This article is intended to get people to take a step back before they jump into building their new web site, to take a little time to learn before they begin to code. It
will save time in the long run, and may save you some costly mistakes, as well. The most natural thing to do when creating your first web site is to fire up your new
web page editor software and start building pages. Later, after the site is finished, you try to figure out how to get good search engine results. That's the way that a
lot of people approach putting a site up on the web, but it's a little like building the car first, then trying to figure out how to make it get good gas mileage. It can be
done that way, but it's a lot easier if one does some basic seo research before creating web pages. I know this because I did it backwards when I built my first site.
There are many companies that would like to help you with your seo. Some of them are good, and some probably don't really know what they are doing. All of
them will take your money, however. Instead of paying someone to do it for you, why not do it yourself? You'll be happy that you know the nuts and bolts of your
site. There is enough information available at your fingertips for you to achieve good search engine positioning through your own efforts.
So what should happen first? I think the first thing to do is search the internet for help with seo (search engine optimization). If you take the time now and read all
you can on this subject, you will learn not only how to optimize your site, but you'll also find out about a lot of must-do's and some no-no's when it comes to building
your site. Reading about search engine optimization isn't like reading a good page-turner, I'll admit. It is exciting to think, however, that doing the required reading will
pay off when you have a high-ranking site much sooner than you otherwise might have had. If you're going to be selling a product, you'll get orders coming in much
sooner and you'll get more of them.
The main search engines in which you need to be listed are Google, Yahoo, and MSN. You'll also want to be listed in the DMOZ.org directory. You'll want to get it
right the first time when submitting these listings. In other words, make sure the descriptions you put in for your site are on target for what your site is about.
One very important consideration in good search engine positioning is keywords. I have found it very helpful to purchase software that will help you to analyze
popular sites in your category to see what keywords they are using. There are several inexpensive software packages that are available online to help you with this.
They help you by analyzing the top-ranking sites in your category and show you why they rank so high. Additionally, by purchasing the software you also get access
to their newsletters, which can help keep you up to date on what the search engines expect from a high-ranking site. If you do this first, you can build the right
keywords into your site from the start.
Another important issue is links, especially inbound links. Google, which enjoys about 50% of the search market, relies heavily on incoming links to a site to determine
its ranking. These links should be keyword rich. If you're going to be selling a personalized product, then the word 'personalized' should be in the link text for some
of the inbound links to your site. When you get your site up and running, it is time to begin pursuing inbound links. Make this a part of your daily routine and in time
you will have more and more inbound links and better and better positioning. Stay away from link farms and other gimmicks and build your rankings with
naturally-acquired links.
Remember, it really is easier to do it right the first time.
