Top Web Hosting Reviews
Top Web Hosting Provider of The Month:
Top Web Hosting
Visit Bluehost.com | Read Bluehost Review

>> Web Hosting Geeks // Web Hosting Articles // SEO - Search Engine Optimization  


Is a High Search Engine Ranking Important for YOU?








In the process of designing a website for clients the question inevitibly arises "How do I get a good search engine ranking?". This is a very good point and the answer is not as clear cut as you may think.

A high search engine ranking means that your website will appear on the first page of a search engine, when someone searches for the subject of your website. For example if you were a babysitter, then you would want to appear on the first page of results whenever someone typed in "babysitter" into their favourite website. If you sold CDs you would want to be on the first page of any search engine results whenever someone typed in "CD".

Many search engines and marketing tools say that you need to be on the first 3 pages of search engine results, but I say that is incorrect, you need to be on the first page. My reasoning is this: how often have you gone past the first page when you have been looking for something in a search engine? 10% of the time? Almost never? I'm the same. If you or I don't go past the first page, prospective customers won't either.

There are a lot of companies that make a lot of money out of selling products that increase your search engine ranking. Before you start to spend your hard earned cash - take a moment to read this article and determine if you and your business actually needs a high ranking in a search engine.

When someone asks me "How do I get a good search engine ranking?" my advice is to think of:

  • What you wish to achieve with this site

  • Your customer Demographic

  • What other marketing plans you have.

Lets go through these points one by one:

  • What you wish to achieve with this site

    Ask yourself:

    • What is my product/service

    • Will people be searching for my product, my service or myself via a search engine?

    • Is a web presence all I want/need?

    The key answer you are looking for is the answer to question number 2. Will people, who have never or only vagely heard about me be searching for my product or service? If the answer is no, then a high search engine ranking won't do much for you.

    If you just want a "web presence" (pretty much having a website cause you think its a good idea, but it is quite a passive part of your marketing. i.e. You have one cause your customers expect to have one) the search engine ranking will mean nothing to you. The aim of the site ("web presence") is achieved - your company is present on a website!

    Many companies just want/need a web presence. The web is a great place to put their catalogues and brochures, so that a customer does not have to keep receiving mailings of the latest catalogue. The customer can simply log on to the web and then download up to date information on your company. This sort of website is great for general information about yourself and your company with the understanding that if a customer wanted more specific information then they would call you. In this case a high search engine ranking is not important, beacuse your customer already know that you have a website and already know its URL.

    If, however you have an online product, such as an e-book, and want to sell it online, then yes, you will need a high search engine ranking in addition to your other marketing efforts. A high ranking will allow you to get new customers who have never heard of you before, but are interested in what your book has to say.

  • Your Customer Demographic

    Ask yourself:

    • Where do I get customers from now?

    • What sort of customer are they i.e. Do my customers use the Web for MY service?

    • If you want to use the site as a main marketing tool then maybe a search engine ranking is important. If you believe that a customer may be searching for "babysitters" on the web, and you have a babysitter then YES - you need a good search engine ranking.

    By thinking about your customer demographic and how they come to your business you can determine if a high search ranking is needed. For example if you are a word of mouth business then having a website for your business is fairly useless unless you are only seeking a "web presence".

    If your customers will come to your site as the result of some other media advertising you are doing (TV, Radio, Newspaper etc) then a high search ranking is not important.

    If you have the sort of business where your customers will be searching on the web for you, but dont know who you are then yes, a high search engine ranking is important. For example, if you sell DVDs then people dont really care who they buy from, if the price is right - they will be just searching for DVD in their favourite search engine and if your are in the front page, they will click on you and probably buy. So in this case it is worth seeking a high ranking.

  • What other marketing plans you have.

    Ask yourself:

    • How else do I market?

    • What is my main form of getting customers?

    • If you are advertising through other media, such as TV, Radio, Newpaper, Flyers etc then it is necessary to think about if you will be needing customers to come from your website. If your website is printed on all your literature than a high search engine ranking is not important. If your customers see your product and want it - they will visit your website for more info.

    A high search engine ranking is only important if people will be searching for your product or service on a search engine. If you don't think that your prospective customer's will be using the web to find your product then a high search engine ranking is not required.

Conclusion

When it all comes down to it, you are a busy business owner. You don't want to be expending effort on something that will not reap you any benefits. For most small to medium businesses you will find that a high search engine ranking is not important as most of their customers come from other media. Most small to medium businesses need a web presence but in most cases it is not worth the effort to get a high search engine ranking.

A high search engine ranking is only important if you expect to get customers who have never heard of you before searching for your product or service. Most small businesses do not fit this description.

About The Author

Andy White has build approximately 224 websites in the last 12 months, specialising in small to medium business websites. He also runs a growing website entitled www.hitsmetotears.com which is designed to be a one stop shop for your website marketing needs. He is based in Adelaide, Australia.

andy@hitsmetotears.com


MORE RESOURCES:

PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)

Seopath.com offers SEO Packages for Quality Search Engine Optimization
BigNews.biz (press release)
Keeping this thing in mind Seopath.com takes part in fulfilling the SEO needs of a website that is newly launched to face the ongoing competition with other ...
SEO Satisfaction SurveyOnline PR News (press release)
It can be daunting but it's necessarySEO Consult - SEO News (blog)
Announcing The Most Affordable Most Powerful SEO Services From This Search ...PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
Earthtimes (press release) -Promotion World (press release) -DirectNews
all 41 news articles »


PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)

Areas to watch out for in SEO
SEO Consult - SEO News (blog)
Search engines, when it comes down to it, sit in opposition to SEO. While a search engine's purpose is to guide the viewer to the most appropriate site for ...
Cheers to SEO: How It Pays To Be OptimizedSearch Engine Land (blog)
SEO Ranking Expert Introduces SEO Services for Small Static & Huge Dynamic ...PR.com (press release)
Domain names without Latin characters will broaden SEO impactBrafton
BigNews.biz (press release) -OfficialWire (press release) -PR-Inside.com (Pressemitteilung)
all 80 news articles »


Be In Control of Your SEO Venture With Web Analytics
SEO Consult - SEO News (blog)
Web analytics is a crucial part of an SEO campaign. In simple terms, web analytics is a tool used to measure, collect and analyse data. ...
The Benefits of Web AnalyticsSEO Consult - SEO News (blog)

all 2 news articles »


Caspio Introduces Breakthrough SEO Technology for Cloud Database Apps
Reuters
Cloud Computing Database Applications Can Now Be Fully Indexed by Search Engines Using Caspio`s New SEO Deployment Model MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. ...

and more »


Little things are important to SEO
SEO Consult - SEO News (blog)
There are so many things to remember when it comes to SEO. You need to keep abreast of rule changes and techniques, track keywords and keep an eye on what ...



Business Daily Africa

Social Search Google's newest Lab experiment – Webmaster & SEO News
Kingpin Webmaster News
We mentioned Google's new social search in a previous news post, however now we feel we should go into more detail for our readers, as this seems like a hot ...
Future Twitter trendsBlogstorm (blog)
My budget is tight, what's the best bang for my buck getting more traffic to ...SmartCompany.com.au
Teaching the Facebook GenerationBusinessWeek
ClickZ News
all 93 news articles »


Brafton

Groundwork for SEO could get tougher with encrypted browsing tool
Brafton
Catalan researchers at Rovira i Virgili University say that they have developed a way for internet users to prevent search engines and websites from ...

and more »


website Auditor Enterprise 1.8.5 (Windows)
ZDNet
website Auditor Enterprise is a quick SEO tool that lets you make effective web pages and provide your SEO clients with stunning onpage optimization reports ...



Caspio Deploys Cloud-based SEO
Editor & Publisher
But limitations surrounding SEO for dynamically generated pages has hindered the ability to fully exploit data. Caspio provides a programming-free way for ...
Caspio SEO technology for cloud database appsCIOL
Caspio Releases Version 6.5 with Advanced Data Import and Publishing CapabilitiesPR Web (press release)

all 6 news articles »


New IT Jobsites to Focus on PHP Jobs and SEO Jobs Launched by CV Screen
PR Web (press release)
CV Screen launch niche IT Job Boards to attract candidates to new PHP and SEO Jobs in the UK. (PRWeb UK/PRWEB ) November 7, 2009 -- Specialist IT ...

and more »

Google News





 
 
 

© 2004 - 2008 "Web Hosting Geeks" | Web Hosting Reviews | Customer Reviews | RealMetrics Reviews | Hosting Articles | Directory | Partners | Contacts
Over 7000 articles: web hosting, web development, domain names, ecommerce, web design, site promotion, ppc advertising, seo, site promotion and many others.
Web hosting reviews, ratings and awards are not based on any incentives or commissions. Names and trademarks are the properties of their respective owners.
A direct link to Web Hosting Geeks (http://webhostinggeeks.com) must be provided in order to use any of the above information. Contact us for more info.

Partners: Hosts by speed, Cheap Website Hosting, Free Website Hosting, Cheap Web Hosting, Top 10 Web Hosts, Top 10 Web Hosting Deals, Best Website Hosting, Free Web Hosting, Free Web Hosting, Dedicated Server Hosting, Adult Web Hosting, Web Hosting Discussions, Dedicated Server Reviews, Best Web Hosting, Web Hosting Discounts, HostProfessor.com, rsuog, halyava, PHP Website Hosting Services, Web Hosting Reviews, Hosting Uptime, Best Web Hosting Reviews, Cheap Webhosting, Web Hosting, Flash Templates, CMS Templates, Web Hosting Reviews, Website Hosting Reviews, Web Hosting Providers, Best Web Hosting, Top Web Hosting, RSUOG Web Hosting