Found on Google
A basic introduction to getting your business to the top of Google searches.
Explaining how to get on to the front page of Google is a bit complicated, but something all website owners should become familiar with. Business owners know there are companies out there that sell “Search Engine Optimization” (SEO). There are so many people offering SEO that you probably get at least one phone call a day from yet a different sales guy selling you Google placement. These companies specialize in doing all they can to try and get you to the top of Google/Yahoo/Bing search; as with most industries some are scams and others are rockstars.
If you are in a position to want to try some SEO on your own, there are a few things you can do. First off, there are three ways to get to the top of Google, “Pay Per Click” ads, Organic listings, and Local/Map Listings.
PPC
With PPC, (pay per click), you are doing just that, paying every time someone clicks on your ad. Depending on the keywords they searched, the time of day and the competition in the area will decide on how much Google will charge you for each click. This is an immediate way to get to the top of Google, but can get SUPER expensive if you don’t set a budget.
Go here to setup your Google Adwords account.
Organic
Organic listings are the “free” listings on Google. I say “free” because there are companies out there who charge to optimize sites to become “Page 1 Google Results”. To be ranked higher in the “organic” section you have to optimize your site in two places; On-Page & Off-Page.
On-Page:
A good web designer / developer can do a few things to optimize your site within the site itself.
In the code: You should have unique Header tags, title tags, and alt image tags to tell Google crawlers what your site contains. This also includes meta data that can be put on your website which will define keywords, and a description of the webpage.
In the content: The more original and meaningful content you put on your site will go far. Original content has a way of being shared around the internet on its own. It would be a good idea to start a “blog” section of the site, where you can write quotes, share experiences, products and other content in an article type of format.
Off-Page:
The more people that link/share your site, the better. So if you get people to talk about you and your site on Twitter and Facebook, the search engine crawlers will notice that, and ideally move your ranking up. As I said before, if you have an article in your blog that people like, they will share it (which gets the word out about your site), but also the search engines will notice and push you higher. The off page optimization is sometimes known as “Back link building” & “Social buzz”.
Local / Maps
Google also places local search results which is based on your search location/parameters. Reviews are very important to the local listings on Google as they are displayed in the open. Be sure to claim your local listing or create one for your business.
I know this is a lot to take in. But it is the way the internet works. Just know that the smaller the niche you are targeting, the easier it will be.
Note: This post was originally posted on MyBlueMammoth.com in 2012. It resided on est4910.com (a personal blog of mine) from 2013 to 2014. Then it was returned to MyBlueMammoth.com until I let that website go in 2016. It was then republished on Medium.com from 2019-2023.