Business Talk: Search Engine Optimization (SEO), a.k.a. Why Is My Site Not Listed At The Top of Google When I Do A Search?
|
Before we answer that question, let's answer the real question. Can I get my site ranked highly in the search results? Answer: YES, you can! All it takes is a lot of hard work - which will be well worth it in the long run. Now, as to why your site is not currently appearing at the top of the search results, the short answer is that your site doesn't yet deserve to be there! Google doesn't feel your site is worth it, plain and simple. Don't take it personally, Google simply made a calculation, and your site didn't score well. Here's how to increase that score to the point where Google's calculations place your site at the top of the search engines. Google's algorithms to calculate where you rank in the search engines are tremendously complex (purposefully so!), but not completely unknown. The two known factors that have the biggest impact on your site's rankings are: content and links. Content doesn't mean what you think it means. To you, your site is essentially about an optometric practice that provides eye care to your patients. To Google, your site is actually about 'office, book, appointment, visit and patients'. Google doesn't read your site with the same eyes that a prospective patient would. Instead, it looks at every word, where it's positioned, formatted, frequency, etc. on every page, and makes its decisions and calculations that way. Aside from the fact that your site is about optometry, most practice web sites barely use the word at all on their site. Hence Google's 'confusion'. That may have been an oversimplification, but the point has been made. The content on your site needs to make sense to a patient AND represent you well to Google. Let's say you did all the content work, and now your site 'reads well' to Google. Your site STILL won't rank at the top of the search engines because it has no credibility. Links to your site build credibility. It makes sense, as the more links Google sees to your site from external sites, the more people there must be in the world who value your web site. This translates directly to credibility. Now, Google sees that your site is really about optometry, and it's a credible site, so your rankings in the search results increase. Conceptually, it is quite simple. Practically, there's a lot of work to be done in choosing the exact words (and best words!) to represent your web site, as well as finding the right sites to link to you and convincing them to do so. The final result of Search Engine Optimization is that your site now ranks at the top of the search engines. Your web site traffic increases, new patients increase, existing patients can find you more easily, and you've got a head start on your competition. More and more people are turning to the web to find what they're looking for. Consider moving your site to the top of the search engines while you still can because the competition will only increase as time goes on. (Now accepting suggestions for future headline articles - email danielr@eyecarepro.net) If you're serious about Search Engine Optimization, we'd be happy to talk to you further. We're happy to point you in the right direction if you'd like to try it yourself. Or, let us do the work for you. EyeCarePro offers Optometric Search Engine Optimization services and have helped achieve hundreds of #1 rankings in the search engines. Contact the Editor via phone (416-238-0370) or email (danielr@eyecarepro.net) to discuss. |
“Yes, your site can rank at the top of the search engines. All it takes is a lot of hard work."
|
| ^ Back to Volume Home | Next Article > |