Search Engine Positioning Article from Mensa's Imprint

IMPRINT: THE NEWSLETTER OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY MENSA
April, 2002

make your website pay off

by Bill Treloar

You’ve spent a lot of time and money on your company’s web site. So, after all of that, how come you’re not getting any business from it? Surely a decent percentage of people who visit your site will become customers. So where are they?

The sad truth is that they probably never get to your web site at all because they can’t find it.

Conduct A Simple Test

Think like a customer who wants your most important or most profitable product or service but doesn’t know the name of your business. Go into any search engine and try to look up your own web site just like that customer would.

Does your web site show up in the first 30 listings? Is it in the first three pages of results? If not, customers aren’t finding you. For potential customers to find your site, you need to get it into the top 30 listings on most of your important keywords in most of the important search engines. And the way to do that is with search engine positioning.

Search Engine Positioning involves making changes to your web site that will cause it to appear closer to the top of the search listing. It’s a proven technology that makes a real difference in the number of visitors to a web site. And those visitors are pre-selected customers because they’re already looking for what your business offers.

You Can Do it Yourself

It’s possible to do your own search engine positioning. While it takes time and effort to do an effective job, the payoff is undeniable. There are several books available that can help you optimize your own site. A few examples are:

1. Search Engine Positioning by Marckini

2. Webmaster’s Secret Internet Marketing & Search Engine Positioning Strategies by Lary & Gregg
3. Internet Marketing and Search Engine Positioning – A "Do-It-Yourself" Guide by Sekhar
4. The Savvy Way to Website Promotion by Galon

You Can Hire Someone Else to Do It For You

If you decide to pay someone to market your web site, look for a number of features:

Do they work with you to identify the important and powerful keyword phrases to target for your site?
Do they report to you on how you rank on those keywords in the different search engines before they suggest changes to your site?
Do they optimize your site (or show you how to do it yourself) so you rank highly on your important keywords in the important search engines?
Do they submit your site carefully so you won't get penalized for spamming?
Do they submit effectively to directories like Yahoo?
Can they help you submit to "pay-per-click" sites and show you who is paying what for your important keywords?
After your site has been optimized and submitted to search engines, can they report on how you're doing in terms of moving up or down and retaining your good positions over time?
Can they keep your site in the top listings for your essential keywords?

Summary

Effective web site marketing through search engine positioning can make a world of difference to your business. Results are not immediate, but we normally see dramatic differences within about three months. Search engine positioning is well worth the time and trouble if you do it properly. It translates into new customers and increased revenue for your business.

Bill Treloar has been a member of NNJM for over 30 years. He is also the President of Treloar Associates, located in East Hanover, NJ. You can find them on the web at http://www.TreloarAssociates.com.