How to improve search engine rankings

Search engine ranking: Why is it so important?

Search engine ranking refers to the placement or position of a website in search engine results. Most companies aim to fall within the first 10 of the search engine results because typical visitor behavior indicates that most people do not go beyond the first 10 results page when searching for something. Essentially it is the first page of the search engine results that offers companies the most visibility and the most traffic potential. Therefore most companies scramble to get a ranking within the top 10 listings. It is what will differentiate between success and failure.

How to improve search engine ranking? With the immense competition and millions of websites, all wanting to get listed in the top 10 search engine results, how does one go about it? Here in this section we provide some tips and ideas on how to improve visibility among search engines:

- Position of keywords: Keywords are very essential for visitors to find what they're looking for on your website. The best place to have these keywords is the title of the article of webpage and the top of the page in the title bar.

- Zero downtime: Visitors are impatient and there are loads of websites that can give them the information you're giving. Added to that if your website is going to have downtime and slow pages, it is sure to make visitors disappear. 24x7 uptime is an absolute must on your website.

- Easy navigation: Nothing gives a website as much negative publicity as its navigation. If users are not able to find what they're looking for quickly, they will make an exit from your website. Website design is critical in determining search engine popularity. If users are happy with your website design, search engines will automatically favor your website.

- The right keywords: Having the right keywords can mean the difference between an "also ran" website and one that is top of the list. Using overly common keywords risks the chance of being lost in the crowd while using less popular keywords means losing traffic altogether. It is best to use strategic, powerful keywords that stand out, add value to your website and describe what your website offers in as concise a manner as possible.

- Meta Tags: These are machine friendly descriptions of what your website is about. They are embedded in the backend HTML coding of a webpage and are used by robots that crawl websites to gauge the popularity of your website.

- Avoid overusing graphics: Graphics cannot be read by the search engine robots and hence by overusing these graphics you miss the potential to increase the search engine ranking of your website. It is best to use HTML code as much as possible.

- Regularly monitor website listing: It is important to frequently monitor the performance of your website in terms of search engine ranking. In this age of tough competition and websites scrambling to get listed on search engines, it is essential to know where you stand.

- Article marketing: Article marketing represents a great way to enhance one's search engine ranking. For this it is essential to write articles on current topics of interest. Also it is essential to use the right strategic keywords for better search engine visibility. While posting articles on article directories, it is essential to post all mandatory information required by the website, as well as ensure strict adherence to website rules and regulations.

- Keyword research: Keyword research plays a crucial role in ascertaining the popularity of keywords, which ones are most used by visitors etc. Most organizations spend top dollar in getting access to this information and to enhance their website popularity in search engines.

- Incoming links: Incoming links refer to exchanging or purchasing links of other websites to direct traffic to your website. The more the incoming links the better the chances at enhancing search engine ranking.

- Press releases: Press releases, although they sound clichéd, are a great way to boost search engine ranking. They provide the latest updates on your website, the latest news and events and other important information which could be of interest to readers. Having frequently changing press releases helps to keep the buzz alive around your website and generates curiosity for website visitors.