What the SEO experts don't want you to know

We get asked a lot about what it takes to send a website to the top of search engines. This involves the more widely accepted acronym "SEO" or "Search Engine Optimization" or even "HDICUAMC" ("How Do I Come Up Above My Competition") and many will tell you that they are professionals at this. While others with more common sense would also tell you that you need to hire them because they know how to do this sort of thing (well, actually, you probably should do that for a few reasons, but...), we are here to let you know that there are quite a number of simple things you can do to increase your search engine "score." So, presented here in bullet format - we like to bullet point things, maybe it has to do with bullets - we will list a few things you can do today to get your site to the top of search engines.

This is what the SEO experts don't want you to know:

• Do a little research - Chances are you already know what markets you want to tag your site with in order to show up at the top of the search engines. But there are other ideas which need to be included as well. Go to google and type in the most important thing for which you would like to be listed. Electricians start typing "electric work" now. See what sites are getting top billing, see how they are doing it. This involves description and other metatags located in the HTML code of the page itself. it may sound a little complicated (okay, call that SEO firm you were thinking about contracting), but this is the key element in getting your website noticed by the search engines. A further detail to this is that when you start typing a word into google, it will bring up suggestions. These are obviously some of googles favorite searches, so you should take notice and include these in your site description and other metatags.

• Start a blog - Actually, this is a super easy way to optimize your website for the search engines. By adding a weekly blog entry, you are adding content to your site; content that typically deals with how you approach work, simple how-tos and advice or even a blog that details the progress of your latest project. Don't ask us, it's your blog. Just focus on including links to notable content elsewhere on the web that relates to the subject at hand. What type of relation, you ask? Well, link to other pages of your site where you may have dealt with this subject before. If you are new to this, just go to google, type in the subject you are blogging, try to find a good article in the top 3 and use that as your link (just make sure it's relevant, that's all). By linking to their article, you give google another reason to "keep you in mind" when scoring your site. Sounds easy, right? It is. For more information on design definition, please click these links. * We're a media design company, what did you think we were going to do.

• Start a podcast or Youtube account - Syndicating your "tip of the day" via a blog is great, but who doesn't love watching a step-based video on how to do something? It is the next best thing to actually standing next to someone showing you, say "how to program a DVR (it used to be a VCR in our day). Youtube has a direct tie to Google, so you're going to affect your search "score" very noticeably by posting relevant and short videos. The same applies with podcasts. The idea is that, again, you are adding content that google likes to search and catalog. Plus, these are new media formats that, if you get in on the ground floor or very near it, you are going to be placed so as to leverage your brand to the next level. Also, since people can easily embed your videos on their own blogs, websites and social networking sites, you are getting a great deal of exposure...without having to "beat concrete" as it were. Which leads us to our last point.

• It's time to start that Facebook page everyone has been talking about (artists, keep up your Myspace page, but seriously, get yourself on Facebook. It's about time). Using Facebook is simple and since everyone and their mother (no, seriously) has a Facebook account, you will begin finding friends, relatives and high school sweethearts in no time. This is what social networking sites are all about: growing. And being a part of a large social network site is one of the best possible practices for your brand and business. Advertise specials, give a tip of the day (just not every day), share links that will help your network better understand a topic, create discussion points and actively engage and participate with your network. Trust us, it is working for other brands and it will work for you too. Heck, you might even have a little bit of fun with it. Then, just sit back and watch the referrals come rolling in.

• Ask others to link to you. It's not as hard as it sounds. Chances are, you've got friends and associates who would be willing to post a link in exchange for a link. This way, you're helping one another. In our case, we would ask our friends to link to us in the following manner Midwest Media Design or Professional Website Design or even How Do To Start a Blog. This will help your site by upping your search rank bsed on all of the great links you have flowing back to your site!

As you can see, there are a lot of ways that you have available to elevate your site to the top of the search engines. Plus, we know you have the wherewithall to spot the things you can do easily and without outside assistance (ask your kids about helping you with your Facebook account) and at minimum to zero cost. And in the spirit of "minimum to zero cost," if you have any questions raised by the numerous methods of SEO, feel free to call us and we'll give you our honest, cost free advice.

Oh, and will you stop poking us on Facebook?!

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