Forums: Discussions for entrepreneurs and small business.

For good search engine rankings, you need to make sure that the meta tags on your website are optimized - particularly based upon your content.

I do not want to step on any toes here, but you really do not have to spend much (none really) money on SEO products or services to make sure your site is ranked well (meaning within 1 to 3 pages - people mostly do not look past the third page of search results)

The following simple things work well. With a new site or a site that has been previously poorly formatted, it realistically can take a week or two before you see significant results.

1. Make sure you HAVE a full set of properly formatted metatags

Go here to for a easy-to-use metatag creator:

http://www.anybrowser.com/MetaTagGenerator.html

2. Make sure you OPTIMIZE your meta tags.

This site will help you analyze and adjust your meta tags to be optimized with your web page content:

http://www.submitexpress.com/analyzer/

3. Once you have optimized your meta tags, then you need to get your site submitted to the search engines.

Here is a site that will enable you to submit to lots of search engines for free.

http://www.freewebsubmission.com/

4. Make an RSS feed from your site and submit it to an RSS submission site.

I won`t go into details here, but do a little research on Google on how to create an RSS feed from your site. It`s not hard.

Here`s a good resource:

http://www.create-rss.com/

5. Create a blog on Blogger or another site that contains content from and links to your website.

This should be self-explanatory.

Remember, the more outside links you have to your website, and the more relevant the content, the better the search engines like it - thus the higher your rankings.

You don`t need expensive SEO software or services to do these simple things.

Remember though, content is king. Make sure you have good, relevant content on your site and update it periodically. Having a auto-updated & content-relevant RSS newsfeed on your main page can go a long way towards giving you consistently new content without having to spend time doing a lot of manual updates yourself.

Here`s another good RSS resource

http://www.rssfeeds4u.com/

Good luck!

UPDATE

Based on the comments that follow - this post is not meant to imply that the techniques will automatically zoom you to the top of the SE rankings. However, I and others have used them with success. Be aware that there are other factors that will affect your rankings, including changes in the algorithms that the SEs use.

Let`s not get caught up in expressing our egos about what can, will and should work. Again, these techniques are basic, but they DO have effect.

I also maintain that you need to be very wary of ANY so-called SEO experts touting expensive services and products. Very few of them are worth the money. If they are so useful, then EVERY site that used them would have high rankings. Common sense should tell you that it is impossible for everyone to have a top-10 ranking. Just beware of the hype.

Another FREE SEO resorce I recommend is WebCEO. You can get a FREE copy here:

www.GettingYourMoney.com/gymwebceo

IT IS possible to get a decent ranking and get listed on Yahoo and google with the techniques I outlined. FOR FREE.

A quote by Henry Ford comes to mind:

"Whether you think you can, or think you can`t - you`re right."

Don`t let anyone on this board discourage you. Expressing cynicism and doubt on a web board requires no effort; just some free time and a computer with internet access. Be willing to learn, investigate and grow. Remember Henry Ford`s quote and don`t ever let others discourage you based solely on their experiences. Stay positive and think for yourself. 

www.GettingYourMoney.com

"All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident." - Schopenhauer

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NEW UPDATE AS OF 12/22/06 HERE:

UPDATE - Simple (and free) Steps To Good Search Engine Rankings

 

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I dunno... :-) After all the posts here about SEO, I have a hard time with "simple, easy, free" ways to do this high ranking.

I`m thinking of how easy it is for me to play the piano. I just listen to a song, find out what notes are in it, optimize the position of my fingers, and play the song. It`s easy, doesn`t require any lessons, and I didn`t spend much time learning the Doe, Re, Mi thingie. The black notes were a bit of a pain, but I mostly just ignore them.

Given the controversy over metatags, and the extensive discussion about how content supercedes tricks and gimmicks, I think there`s more to it than optimizing metatags and putting an RSS feed onto the site. My opinion, of course, but based on reading all that`s been discussed on SuN about optimization.

To be perfectly frank, Craig is being too nice - this post spouts a number of tattered tips that hardly scratch the surface of the SEO topic.  Meta description tags have some value, in that they can be used as the supporting text in your search engine results listing; meta keywords do not have enough value to merit spending any time on them, and in fact can be a detriment to your site if they`re added and not maintained, as the likely duplication and overuse might actually end up hurting your site.

Beyond that, an RSS feed, in and of itself, is not a primary component in SEO.  If you`re talking about creating an XML sitemap and submitting it to Google, Yahoo and MSN, that`s a different story, but it`s also a topic that this post doesn`t address.

And lastly, simply creating a blog that points links to your site is a simplistic recommendation - if that new site has no more presence than the site you`re promoting, those links will be worthless.

Adding to the credibility gap here is the fact that the original poster dumped a set of keywords at the end of his post?!?  That`s a textbook spam technique, and not one that will be effective either - ah the irony.


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chuck fuller

I thought these tips were more of a "first level understanding" of SEO. We have really done a great job covering this topic in several posts here at SuN. I have found it`s not quite as easy as following a few guidelines.

I find SEO to be a lot like dealing with the INS... which is now called USCIS. I have to deal with them a lot because of my wife (3 year new, immigrant to the US). It`s like any government structure. It all seems logical and straight forward with dealing with USCIS and SEO. But in reality, there are road blocks, barriers, and misleading information everywhere.

I still struggle to get my site SEO compliant as well as recognized. That job continues.


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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

:-) okay...so I was being "diplomatic." Or nice, I suppose. The post is a waste of time, basically, since we`ve covered this entirely in many other posts, all easily found on the main forums board.

I remember Taylor`s referenced site, and it IS a good example of how to get solid rankings and be found by the SEs. SEO is one thing, being found is very different.

To me, a Web site is like cooking. It`s part technology, part technical know-how, part training from other people`s past experiences, and part an art.

Think of how many people cook a chicken. We can follow a recipe book, but which one? Those that have the details are good for people who`ve never cooked a chicken. But those books with a variety of recipes are for those who do know how to cook. So, which 1 book explains everything there is in 5 easy steps, not only to cooking a chicken, but cooking any food, found anywhere on the planet? I`d say it doesn`t exist, and won`t ever exist.

Taylor, you are talking about Go Truck Stop. That`s a person who is spending time in Iraq at the moment. We all hope to see him one day soon too.

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Vincent Wilcox (a.k.a. KRAKR)
Drummer
My band: Letters Make Words

I`m so confused.  I`ve read thru so many of the posts and just find things way too complicated.  For example, while I understand the value of meta tags/title/description, keywords, etc... I went to the submitexpress site mentioned in the original post, used the meta tag analyzer and.... it says it finds none.  Of course, my next call was to the company that is hosting my site and they confirmed that I do indeed have them.  I even went to file manager, viewed each individual page and find them there as well.  What`s even more confusing is that when I have my own site up; and "view" the source data, I have one line of text.  I feel like I`m losing my mind.   Okay, vent over, carry on. 

Edited to correct a spelling error.

 

 

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Georgia Interior Solutions
Staging Solutions Made Easy & Affordable
http://www.georgiainteriorsolutions.com

Kathy, it sounds as if you`re near the start of the learning process for Web development. So am I, and I`ve learned how to read many of the posts here on SuN in such a way as to know if they`re over my head. It helps.

What`s so cool about a place like these forums is the level of expertise is across the board, from total beginner to master professional. The trick is to figure out what`s your particular area of knowledge, and then where you fit into the scale of expertise. That way you don`t pull all your hair out.

:-) I don`t have enough hair left, so I`m careful about when I start pulling it!

One thing I can say about site submission. I have done it and forgot about it. I still do it once in a while but I`ve got too much on my plate to even begin to mess with it.

What I do is work with Google Base. It allows me to upload my products to Froogle and makes it easier to be seen in searches on Google.

From what I understand, the more your site is hit, the higher in ranking you will go. So why worry with it. Either you get there or you don`t. Oh well. Just my opinion cause I really don`t have a clue about it. lol

Dan

First and foremost - I`m so fortunate to have found this site!  Thanks to all that post, all those that monitor, etc.... 

Craig - You`re right on!  I`m a newbie at web development.  Truth be told, I had no right to believe that I could create my site on my own.  It`s been quite the challenge.  Unfortunately, funds prohibit me from taking it out to someone who does have the expertise.  I`m hoping that changes in the next couple of months.  Time will tell.  In the interim, I have a gracious person, from this forum, who has highlighted some of the challenges.  I`m hoping that I can fix those myself (I`ll find out soon).

Oh, last but not least, while I have very long hair, it still hurts when I pull it out.

Kathy

 

 

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Georgia Interior Solutions
Staging Solutions Made Easy & Affordable
http://www.georgiainteriorsolutions.com