Goal #1 — Organic Ranking on Google

Ranking high on Google for your main keywords is difficult but well worth the effort in terms of the visibility you get.

If you’re looking to attract new customers for your business, one of the most economical means of advertising is the Internet. Sure you can buy sponsored listings on search engines, and that’s certainly worth your consideration.

However, most professional website copywriters agree that step #1 is to “organically” obtain a high ranking for your keywords on search engines, that is, without paying for advertising.

High Ranking Is Essential

Your goal should be to gain placement on page 1 or page 2 because, let’s face it, most searchers (myself included) can’t be bothered going through the thousands of websites the search engines bring up for almost any search request.

Searchers will typically go through the first or second page seeking the most relevant listing. If they don’t find what they’re looking for, they’re more likely to change their search request and use different keywords than to keep plowing through pages of search results hoping to luck into the right one.

So how do you get on page 1 or page 2 without buying a sponsored (paid) listing? As a website copywriter, I get asked this question a lot.  The answer is search engine optimization (SEO), which involves creating content with both your visitors and search engines in mind.

Give Google What It Wants

Because Google is the #1 search engine, I tell people to target their copy to meet its requirements. Unfortunately, those so-called requirements, which are actually sophisticated algorithms, are not published anywhere. Furthermore, Google keeps changing them.

Google intentionally keeps their algorithms secret so that website copywriters (like me) and web designers won’t be able to “fool” the search engine into giving them high rankings. Keeping them secret also helps Google maintain its edge as a superior search engine over competitors.

So back to the original question: How do you obtain high rankings for your website without buying paid advertising on search engines? Most web writers would agree, the key is to keep in mind Google’s main objective–to provide the most relevant websites for search requests. What information is your typical visitor seeking? Answer that question and follow these tips and you should do well in the rankings:

• • Choose keyword phrases that aren’t super competitive.  You’ll never rank for something as general as “antiques.”  But if you happen to specialize in “Black Forest Antiques” or “Black Forest Antique  Mirrors” (better!) you’ve got a shot at a high ranking.

• • Have unique, useful keyword-rich content. The more, the better, but make sure it’s informative, interesting and well organized.

• • Continually add new, relevant content to keep your site fresh and growing.

• • Have specific keyword-rich title tags and meta tags for every page and make sure they reflect the true content of that page.

• • Use a hierarchical structure so that your site is user-friendly.  Visitors should be able to find what the information they’re seeking with ease.

• • Have site maps with links that make it easy for the user to find and get to what they want.

• • Design sites to work with any browser. That means you may have to ditch that fancy flash introduction you love.

• • Have other sites that are relevant to your business link to you.

• Don’t cross-link with link farms (useless websites with little information of value created primarily for the purpose of exchanging links) or spammers.
• Don’t try to use any tricks to fool Google or other search engines. It’s not worth the risk.  Eventually you will be caught and penalized, the penalty being banishment from the search engine. Ouch!

When you learn the main principles of SEO, you realize that making your copy attractive to Google isn’t all that different from making your copy appealing to visitors.  A professional website copywriter can help you craft the right words to achieve both objectives.