“With so many e-mails stating for a fee I can have top ten rankings and get on the top page of Google, why do I have to do all things you claim?”

Back in the day, sites created with a target market in mind by considering keyword terms and phrases in code and copy produced relevant rankings. See I was waaaaay ahead of my time and determined targeted phrases before I typed a bit or byte of code. I came from corporate sales/marketing background so to consider how you wanted to be ranked, to me, was a no brainer.

Fast forward to present day and the whole process has been mucked up with misinformation and hype catering to those who don’t want to deal with the reality of what attaining relevant rankings entail and one can understand why most small businesses are frustrated. But what many don’t like to hear is…

Getting good rankings is an ongoing process that has to be monitored, tweaked and worked at — that’s simply part and parcel of having a Web site.

The healthy portion of site owners are not open or willing to embrace the reality of what attaining top of page; above the fold rankings require. Regardless of how often I explain the facts as to what is involved or send them to SEO links on my site so that they can read at their convenience and benefit from a solid understanding and realistic expectations — they just won’t have any of it. “There just has to be an easier way!”

“I should be #1 if that site is! Why is that site #1 when I am not?”

I feel your pain — but all you can do is your due diligence and keep working your program.

“Do what you do for your sites — they all rank very well — I don’t have any time to deal with this and make it happen!”

I do not do SEO for hire — I help site owners understand what they need to do and consider. And what I do on my sites is what I preach on this site — I work at it constantly, always and never quit. In addition, I strongly believe it behooves site owners to understand all the variables, be involved in their site, and have a long term consistent plan to improve their rankings over time.

“I have to add new information all the time?”

Yep! Brochureware sites just don’t cut it! Only those sites that offer value and unique content will be ranked highly in the eyes of the search engine gods. Just this week Google added a freshness factor to their algorithm. Have outdated old stuff — you cannot expect to compete for rankings.

“I don’t want to Blog — can you Blog for me?”

Really? Only you know your business, product and market well enough to know what type of information your current and potential customers would benefit from and appreciate. There are all kinds of things most folks don’t “want” to do when it comes to their business but we do it anyway. That’s part of running a successful business on or off-line. Like accounting and legal issues for example. You need to plan on blogging at least once each week — not just for search engines — but more importantly for your customers!

I get an e-mail almost every day that claims they can get me top ten rankings or on the front page of Google. So clearly that must be easy, so tell me how!

That’s called spam. Ethical and credible SEOers do not spam to get customers — period. And to make things worse, being on the top page of Google isn’t all it is cracked up to be. You need to work towards being “above the fold” on that top page if you really want to benefit from great rankings. I explain to folks how to work their rankings by virtue of the 95 SEO/SEM articles here on this site. Read and Learn.

I know — SEO sucks. It isn’t easy. It isn’t as cut and dried as many would prefer and unless you have deep pockets to throw four figures at true SEO professionals so they may assist you to attain good rankings over time, there is no way around the hard work.

But for those who understand how search engines work and take that into consideration when creating a site that caters to their site visitors, they will rule the day.

I look forward to seeing you on the top!

At your service,

Your WordPress Consultant

Guaranteed Top Ten Search Engine Rankings! is a post from: WordPress Consultant: Judith Kallos, At Your Service...

Who doesn’t want to be in the top 5, 10, top page for organic (free) listings? Everyone. Every site owner out there (185 billion as of 2009). So how do search engines really decide who gets listed where? Let alone the coveted top page of any search engine?

Your organic free listings are gained by how your site is ranked based on a combination of unique variables (algorithm) of each search site. Things like relevancy to the term(s) searched for, popularity, traffic, site performance and a dash of “no one knows for sure what else” will determine how your site ranks. Then, to muddy things up further, these algos evolve without notice.

Are we having fun yet?

Shuffling or adding keywords in your Meta tags won’t do it — search engines ignore that tag. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) isn’t the end-all-be-all either. You have to have a well rounded, smart long term marketing plan for your site that includes certain basics (content, Blog, social media, fourms, networking) for you to rise in the organic rankings.

But, can you wrap your head around…

• Knowing up front that it will take time and much effort to be viewed as more relevant (the “nichier” your site focus the better) than the sites that are already online in the free positions you seek. You are really going to have to roll up your sleeves and work it baby!
• Putting a plan together by doing searches with your top keyword phrases on the various search engines so that you are aware of the competition and the volume of sites already successfully ranking for the terms you are targeting. This gives you a real-world understanding of the level of competition you will be up against. You are starting at the bottom of the barrel — only the cream rises to the top!
• Understanding that how your Web site ranks has nothing to do with how good you are at what you do for a living (except if you do what I do for a living). It has to do with how good your site is and how good others including the search engines think your site is — that applies to folks like me too. Don’t want to participate online, add new content, interact with site visitors? Oh-oh… You have to honestly ask yourself if you have what it takes to strive to be the best most comprehensive resource for your niche to gain the rankings you desire.
• Knowing what your target visitors are searching for and then writing about it. There are several free tools to assist you in investigating what keyword phrases your target market is actually using. Use these tools to your advantage!
• To “top” the sites already out there, you have to do just that! Top them! What can make your site better or more valuable (or more popular) than the sites already in the positions you desire? Can you be more focused for the topic searched for than the other sites? If you don’t have anything unique and of quality or value to offer, you’ll never push those who already hold these positions out of your way.
• Adding new information to your site on an aggressive basis. Daily, weekly – make a schedule and stick to it! Resources, white papers, “how tos” — even commentary based on your experience will not only add value but will naturally work wonders as keyword targeted pages. Let your sparkling personality show through — that’s what will set you apart!
• Plan on having lots of patience. Lots.

Wrap your head around doing what it takes to make your site the best it can be (whatever that takes); THE site for your niche product or service and your rankings will improve!

There are no short cuts or trickery for fast top 5, 10, top page organic results. If someone tells you otherwise, they are trying to use what you don’t know to get into your pocketbook. The good news is that if you make a commitment to continually build your site to be exactly what your target market is looking for, you’ll get your rankings. The bad news? You have to keep working at it to maintain them. Online there is no rest for the weary. Wrap your head around that too.

At your service,
Judith

Wrap Your Head Around Great Organic Search Engine Rankings is a post from: WordPress Consultant: Judith Kallos, At Your Service...

But, what I don’t get is that when advised what is necessary to feed their obsession, they immediately question the amount of work and commitment necessary to attain the very rankings they claim to desire. That’s where the frustration comes in.

Too much work…
Too much cost…
Too much writing…
Too much testing…
Too much tracking…

“Above the fold” rankings, “Top 10″ or at least attaining top page positions on the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) are important. But why is it so many begin to twitch (not Tweet) when what is involved to actually attain that visibility is discussed?

Unfortunately, while it is possible to attain great rankings; it is not probable for many. The fact is that while most site owners desire those rankings they are unwilling to do even the core basics of what is necessary to attain them.

So they listen to “friends” who in reality don’t have a clue, they buy eBooks that are filled with hooey, they hire consultants with “solutions” that simply cater to what they want to hear and don’t want to deal with.

When, the bottom line is… It is what it is folks!

You need the code and structure the search engine crawlers can read. You need to be relevant to what you want to be found for — extremely relevant to get on that top page. You need inbound one way links from related and authority sites because you have content worth linking to. You need a continual flow of concentrated well written targeted content that caters to customers and crawlers alike.

Re-read that last paragraph — while not the end-all-be-all that’s it in a nutshell!

Great search engine rankings do not happen by osmosis, simply because you want them to happen, because you are good at your profession or because you believe you have a better site than those listed before you. Even having a great looking site if not planned, structured and written, marketed and grown with rankings in mind — in the first place — will not attain the positions everyone salivates over.

Most of all you need to be realistic about the competition and saturation of the market you are trying to penetrate. Ignore these facts and you are handicapped. You have to be prepared to be as aggressive as necessary and as niche as required to attain the rankings you claim to want or they simply will not happen.

It takes time and hard work to acquire killer rankings and it is a never ending process. That last sentence my friends, is what sends many running for the hills and separates the men from the boys.

You can throw money at “solutions” that negate the facts of how to get great rankings. But at the end of the day you’ll just be wasting time and throwing good money after bad.

The sooner you embrace the reality of what it takes to attain outstanding search engine rankings over the long haul, the sooner you will enjoy ROI.

At your service,
Judith

Unrealistic Seach Engine Ranking Obsession is a post from: WordPress Consultant: Judith Kallos, At Your Service...