Image by Getty Images via DaylifeI'm regularly asked how to get to the top of a Google search. Let me back up. Often when you meet people one of the first questions they have is what you do [for a living]. Once they find out I'm in the hosting business one of the first questions asked is if I host with you will I get to the top of a Google search. Not only would that make me rich, Google would counter just as quickly sending your placement to the basement and killing my margins. This is essentially the arms race between search engines and the SEO business.
Back in April I posted common misconceptions about putting up a website. I find that search engine placement is also a mystery to many small business owners. Most of them have never heard of SEO and don't even know how Google and others make money.
The most direct way to get to the top of most search engines is to pay them. The other way for your site to come up is a bit more complicated and in many cases more costly as well. That is why Google makes a TON of money. So what is this other way? It is call natural or organic and the SEO business exists because of it.
In the beginning websites were ranked and positioned based on key words matching the content and volume of content mattered. So people looking to get to the top of a search would cram a ton of identical content in their site even doing white text on white background to drive up their rank. Search engines caught on pretty quick and changed the rules. Next, cross links became a popular metric. It was thought that if people are linking to your site your content must be relevant. Again, the search engines caught on to people setting up multiple sites and cross linking themselves. The long short of it is there is an ever changing way to get to the top and how getting to the top is defined.
Don't worry it is not as dreadful as it sounds. I read a blog entry by Seth Godin recently and his point, although not specifically about SEO, is spot on. If you are a legitimate company, your domain name matches, you have relevant site, you update your content, share links with partners that benefit your customers, and publish a blog or even micro-blog on twitter you are likely to fair well. Longevity counts too. If you just recently put up a site you will be pretty low compared to the competitor who has been at it for a while. If you are not leveraging the power of the Internet you are not staying afloat, you are sinking.
Comments Welcomed,
Tim Symchych
