In a world where telephone directories are struggling to remain relevant, you need to make sure consumers find you on the Web.
Search engine optimization is a cost-effective and far-reaching marketing, lead generation and sales tactic that reaps lucrative rewards. Yet, so many business owners miss the most basic SEO elements that can improve online presence overnight.
Two common SEO errors:
1. Making Your Website Invisible to Search Engines
Search engines index what they can see, i.e. HTML text. So ensure your web designer uses text format for your web copy. Be weary about overuse of graphics and Flash, which can hurt your search engine rankings. If you absolutely need to use graphics instead of text, use alt tags.
2. Neglecting Votes in Cyberspace
Think of the Internet as a huge democracy in cyberspace. When other relevant and credible sites point to your website, Google and friends see this as votes for you. The more votes, the more credibility you build, thus, the higher the rankings. Start requesting links from your vendors, customers, partners, associations, friends and family.
Remember, well planned, developed and implemented search engine optimized web content doesn’t require any monthly fees. And, unlike paid marketing campaigns, you aren’t stuck with fixed budgets.
As a result, organic (a.k.a. natural) SEO can provide an exceptional ROI.
Regarding links for SEO, be sure to attract the right links. Stay away from spammy sites (such as link farms- poor quality!), which can kill the trust with search engines. Ideally, they should be from the same industry.
Anybody know if I wanted to bookmark a post do I have to join Delicious first?