How to: web site hits

quote:

Originally posted by MichaelC:
A quick question for the learned here. My wife wishes to put together a web site. How do you go about making a web site appear high on Google searches?

Key words is the main discovery device used by the large search engines.
So have words such as "free" "porn" etc and you're sure to get a few hits

Sadly its not that simple with google, the best way is to pay them money.

I think with Google it boils down to having a lot of other websites linking to your one that gets you a higher ranking. Not too sure though. I did think that was the revolutionary thing about Google compared to other search engines.

I remember Alta Vista back in 1995 - and Google is so much better. I usually refine my search terms if what I want isn't on the first page of results with Google.

What keywords does she want to appear for? The more unusual the better.

This is a vast subject but here are some thoughts:

Firstly make sure your have relevant content about those keywords i.e. if your site content is about knitting don't expect to rank highly for 'hi-fi'. Keep your content refreshed an upto date.

Inbound links are important but nowadays it is quality over quantity. You need to attract links from other sites on a similar subject. 'In line' links are best where the link in embedded within the content itself.

Page structure is important, ensuring the Google spider can get to all the pages it needs to. Ensure your internal linking does not prevent this. Thinks about and implement tags and keywords etc.

Don't copy any content from elsewhere on the web as this will count against you.

This is only really a taster. Try a Google search for more detail. If it is a business I would consider getting professional help depending how important the ranking is to your wife.

As has been suggested I would consider paying (at least initially). Even if you do everything right it can take months to move up the listings and it need not cost a fortune.

Best of luck

worm

A little visit and a play with the Google Key Word Tool might give you an idea of what people are searching for and in what volumes. It will give you a chance to try keywords and their synonyms, might be a good way to spend a little time thinking and clicking.

Thank you for your suggestions. I shall pass this on to MrsC. A new business that she is setting up with a friend - they are looking at pulling together a web site to display their wares!!!

Google searches on the terms "pagerank" (one word) and "Google bomb" also yield information that MrsC might find useful.