Andrea's Web Tips |
|||||||||||||||||||
 Steveston Columns Steveston Stories Steveston Village News Steveston Q & A  |
 |
Why Can't I Find My
Website in the Search Engines?
by Andrea Wilson
When I get asked this question, I usually discover that the site owner believes putting up a website guarantees getting found online. Further questioning reveals they've done nothing to optimize their site for the search engines, because they have no idea what that means or how to do it.
Unfortunately, Web designers tend to leave search engine optimization up to the business owner, who usually leaves it up to luck. If your site has many pages of content with great keywords sprinkled throughout it, and your niche is not competitive, luck might be enough. Eventually, your site might start showing up in the search engines, but will it get to the coveted first page of Google? Not quickly, and maybe not ever.
Getting found online requires keyword research and the application of search engine optimization (SEO) to your site's content, images, navigation and hyperlinks. And, while getting on the first page of Google may seem impossible, there are still opportunities for the small business website to do just that.
Case in point: A local life coach has a lot of competition in the Vancouver area, and thought showing up on the first page of Google for local searches would be impossible. She had resigned herself to trying to find a niche in the general marketplace, like "business coach for women." However, we discovered that few local coaches were optimizing their websites for search engines, which is still a common occurrence in many markets. After we researched the best keywords for her business and optimized her site, she quickly jumped to the top of the search results for keywords like "vancouver life coach." Not only can her site now be found online, it's on the first page of Google. And she's getting clients through her website for the very first time.
You can visit Andrea's Able Webs website for further news and information on building an effective local-business website. Andrea welcomes feedback on this column, or any questions you have on using the Internet to best promote your local business online.
 |  | |
 | <== WE ARE PROUD MEMBERS OF ==> |  |
| Use of this website constitutes acceptance of the Steveston iVillage Disclaimer and Privacy Statement. | ||
| Home What's New Visitors' Lounge Events Calendar Steveston Shopping Fun Things to Do Steveston News Travelers' Lounge Steveston Living Steveston Books Business Directory Restaurant Central Coupons & Sales Community Directory Our Newsletters Steveston Forums Our Columnists Steveston Stories Steveston Q & A Advertisers' Lounge Salmon Recipes Steveston Links Other Useful Links Guestbook iVillage Site Map Contact Us Home | ||
| Copyright © 2005~2007 • Sea Breeze Media • All rights reserved. | ||