How can I get my web site to rank highly on search engines?

Launching your new website is just the start. Next you will want as many people as possible to visit. Most people who want to find a product or service through the Internet will use one of the "big 4" search engines. These are Google (which accounts for about half of all searches), MSN, Yahoo, and AOL. Therefore when a potential customer enters the search terms for your business into one of these search engines, the goal is that your website should appear near the top of the list!

How does a website get a high ranking on Google and the other search engines? Unfortunately, there is no golden formula to achieve this. A Google patent includes over 118 different factors that will affect a webpage's ranking. Some of these 118 factors are more important than others, but all play a part.

However, all is not lost. By following some basic principals there is a reasonable expectation that a site can achieve good ratings. Most importantly, sites need relevant content. The content should be updated frequently and kept fresh to encourage people to visit your site often. Ideally, your visitors will want to link to your site, and the number of inward links you have is a key factor. Thirdly, your choice of keywords (search terms) need to appear in your headings and content, and need to be balanced in proportion to the volume of text.

The good news is that a content management system makes provision for all of these considerations by allowing easy and regular updates, and the software allows keywords to be easily added and optimised each time new content is added.

Don't expect your site to appear in pole position overnight. New sites can take at least six weeks to find stability within the Google rankings after they have been launched.