Now let’s talk about what we can do that’s within the rules.  To start with we find out what keywords make sense for your business, and what words your potential clients might use.  This research is often times surprising for business owners.  Words that people who work in an industry use are often times very different than the words that the general public would use.

Next we organize your site well.  We make it easy for people to find what they want, and make it clear to the Google bots what you do.  We do this by making sure that the html code is clean.  Title, keyword, description, and alt tags are correct.  Finally we make sure that you’re not using elements that Google can’t read.  For example we don’t put key information in PDF files, because they are not preferred by the Google bots.

Next we need to build content.  This is really the hardest part.  In this step we work with the client to bring information to the site that people are looking for.  We use a set of tools to learn what things people are looking for that relate to your industry.  We then ask the client to write articles that answer these questions, or share the clients experience with these questions.

Next we seek out a set of quality link partners.  Link partners are other sites related to your industry that would be of interest to your visitors.  We then ask the owners of those sites if they will link with us.  In exchange we will link to them.  The number of links to your site is probably the single most important factor in your Google page ranks.  It’s important to select the best possible link partners.  There are some links directories that are respectable that we use such as www.dmoz.org.  However there are only a few directories worth listing in.

It’s also very important to focus your site to your exact customers.  Google does not like sites that are vague.  This makes sense.  Web users don’t want to go to sites that don’t have what they want, and web site owners don’t need visitors that don’t want what they have.  For this reason it’s important to make it clear to Google and everyone else what you do, and where you do it.  You need to make your service area clear.  This service area can be expanded later, but be honest about where you do business now.  That’s likely to be where you should start with your web presence.

We have other tools to work with in expanding the traffic to your site.  In the process of researching keywords for you site we will be able to make educated judgments about the value of packages like Google Ad words.  Ad words is a service that Google offers where you come up in the paid advertiser section of a search, or on Google partner pages.

Our process is the best approach to marketing online.  Don’t be drawn in by dancing monkeys that promise to put you on Google’s first page in two weeks.  I’ve tried several of them, and most do more harm than good.  They will get you on the first page very quickly, but they do it by using link farms, and spamming campaigns.  Eventually Google will see what they are doing and ban you from the index all together.  Then you’re placed in the awkward position of begging your way back onto the index.