13 years and counting and still on a daily basis I am faced with explaining the truth about free search engine rankings. And every time I do, the other side is clearly in shock and awe over this reality of what is required, the time and effort needed and the challenge to be embraced.

You’ve heard that phrase “there’s no such thing as a free lunch?” Boy, does that apply to search engines! Yes, the “free” listings don’t cost you anything like PPC (Pay Per Click) advertising does. But don’t kid yourself, there will be costs if you are serious about being listed on the top page ahead of the tens of thousands or hundred of thousands of other sites fighting for the same rankings.

Before we continue; keep the following in mind. If hundreds of thousands of sites all want to pull on the top page for the very same terms you do, and if just being on the top page is not good enough, know all your competitors also want to be in the top five or top three for those terms, it is clear that not everyone can attain those positions. There are only five positions in the top five — that means only five sites can make the cut. Each site probably desires those positions as much as their competitors — but desire aside, what makes the difference? Choices and action!

There are many great resources online that guide site owners on the reality of what is required to attain top page rankings in the free SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) on sites such as Google, MSN Live and Yahoo.   Do a search here on my site and find all the articles and posts I have on the topic — more than enough for you to know what you need to do.  Unfortunately, many ignore this reality to assume that they can tweak this, or do that, not spend any time or money and the rankings will happen just because they want them to.

Free rankings on the top page, top 10, top 5, top 3 are very difficult to attain. You have to take a serious look at the situation and consider “what makes my site so much better than the multitude of competitors for the same term that I warrant being above all the rest?” If you don’t have an realistic answer to that question, you don’t deserve top rankings.

Top rankings cannot be demanded — they have to be earned! To think that you can state, “I want to be top 5 –  make it so” without realizing that as a site owner there are things you have to do and consider, consistently and for the long haul, to put it nicely, is wishful thinking at best.

Each search site, such as Google, Yahoo and MSN all have their own proprietary algorithm that takes many factors into consideration when determining how to rank a site.  Albeit none are perfect, these algorithms are constantly evolving and changing all to offer the searcher the most relevant results based on a the search criteria used. That’s your mission; to be the most relevant quality site for the terms you want to rank for.

Remember Web sites and search engines are just computers talking to computers. The algorithm only has the content of your site to go on and the ability to know your link status throughout the network from quality “authority” sites. Even still, as complicated as these algorithms are — to get good rankings over the long haul is pretty black and white. Keep these 3 little tips in mind:

1. ADD VALUABLE CONTENT: You must continually grow your site with relevant useful information of value to your site visitors that also is worth linking to. Link exchanges and link farms are pretty much ignored when done between sites that have no commonality or synergy. Search engines know that anyone can exchange links — that doesn’t indicate quality or value. You want to encourage one-way links into your site — that is a vote of confidence that you have a good site and information.  Blogging, articles and a prudent use of social media tools can help you accomplish this task.
2. LESS IS MORE: You simply cannot cover all your keyword phrases on your top page or on any one page within your site (or in some cases with one site) for that matter and expect to pull on the top page. The more you are about; the less you are about any one thing. Search engines will list the most relevant site related to the term searched for. You need to have detailed concentrated pages about individual topics to accomplish this. You have to be ûber-niche!
3. LONGEVITY: Sites that have been online longer and updated more often will pull higher than those just launched or rarely updated. So use the test of time to build and grow your site to use this interactive technology for all it’s worth!

With the free SERPs you can’t “buy” your way into the top positions. Unless you take the above issues into consideration and have a long-term plan, you will most likely never enjoy top rankings.

So what is a Web site owner to do? Work hard at continually making your site the best it can be within its competitive market for your target customer.  Add articles, white papers, a Blog, directory, forums — the more the better! Strive to be the one-stop-shop for your target market and take the time to get out there and network and participate!

By having this approach, you not only make your site visitors happy but you give the search engines exactly what they need to rank you accordingly.

At your service,
Judith

If you have Pay Per Click campaigns you are most likely frustrated by your lack of ROI or conversions. You aren’t getting the contacts, orders or results you desire. I hear this daily from folks just like you who contact me. While each site and site owner is different, for the most part, their frustrations all boil down to the same core issues. Campaign quality, testing and tuning and… landing pages — or lack thereof.

Most site owners who delve into setting up their own PPC campaigns dive in head first without thought our knowledge as to what best practices are to ensure, for the money spent, that they are actually benefiting.

Benefiting is also subjective. Some site owners only want to build mind-share or visibility, while some want folks to contact them and others want site visitors to place a order while on the site. Being most onliners have the attention span of a gnat and many are “shopping around” without thought as to what that click just cost you, that’s where having relevant effective landing pages are crucial to any level of measured success.

Landing pages are the page folks land at after clicking on your PPC ad. Once they land there, you had better have the info they are seeking, great copy and a call to action — because if they click that back button, not only can your ad quality score be affected, but that visitor may never come back — that’s called lost opportunity.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve clicked on an ad to end up on a page — the landing page — that in no way matches the ad I clicked on or what I am looking for. The landing page is either the home page, where the item or topic I am seeking isn’t mentioned relegating me to have to search the site, or I land at some corporate blah-blah-blah sales pitchey page that just has me jumping for the back button. That site just paid for a click that hand no chance of converting — all because the landing page was not considered.

Check out this great article: 5 Copywriting Keys to Landing Page Credibility. Each “key” is required to having effective landing pages and in turn productive PPC campaigns. Read, learn and then apply. (Also click on the link below to review the Landing Page Checklist I discussed earlier!)

And, one last bit of advice… you may want to suspend your PPC campaigns until you get these keys in place on your landing pages so you are not throwing more good money after bad.

At your service,
Judith