I just want to cover a few simply and free tips on how to optimize your ranking with search engines. People use search engines to help them find information, products and much more. As a website owner, you want to make sure your website is in the top three pages of any keywords that are relevant to your business. Some of these tips may require the help of your website designer while others are things you can do yourself.

• Tip #1 – Know Your Keywords. Understand what Google, Yahoo, and Bing consider are your keywords is very important. You may have one idea of what your keywords should be, while Google has a completely different set of keywords it is identifying your website with. The best way to discover what Google sees as your keywords is to check with Google. You can do so by using Google Adwords Keyword Tool. This will allow you to enter your URL and Google will return with the keywords Google sees your website being about. If these keywords are not in line with what you believe they should be or they are not getting the results you figure they should be, you may want to consider changing some of your content on your website. This tool from Google will also show you the monthly volume for most keywords, so you can get a better idea of what keywords should be used to optimize your website to help improve your website results within the search engines.
• Tip #2 – Find Your Ranking. Do you know where your website ranks when an individual searches Google or Bing for a certain keyword? You should know this. Once you know if and where your website is ranked, you can develop a plan on how to improve your ranking if you do not appear in a high spot. I like to use a website called Ranking Check. You are able to see where your website ranks on Google, Yahoo, and Bing (listed as MSN). This website allows you to enter three keyword phrases and compare your ranking on these three search engines. Consider using Google Adwords Keyword Tool (Tip #1) to help you discover keyword phrases related to your website.
• Tip #3 – Link To Me. Having other website linking to your website will help improve your search engine results. If your business is part of the local Chamber of Commerce, see if they will provide a link to your website. You should also consider asking any trade or other organizations your business is part of. If you are a distributor for a certain brand, ask them to link to your website. The more quality links you have coming to your website, the more Google, Yahoo and Bing will consider your website to be an authority. Remember when you are asking to exchange links with another website to make use of keywords. What is meant by this is say your company name is “Tom’s Repair Shop” and you repair televisions. When asking other websites to link to yours, ask them to use “Tom’s Repair Shop – TV Repairs”. When search engines read that link, they will see that Tom repair TVs, helping in his search engine results for TV repairs. Plus people reading that link will have a better idea of what Tom does and are more likely to click on his link if they need their TV fixed versus having to guess what Tom repairs.
• Tip #4 – Click Me, Click Me. Once you have discovered where you are ranked with certain keywords, find yourself using those keywords. Once you have found your website, click on it. The top three search engines take into account what website people click on for each search people conduct. The search engines take in consideration that website people are actually visiting to be of more of an authority of that keyword (phrase) then website they are skipped over. Once you have found the search engine result page your website is listed on, email that URL to your family, friends and even customers. Ask them to click on your website.
• Tip #5 – I’m Local, Are You? Is your business listed on the local sections on Google, Yahoo, and Bing? If so, is your website URL listed there? If you answer no to either of these questions, you need to take a minute and go to each of the three major search engines and get your business listed there. If your business and website are already listed there, ask your customers to write a review for you. Visit my Google Local Listing and Yahoo Local Listing. If I designed a website for you, feel free to give me a review there (cheap plug for helping to improve my ranking).

I hope you find these five simple and free SEO tips useful. Improving your search engine results will only help your business website presence in the long run. You should be checking your ranking often to make sure you haven’t spilled from a position you were happy with.

If you have any other simple and free tips, feel free to leave a comment below so they can be shared with anyone viewing this page. Thanks.