A SUCCESSFUL BUSINESS requires the key components of promotion and marketing. The same is true for online businesses and websites. People need to know you exist and that your website is worth visiting. When done right, a solid addition to organic search engine marketing is through paid advertising on search engines, however, maximum effort should be placed on Search Engine Optimization.

What is Search Engine Optimization (SEO)?

SEO is about enhancing your web page’s visibility in search engine results by modifying the page. For example, if your business sells Personal Handheld Fans, you want your site to show up at the top of any and every search engine list for this particular product. It is crucial that you reach the high rankings because results have shown that if your business is not listed in the top 25 to 30 results, your page is not likely to have many visitors.

How to Maximize Your Position.

You have to predict how visitors will search for your business, where they may see links to your site, and how the web “robots” (also known as spiders or crawlers) that search engines use, like Google, will locate and list your web page.

-Think “keywords”. Your services/products should be described with words that a potential viewer will most likely use in a search.

- Be Direct. The search robots show only select parts of a webpage in their results, like the page title and major headings. Make sure your title is to the point, specifically about what you offer and where you are located with terms that are sure to be searched, for instance “Personal Handheld Fans Warehouse, Phoenix, AZ.”

-Link Yourself. Advertising on well-known and reputable sites can also help increase your search ranking. Look for link opportunities with similar, but not competing, sites. Doing this by contacting the webmaster personally will increase your chances of getting a link placed rather than being sent an automatic link request that will be ignored. There are also services you can use to help in this time consuming process.

- Choose Wisely. Assure yourself that the pages you link with are highly regarded by checking the pages popularity. Tools such as Google’s PageRank show ratings by popularity on a 0(worst) to 10 (best) scale.

-Keep Track. Check the progress of your advertising by checking your website’s “referrer log” to find out where each of your visitors came from as well as what keywords they used to find your site. This can give you an idea of what is working and what is not, allowing you to adjust your marketing techniques accordingly.

Like any business, it will take time to get your web page known. Be optimistic about your marketing choices, but also be realistic. Don’t expect anything instantaneous and learn from all of the results you get. Persistence and patience is the key.