are very dynamic, and Google loves indexing dynamic pages. Join the groups on the social network that are relevant to your mission or strategy. Use social network profiles to draw users to your web site. Don't use the social networks to sell your product or service. Send them to your site instead and sell there.
-
Build a site map page for your site your site and put a direct link to it from your home page. Use a free tool to do it, such as http://gsitecrawler.com/. This helps Google index your entire site if the real pages are using JavaScript or Flash menus.
- Keep
your site clean of errors. You can use http://validator.w3.org/ free
to check for errors, but expect this site to really scare you up
on your errors. It's a professional checker, and it is mean. Also
make sure you have no unresolved links, typographical errors, or
other basic mistakes.
- Make
sure you have an ALT tag that uses keywords of the destination page
for every image you are using.
- And, for heaven's sake, give that call to action on your site. It is amazing how many people give terrific sale pitches and then never tell the user what to do.
Get even more info with our new version of our SEO book. Watch our blog for when it is ready.
Want more? See http://http://www.netadventures.biz/
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