Last week we set a foundation for ranking higher in Google, namely by familiarizing ourselves with some basics of keyword ranking. Today in the second half, we’ll briefly look at three ways to start influencing search engines, particularly Google, to rank your site higher for your targeted keywords. There’s a lot more that space doesn’t allow us to get into now, but for most beginners, this is a good place to start.

Target useful keywords. If you sell commercial vacuum cleaner repair service in Denver, don’t spend too much of your time or budget trying to rank on the first page for “vacuums.” It would be great if you ranked #4 for that search–and maybe you will someday–but consider aiming for a goal that will pay off for you sooner. The search results page for “Vacuum cleaner repair Denver,” for example might be a better neighborhood for your site’s listing. And more attainable.

Support your keywords. Gone are the days when simply having the right keywords on your site was enough. Google wants to know that your site is not only about the keyword in question, but that it’s useful to visitors searching for that term. Support your targeted keywords with helpful information.

In the example above, it might be a good idea to talk about the kinds of vacuums you service, common repairs that need professional servicing, a guide explaining why and how vacuums fall into disrepair, and a page showing examples of recent repairs your shop has made. The more you show Google that you’re a qualified expert for your keyword terms, the more Google will want to recommend your site.

Get links to your site. Perhaps one of the most important factors Google looks at when recommending sites is the number and quality of their inbound links. All other things being equal, Google will generally favor a site with a lot of high-quality inbound links (backlinks) over an identical site with fewer inbound links, or with links of inferior quality. Quality inbound links are links from other high-ranking sites.

For instance, if CNN.com publishes a story about the value of having your old vacuum repaired instead of buying a new one, and it links to your site, this would be a very high-quality link. In fact, it would be worth more than hundreds of inbound links from free site directories. The trick is in creating a site so useful that everyone else wants to link to you.

For web design Minneapolis and St. Paul businesses and non-profits have trusted August Ash for over a decade. Beyond web design and development, AAI has earned a reputation among clients for Minneaplis internet marketing implementation. If your site could use a healthy dose of marketing strategy, let us help.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 9:46 am and is filed under Search Engine Optimization. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.