A top rank on Google can be priceless for a company, no matter how small or large. Achieving a top rank for your company website on major search engines especially Google can provide significant benefits. A top rank on Google can be single-handedly responsible for the growth and expansion of the business. A top rank on Google can bring significant success both in the short term as well as long term benefits.

Online marketing experts argue that Google ranking can make or break a business. Over 500 million searches are done every single day. People are looking for your products and services on Google every day. Can your website be found?

Before discussing the techniques that can help you achieve a top rank for your company’s website on Google, it is important to first understand some key issues regarding how search engines work.

Understanding the search engine market:

Google dominates the search engine market. Google has approximately 60 to 70% of all search engine traffic in US. In some countries Google’s market share is even larger. Here in the UK for example Google’s market share is nearly 90% of all search engine traffic. It is thus not surprising that most search engine marketing or advertising campaigns focus largely  on Google.

Organic Search Vs Paid Search:

“Organic Search Gets More Click Volume”

Most search engines like Google offer two types of listings on search results. One is the free organic listings that covers the main part of the search results page. The other is the pay per click or paid listings that usually appear on the side clearly labelled as paid advertisements. Contrary to what some might think, the click-through rate is much better in free listings as compared to paid listings. This is true for most search engines especially Google. All in all free listings have over 60% click-through rate whereas for paid listings it is less than 40%.

The figures released for Google in 2008, the click-through rate is nearly 80% for free listings as compared to only 20% for paid listings.

Conversion rates from search engines:

Conversion rate refers to the percentage of clicks from search engines to a website that actually result in leads or sales for the business. A lead can be anything from an enquiry from a customer to a direct sale of a product on an ecommerce website.

According to Marketing Sherpa’s 2004 report, the conversion rates are different in B2B sector and B2C.

B2B      B2C
Paid Search 7.6%       4.8%
Organic Free Search 6.7%       6.5%

Relationship between Google rank and traffic volumes:

The heat map of a Google search results page shows us what areas of the search results page more attention from users and what areas tend to get the most number of clicks. The hotter the colour in the heat map, higher the attention it gets from users. As clearly evident from the heat map, the first 2 or 3 results get the most attention as well as clicks.

Determining your website’s traffic from a Top rank on Google:

We have discussed earlier in this article that free organic search has a 80% click though rate. We have also discussed in the heat map example that that the top two or three ranks receive a bulk of attention and clicks from users. Based on this you can easily find out the monthly search volumes for your website if you were to receive a top rank for your keyword phrase. Using Google keyword volume tool, it is easy to determine monthly traffic levels for any keyword. As organic search results have 80% click though rate, you can first calculate 80% of the average searches per month. This is the number of clicks that free organic listings should receive. From the heat map above, we can determine that the top 2 to 3 ranks receive most of the attention from users and resulting clicks. You can use this technique to find out how many clicks or conversions your website is likely to receive from achieving a top rank in Google for your keyword.

Now that we understand the patterns in Google rank and resulting increase in traffic to your website, it is time to look into the techniques that can help us achieve a top rank in Google for your website.

Techniques that can help you achieve a top rank on Google:

A) Content:

Content is undoubtedly the most important part of a website. In addition to being able to meet the needs of the website visitors, content has one of the biggest impacts on search engine rank of a web page. Quality content on a website has a significant advantage when it comes to ranking high on search engines especially Google. A successful top ranking website requires a wide range of content such as general company pages, resource pages, news pages, links pages, blog posts and so on.

The importance of content in achieving atop rank on Google is discussed in detail below.

Quality of content: Content quality is vital for achieving a top rank on Google. The content on the website should be related to your keywords. Quality, well researched and original content is a must to achieve a top rank for your company’s website. It is equally important to insure that spellings and grammar are correct. It is especially important now days as search engines use auto correct feature during searches so there is no reason to use misspelt words either in Meta tags or on-page content.

No of Pages: The number of pages a website has can also have an impact on its rank on Google. Top ranking websites on Google usually offer a lot of quality pages. The content should however be related to the website’s theme and not duplicate. It is better to divide the content into different pages by topic as opposed to including many topics on one large page. It is better to create sub-pages for each topic and  receive a few referrals on each page as opposed to many referrals to the same page.

Keyword density within page content: Although the importance of keyword density has decreased in recent years, it still has some relevance. Ideally the keyword density of around 3% to 5% is considered ideal.

Placement of keywords: In order to achieve a top rank for a keyword on Google, the keyword placement within the page should be planned properly. Your main keyword should appear at least once in the opening paragraph of the page. Ideally it should appear towards the beginning of the sentence rather than towards the end. Search engine spiders scan a page from left to right. Keywords that appear first are given more improtance. This is also true not only for the page content but also for links and anchor texts. The main links (with keyword in anchor text) should ideally appear towards the begining of the code which search engine spiders will scan first.

B) Site Design:

Designing a search engine friendly website is one of the topmost strategies for achieving a top rank for a web site on Google. The design of a website has a significant impact on a websites rank on Google. Web design companies often refer to this as search engine friendly design.

Professional web design companies will in most cases design a website with search engines in mind. Website designers work hard to strike a balance between designs factors that are aesthetically appealing as well those that help search engines rank the site higher.

Easy to crawl by search engines: The design should promote easy crawling by search engines. A search engine friendly design will allow Google to index all pages of the website with ease.

Use of Meta Tags: Meta tags are provided in the code of the website and not visible on the website. They are used to provide additional information about the website to search engines. Appropriately optimised Meta tags are a must for top rank on Google. The title tag is the most important Meta tag and one of the most important factors in determining a website’s rank for a particular search phrase. The keyword should be used in the title tag at least once, ideally at the beginning of the sentence. Description tag is also important and the same philosophy should be applied as with the title tag. Keyword tag is not used by Google anymore but it should still be included for some other search engines.

Remember, search engines scan a website from left to right hence the placement of keywords in the begining of a sentence, tag or link is given more importance.

Internal Linking: Linking to on topic quality content across your website is important to achieve a top rank in Google. Different internal pages of a website should be well linked internally. All related pages should be cross referenced and linked together. It is better for all the main pages to be accessible from each other. Internal linking of web pages can be done within the content and via menus. Keywords should always be used in anchor text of the link. e.g. if ‘web design’ is one of the keywords you are targeting then the link to web design page should state ‘Web design’ as opposed to ‘click here’, ‘services’ or any other word.

Navigation: The navigation structure and menus on the website influence how search engine index and rank the pages. Fancy menus like flash or complex dropdowns should be avoided as far as possible. Simple text links are best for search engine crawlers. Like website visitors, search engines use navigation and menu on the website to index and crawl the different pages of the website. If the navigation is complex, it can make it difficult for a search engine to index all pages of the website. This can in-turn effect ranking of the pages on search results.

Sitemap: Including a sitemap on the website is not only useful for website visitors but also beneficial for search engines. A sitemap on the website allows the search engine to follow links to each page and therefore promotes wider indexing of the website and its individual pages.

Robots.txt: Robots.txt is a text file on your server that informs a search engine what areas of the website should not be indexed directly. Whilst it is not necessary to provide one, it is useful as it allows you the opportunity to let a search engine know which folders and directories on the server should not be indexed directly. You can specify any private folders or even directories on server that contain images, JavaScript or software code. This will reduce the time a search engine crawler takes to scan your website and make the process more efficient.

Page size: The total size of a webpage has an impact on the load time. Search engines prefer websites that are quick to load. It is therefore important to ensure that a web page is not too large in file size. This includes the total size including any referenced images and graphics.

Use keywords in Alt text: Each image on the website should have a corresponding Alt tag. You should include your keywords in the Alt tag for images on the website. Alt tags are used to provide a brief description for images. They are within the code of a web page and only displayed when the image cannot be loaded on the website for any reason. In all other times the alt text for an image is not visible. It is a well known technique used by search engine marketing experts to use the main keywords in alt tag of images. This improves the chances for ranking high for that keyword. It is not necessary to include but it is a must if you wish to achieve a top rank on Google.

C) Frequency of Content Update:

The update frequency of a website is vital for achieving a top rank on Google. Search engines especially Google love websites that are updated on a regular basis. If you want your website to rank at the top of Google then you should write one page of quality content on your website every day. The content should be original, unique and related to the keywords you are targeting. Search engine optimisation experts often advice that you should add one page of content per day of about 200-500 words to get a top rank in Google.

“Build one page of content and put online per day at 200-500 words to get to a top rank in google.”

D) Outbound Links:

Linking to many external pages from a single page on a website can reduce its weight and quality in the eyes of search engines. Google advices on a maximum of 100 outbound links from a single webpage. This includes both internal and external links. Whilst it is completely OK to link to a few quality websites, it should be used with care. In any case use only a few outbound links from each page and ensure that they are to quality websites only. As far as possible, use your keywords in the link text of your outbound links.

E) Submit XML Sitemap to Google:

In addition to providing a sitemap on the website, an XML version of the sitemap should be generated and submitted to Google via Google’s webmaster control panel. Submitting an XML sitemap to Google allows Google to index all pages of the website and not just the homepage. If all pages are indexed by Google then your website as a whole has higher chances of ranking on the top. Each page will be treated independently and can rank for different keywords.

E) Submit to search engines

It is probably needless to mention that you should manually submit your website to all major search engines including Google, Yahoo, Altavista, MSN, Dogpile, WiseNut, (write Teoma), DirectHit, and Hotbot. After you have submitted once, forget about it for a few months. There is no need to resubmit too soon. However after 3 to 4 months you could resubmit the site again. You should use manual submission for the main search engines at least. There are 100′s of search engines on the internet. After you have submitted to the main ones manually, you can use one of the many free online tools to submit your website automatically to the others.

F) Topic directories.

Almost every keyword sector has an authority hub on its topic. You should submit your website to at least the main directories in your topics first. After you have done so you could submit to the less important ones as and when you have time. There are some general directories where you must submit to. ODP is one such directory which is known to have a positive influence on a website’s rank on Google. Directory listings can be a useful source for getting back-links to your website.

G) Links:

It is common knowledge that back-links form other well placed websites of similar content, not only increases your website traffic, butalso greatly enhances the rank of your website on most major search engines. It is better to use text links for linking to your site. Avoid image links as far as possible. The quality of links is important. It is better to obtain links form high ranked websites with similar keywords and content to yours.

Use your keywords in the anchor text of your incoming links. Rather than using ‘click here’  or your company name, the incoming link should use your keywords as the anchor text of links. There are many techniques to increase the number of incoming links to your website. Link exchange with other websites is the most common. This is when you approach a website similar to yours and request for a link to your website in exchange for you providing a link to them in exchange from your website.

Some effective link exchange techniques are mentioned below:

Reciprocal link exchange: Find sites that have links pages or freely exchange links. Simply request a swap. Put a page of on topic, in context links up yourself as a collection spot.
Directory Submission: Discussed below.
Blogs and Forums: Discussed below.
Social networking website profiles: Discussed below.

H) Participate in Do-follow blogs in your niche:

There are millions of blogs on the internet. You can easily find a list of blogs that are related to your topic or keywords you are targeting. Create a list of the top 20 or 30 blogs. Use Blogs that are popular and have a high page rank. Select blogs that are considered as authority in your sector. Once you have identified the top blogs in your area, you should keep aside some time every day for participating in these blogs. You don’t have to spend hours in writing a new post on the blog. All you need to do is visit the blogs, find a post that is popular and add a comment to the post. Along with each comment that is published you will receive a link back to your website. You don’t have to visit each blog every day. You can rotate your list. Make sure you leave a comment on at least a few blogs every day.

It is improtant not to spam. Using your comments purely for self promotion is often treated as spam by blog owners. Make sure your comment is related to the post and adds some value to the existing discussion. This way your comment will be published and you will receive a link back to your website along with the comment.

I) Participate in Forums:

Just like blogs, you should first identify the top forums in your niche or sector. There are over a million  forums on the internet and finding the top forums in your field should be quite easy. You can start by searching on Search engines or browsing through other forums or blogs. You should identify at least the top 10 or 20 forums in your area. Unlike blogs you will need to register for an account before you can post or reply to a forum post. The advantage of a forum is that you get more than one link in your signature. However most of the forums will require you to be a member for some time before you are allowed to use links in your signature. Some forums may require you to have particpated in at least 10 or 20 posts before being able to use links to your website in signatures.

J) Distribute Press releases:

You can write press releases announcing either your website as a whole or a service or product that your website offers. The press release should be written professionally and be optimised for search engines. The title of the press release should include your main keyword. You should also include your main keywords in the body a few times. At the end of the press release you should include a link to your website. Make sure you submit the press release to all major press release distribution websites. There are many press release websites on the internet but if you target the top 20, your press release should get picked up by most others.

K) Publish and distribute Quality Articles:

Publishing quality articles is another effective technique to receive back-links to your website and in turn rank at the top of search results. Articles should be written with care and of high quality. The article that you write should be optimised with the same principles in mind as optimising the content of a webpage. The title should include the main keyword phrase which should also appear in the opening paragraph preferably. A favourable keyword density should also be maintained in the body of the article. The article should be published on at least the top 20 to 30 leading article directories. The main one is Ezine articles, go articles, article base.

L) Start a blog on your website:

If you don’t already have a blog, you should add one to your website today. Blogs are excellent for improving a website’s rank on search engines. If you want to achieve a top rank on Google you must have a blog on your website. Ideally you should add a blog related to your niche or business area. This will provide you with an ideal opportunity to add keyword rich content on your website with ease. Alternatively you can add a blog for latest news or another area which can be updated frequently with ease. Blog pages get indexed very easily on Google. Above all a blog will provide an ideal opportunity to supplement your website content. Like with other internal pages on your website, your blog posts should be cross referenced and linked properly with other related pages of your website.

M) Start additional blogs externally:

In addition to having a blog on your website to support your websites’ internal content, you should also seriously look into starting a blog or two externally, not directly part of your website. You can do so easily using one of the many free online blog platforms such as WordPress .Com or Blogspot .Com. Once you have developed the blog with sufficient content, you should cross reference and link your blogs and website using your main keywords in the anchor text. Within no time, you will be able to pass on your page rank and link juice from your website to your external blogs. Once your blogs improves in rank and gets indexed by Google the cross linking opportunities can be powerful and beneficial to your overall strategy.

N) Use Social bookmarking services:

Social bookmarking websites/services such as Digg, delicious, Stumble upon and Yahoo bookmarks have proved successful for driving targeted traffic to your website and improving its rank on search engines. In addition to gaining access to a large audience, bookmarks allow you to get back-links to your internal pages of your website which would have otherwise been difficult. You will need to create a free account on the top bookmarking websites. Once you have created an account you will be able to easily add your websites and its pages as bookmarks for others to see and comment on.

O) Create profiles on other social networking websites:

You should create a profile for your website or company on some of the leading social networking websites such as My Space, Face Book, Squidoo, Hub Pages and so on. There are hundreds of high ranking social networking websites on the internet today. Whist it may not be possible to actively maintain profiles on all of them, you should identify the main sites based on the target audience. Although thus can be a time consuming task, an active presence and involvement on some of the leading social networks is essential to achieve a top rank on Google.

In many social networking websites offer useful tools that allow you to syndicate content from your other blogs or your other social networking accounts. As such you can share and syndicate content between each other. This can reduce the time and effort involved in maintaining each one independently. Please however be aware that some level of unique content or involvement will be necessary to ensure maximum benefits. Or else Google may simply treat is duplicate content only.

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