Getting (and Keeping) a Top Search Engine Ranking

The most recent Internet size estimate is 1 billion pages - and growing. 85-90% of all Internet users rely on search engines to locate sites, but only 7% of them look past the first three pages of search results. Those top slots are valuable and competition for them is intense.

Let's look at several ways to move your site to the top.

Content, Content, Content

You've heard it before, but we can't stress it enough: the three most important factors in your search engine rank are: content, content, content.

Good content is critical to a good search engine score because many elements of search engine algorithms rely on page content to score Web sites. It also increases the probability that Yahoo or other popular directories will list your site.

Good content is vital. It's fundamental to every legitimate search engine strategy.

Link Popularity

Common optimization techniques (TITLE tags, META tags, and keyword frequency) are important because most search engines rely on them to score pages. Automated tools can help you simplify this task and leave you free to focus on another increasingly popular ranking strategy: link popularity (the total number of Web sites that link to yours). This technique requires no additional coding - just old-fashioned networking. Content is still critical since your site must contain valuable information that other sites want to share with their visitors.

Search engines determine your link popularity score by counting the number of outside links to your site (your internal page links don't count). Some use more complex algorithms that consider link importance - they rank the importance of the links and calculate a weighted link popularity score. Sites linked to "important" sites are more likely to be ranked higher. For instance, if Web Developer's Journal were to link to your site, that link could be worth more than 20 links from your friends' personal Web pages. In fact, it may be worth more since some search engines refuse to include links to free sites (like Geocities homepages), because spammers can use them to set up bogus links.

Many search engines are giving link popularity greater weight in their algorithms because they believe it indicates quality. After all, other sites are most likely to link to a site that displays good content, design, and usability. Google relies heavily on link popularity to rank sites. Other search engines factor it into their algorithms.

Look at how some of the largest search engines use link popularity:

Site rankings based on link popularity impose huge penalties on new sites that haven't accumulated many links. This is where schmoozing counts. When you contact webmasters, offer to link to their site in return for a link and remind them how important link popularity can be to their overall ranking. While you're building links, remember to pay close attention to your HTML tags, keywords, and content. Until you have a large number of "good" links, those basic techniques are your best bet to improve your ranking.

Avoid Spam and HTML "Tricks"

As part of their continuing battle against spammers, many search engines have tightened their site eligibility policies. AltaVista recently instituted one of the most restrictive in the industry, banning sites for one or more of the following reasons:

• Using a hosting service that also hosts adult sites or documented spammers.
• Improper use of Gateway pages - also called Doorway or Jump pages.
• Submitting the same URL repeatedly or a large number of URLs from the same site.
• Excessive keyword repetition.
• Inserting keywords unrelated to the page's content.
• Hidden text.
• META refresh commands set to less than 30 seconds.

The first two items may surprise you. Most beginning webmasters look for a Web host based on cost first, then speed and reliability, when their provider's policy on adult sites may be just as important. AltaVista sometimes retaliates against adult sites' spam techniques by blocking those sites' underlying IP addresses entirely (as does GO.com). If you host with the same provider, your site may share that banned IP address. Choose your host carefully: you are judged by the company you keep!

AltaVista also seems to be taking a hard line against gateway pages - which they define as spam if the pages contain little or no real content. This is controversial; AltaVista dropped some sites that thought they were using them legitimately. Actually, the legitimacy of gateway pages has long been an issue with search engines. Many engines tolerated - but did not encourage - the pages. Now that AltaVista has become openly hostile, avoid submitting gateway pages to them and monitor the other search engines' policies closely.

The balance of AltaVista's criteria is common throughout the industry. Some search engine algorithms are so strict that you can be penalized for innocent design mistakes such as inadvertently using hidden text. Learn the pitfalls before you submit. Several online tools will scan your Web pages and warn you about possible violations. NetMechanic will analyze a page for free at http://www.netmechanic.com/powerpack/optimize.htm.

Be careful. Tricks may boost your site temporarily - then get it banned permanently.

Ask The Experts

You spend months tuning your Web site to achieve high rankings, and then have it drop. Or no matter what you try, your site never gets a good ranking. Do you know why? If you don't have the time or expertise to ferret out the reasons yourself, consider paying for expert advice.

Thousands of consultants are eager to advise you about all aspects of the Internet. You can even hire a consultant to advise you on which consultant to hire! Expect to pay a consulting firm anywhere from $35 per page to $10,000+ for complete site analysis and optimization of large sites. The quality of advice varies: carefully investigate the company's background and methods before committing.

• Look closely at their own Web site: is it professional and appealing?
• What exactly do they guarantee to do for you? Be skeptical of services that "guarantee your site a Top 10 listing!"
• What methods do they use? You certainly don't want to hire a consultant who uses techniques that can get you banned.
• Will they provide references?

Good consultants supply focused, personalized service, but many businesses can't afford the expense. Webmasters for smaller sites often find less expensive automated search engine tools to be an efficient way to tune their Web sites. This requires a more do-it-yourself approach. While a consultant might personally optimize your page code and content, most automated tools require you to make the changes yourself.

You can purchase or subscribe to tools that provide a full suite of search engine and page optimization services. The tools are simple to use and give you advice that is easy to understand and implement on your own. Some companies sell software packages for your PC that analyze your pages and monitor your search engine rankings, while others offer similar tools online. NetMechanic's Search Engine Power Pack is an online tool that tracks your site's ranking and provides keyword assistance to improve your position.

Expert advice can come at a high price, but it doesn't have to. Get the best value for your money by carefully researching your options and evaluating your requirements. If you need immediate, reliable advice, a well-designed online tool may be your most cost-effective investment.

Constant Monitoring Is Crucial

Search engine ranking strategy is an ongoing process that begins during design and never stops. You may spend more time tweaking your site than you spent designing it! At a minimum, you must:

• Monitor your site's rankings by keyword on a weekly basis.
• Experiment with keyword and page content modifications.
• Be alert to changes in search engine policies and requirements. Today's legal design technique may be spam tomorrow if search engine policies change.

If you depend on search engines to deliver traffic to your Web site, then a high search engine ranking is critical to your success. Think you can't afford to spend the time and effort it takes to get there? You can't afford not to.