Ten Steps to Search Engine Success

I'd like to share ten tips to search engine success. I've learned a few things of what works and what doesn't. In any case, not a complete listing, but if you want to improve your search engne rankings, feel welcome to try what I did.


  1. Pick your audience. Target the audience with specific keywords and content.

  2. In-depth content. Rankings won't mean anything unless you get opt-in, eager websurfers. Fifty quality hits is worth more than 100 wasted ones. It is important to have a lot of material that your audience wants.

  3. Use Internet standards. Ensure your website is readable to humans AND bots. Methods to ensure this is to make sure the site is XHTML compatible, and to simply not overload the surfer with junk.

  4. Titles. Many search engines have strong emphasis on <title> tags. Be clear, concise, and specific as possible. Don't just title something "Links" ... when it is about health-related links. Along with this, ensure you have Meta tags in place and targeted. Not all search engines use this due to the amount of spamers who abuse it, but some do. Mainly, Meta Tags are used for the description of the page.

  5. Inbound Links. It is important to have a lot of people link to you. However, this does not mean blog spamming will increase your PageRank ... that can get you blacklisted from search engines and most will assess a penalty rank to you.

  6. Tagging content. If you run a blog or some type of content directory, tag it. An excellent method of tagging is to use Technorati. Likewise, to go along with this, if you want your content syndicated (so others can pick it up), be sure to get RSS.

  7. Become a Meme in your Niche. These days, everyone is search for specific info. No one just searches for "Books", they are looking for "Tom Clancy Books". They are looking up reviews, and answers. A good suggestion I can make is to become a SME and interact with the community. Ways to do this is participate forums. Once you feel comfortable, even start a forum.

  8. Don't hire Unethical SEO firms. Your site can and will be blacklisted if your SEO consultant employs the use of blackhat, deceptive methods to increase your site's search engine visibility. Before you hire them, ask them what methods they use, references/portfolio, and even search for them and their customer reviews online. It may take a while to get it, but it's worth it.

  9. Get a Sitemap. I noticed my pages are crawled more frequently since I setup Google SiteMaps. What that free service does is help the Googlebot crawl your site more effectively. It does take a few minutes to setup, but is worth it. Don't forget to check out Google Webmaster Central too.

  10. Keep it Real! Don't effortlessly waste surfers time and your time by making deceptive, fraudulent, spammy sites. Offer something. Be interactive, and let people make content on your site. A dynamic site is more often than not higher in search engine Rankings.