How to increase your website's position in search results
In this article, you'll find how how search engines determine your website's position in search results and what you can do to improve them for your site.
Why optimise your site for search engines?
Search engines are often the first place people go when they look for information on the Web. It is therefore vital to make your website search engine friendly.
Most people using search engines will usually not read any further than the first three pages of search results. In fact, most will end up choosing one of the first three listings on the first page. If your site does not have a high position in search results, you are likely to be missing out on visitors.
How search engines determine rankings
Before we look at the approaches you can use to improve your site's ranking on search engines, it is a good idea to have a general understanding of how search engines determine your website's position in search results.
Most search engines obtain their information by "crawling" the Web on a regular basis, following hyperlink after hyperlink and creating a virtual map as they go. The information obtained on these crawls is applied to complex algorithms when searches are undertaken to determine your website's relevance and position in search results.
Ways to improve your website's rank
There are a many methods that you can apply to your site to help improve its rank. Some of the most important are listed below:
Use relevant key words: Key words are fundamental to a search. It is important that you include a broad range of words on your site that are relevant to your website's topic. Remember that the more relevant key words your site uses, the greater the chance your site will be displayed in search results. When selecting keywords for your site, consider what words or phrases people searching for your website are likely to enter into search engines and make sure those words appear somewhere on your site. In order to include more keywords, in some cases you might need to add new pages to your site to expand the information it contains.
Frequency of key words: The number of times that keywords appear on webpages also plays a role in determining a page's relevance - the more frequently a word appears on a webpage, the higher its position in search results may be. However, you should never repeat words more than necessary since search engines will consider excessive use of the same word an attempt to achieve a higher ranking without your site being entitled to one and your site may be penalised by receiving a lower position. As a general rule, if you include keywords at a "normal" frequency and write content with the primary intention of informing visitors rather than attempting to include as many keywords as possible, search engines are likely to give you a better position in search results.
Number of links pointing to your site: One of the most important factors in determining your website's rank in search results is the number of links from other websites that point to your site. Search engines place particular importance on links to your site that contain the keyword being searched for. The greater the number of websites that link to yours, the higher your website is likely to be listed on search results.
Formatting of text: Some search engines take the formatting of text into consideration when evaluating search results. Text rendered as a heading, in bold or as a hyperlink, for example, may be deemed to have greater importance than surrounding text.
Update your content regularly: Regularly updated websites are looked upon favourably by most search engines since Web users will have access to the latest information available.
Introductory text: Home pages often place heavy emphasis on the use of images. Images can not be interpreted by search engines under most circumstances. Because your website's home page may often be the first entry point to your site by search engine crawlers, you might like to add a brief introduction about your site to the top of your home page to make the work of search engines that little bit easier.
Webpage titles: The title of your webpage (as defined by the
