Search Engine Optimisation: Myths and Realities

Much is made of the need to drive traffic to your website with high search engine rankings. There are many myths about what it takes to get to the top, and many unscrupulous businesses ready to exploit the unwary. Here is our guide to getting ahead in search results.

There are no Shortcuts

Some businesses will claim to have secret tricks to get your site to the top of the search engines, and they'll usually charge plenty for it. The truth is there are no magic tricks, no shortcuts and no secret methods to getting your site to the top of the Google rankings.

While there are specific methods that can help a website's visibility to search engines, these are simply good design and coding practices, and not special web voodoo. If anyone tries to sell you a shortcut, beware; it's probably a scam.

Content is King

There is one universal factor that will help a website's search engine ranking: content. Most search engines are fairly honest and open in how they rank sites. In short, the more relevant content your site has, the better it'll do. If you sell widgets, then the more useful information your site has about widgets, then the greater the chances are of someone who likes widgets finding it. It's really that simple.

Why Should Someone Find Your Site?

If you're considering your website's search performance, then you must ask yourself that question. Of all the websites that contain similar products or information, and there could be thousands or even millions of them, why should your site come higher than anyone else's? That you want it to isn't enough. What does your website offer that the thousands of others out there don't?

If the answer is nothing, then no amount of trickery is going to push your site up the rankings. While the site can be constructed in such a way that its visibility is maximised, if there's nothing to see, then the search engines won't rate it any higher than the rest.

Visitor Value

If you want to get visitors to your site, you need to make it worth their while. What will they get out of it? If you want to attract a widget enthusiast, then what will a widget enthusiast want to see? You need to provide value to that widget lover, and value means good quality, meaningful content. As well as providing as much information about your widgets as possible, why not provide some history of widgets, or an online community for widget lovers?

Link, Link, Link

The more relevant websites that link to your website, especially in the context of meaningful content, the more significance the search engines will place on it. Exchanging links with other relevant websites can increase your site's visibility. Avoid services that use link spamming (adding your site to lists of meaningless links) as they will hurt your search performance.

Be Patient

It can take months, and sometimes up to a year, for your site to find its place in the search engine rankings. Be prepared to wait.

Is More Search Engine Traffic Always Good?

Driving lots of traffic to your site is great, but are you getting any value from it? Check your bounce rate - the percentage of people who land on your site, realise it's not what they wanted, and then move on. The more traffic is being driven to your website by search engines, especially from generic search terms, the higher your bounce rate will be. Make sure your site has content to keep visitors once they've arrived.

Do You Need Traffic Right Now?

If it's imperative that your site attract lots of traffic in the short term, you should consider advertising services such as Google's AdSense and AdWords. They provide cost effective methods of promoting your site without having to wait for it to find its place in the rankings.