"We're number one!"

We frequently hear people chanting this perhaps at school sporting events and even professional ones. In fact, you could hear it even at a Dallas Cowboys game last season. (Sorry if you're reading this and you're from Texas, but I'm making a point.) Even though the fans are saying that Dallas is number one, they are clearly not, based on their record, and the chances of them being number one are really slim.

Google has succeeded at warding off brute force methods

When it comes to search engine optimization (SEO), have you heard or seen the following claim before? "We guarantee you the number one spot on Google!" Well, this claim is akin to Dallas Cowboys fans shouting their erroneous chants of NFL supremacy.

Many web/SEO firms will claim that they can bring your website to the top of Google's ranks. However, a reputable company will not make this claim. Why?

We're going to share some valuable information in this blog post. We'll reveal here part of our own SEO strategy. Some may think that this is revealing "trade secrets" and that it's bad for business. We disagree. We know that some of you that read this will use it and have success. Others, though, will read it, realize its value and then contact us to take care of it for them.

Only Google Can Say Who is Number One

The way Google ranks websites is generally public knowledge, but the team of people at Google that manage the search engine are constantly changing their algorithms and indexing techniques based on what they feel is relevant and fair, so no one but Google really knows exactly how to get your website to number 1.

You could say that relevance, keywords and structure are braided together into the strategic ponytail of...

Google has succeeded at warding off brute force methods. For example, in the past, a rogue company would steal content from other websites and then multiply it on their site. This would trick Google into believing that they had relevant content, when the content was really useless jibberish. You may have come come across one of these sites in your own web searches. This approach won't work anymore, because Google has become wise to it.

Search Engine Optimization is About Playing By the Rules

"But you just said that no one really knows the rules except for Google, so what are you talking about?" you might say. Great point. There are general rules, and yes, there are secret rules--the ones that only Google knows. We're going to focus here on the general rules of search engine optimization.

The number 1 rule that Google follows in ranking websites and content is relevance. If you follow this rule, you can't go wrong. First and foremost, if you make the content on your website relevant to your customer's needs, then you'll have a measure of success. But there is more.

Keywords come into play heavily, since this is how your customer finds you--they use words to describe what they're looking for. If those words are the same words you use to describe your products and services, then that's another win.

Finally, the structure of your content matters a great deal to Google. Headings and certain types of content formatting and positioning have to be given much attention.

You could say that relevance, keywords and structure are braided together into the strategic ponytail of...OK I'm abandoning that illustration. These three things are the tines on the pitchfork of...OK, you need these three things if you're gonna do SEO. How's that for eloquence?

In How to Do Search Engine Optimization (SEO) in Worcester, MA - Part 2, I'll get into the specifics of each of these three areas. We'll go through an in-depth explanation of each area with examples included. Even though we work with clients globally, we're trying to target customers in the Worcester, MA area that are looking for web design, so we'll use that as an example.

To get notified of when Part 2 comes out, just follow this blog using the links at the top right.