If you wanted someone to find your website via a Search Engine, what keyword would you expect your site to come up for?

If you’re eating healthy and not classified as clinical nutter, your answer should be either the subject your website is about or what your business sells.

Before even knowing of the ‘magical’ SEO industry, I was gobsmacked when I couldn’t find my own website Kingdom Hearts Ultimania (a gaming blog on the Kingdom Hearts franchise) on Page 1 of Google UK for the term ‘Kingdom Hearts’.. to me, it just didn’t make sense..

Take a look at your site again, does it actually make any mentions of what your site is about in a simple way? Also, why should Google list your website if you’ve not given your visitors a reason to talk about it? What makes you any different?

In a shock twist, when I looked back at Kingdom Hearts Ultimania, the obvious keyword ‘Kingdom Hearts’ was only on mentioned 2-3 times across the content. It’s a small detail of big importance. Too many people build websites that forget to the tell the ‘norms’ what it’s actually all about.

Although my website screamed Kingdom Hearts related content, it only catered for the nerds like me, as opposed to the norms like, well, the rest of us (not me).
Ergo in my case, using shortened-abbreviations like ‘KH2 FM+’ to reference game installments instead of its well-known name ‘Kingdom Hearts 2: Final Mix+’.

For a real life example, take Solar Panels. In the industry, their broadly known as Photovoltaics to the experts. But, which out of the two terms would you tap in? No sarcasm please. But the points the same, the website will probably scream the geek-term, but not the other, as to the expert, its natural to cater to your inner circle.

I could go on all day, but the truth is, according to Google, there is likely over 200 technical reasons why you don’t rank for ‘Oak Stoke’.

But, lets start with the basics to get you back on the right track:

How to Make Friends with Google

1. My Enemy is My Friend - Talk to your competitors to see if you could acutally work together and promote each others content, in terms of Google, it will help not hinder. I’m talking Link Exchanges, Guest Blogs, Cross-Promotions etc.
2. Visitors aren’t Geeks (Unlike You) – Does your website tell people SIMPLY what it’s all about and what it sells? You don’t have to be technical to ‘SEO’ your site, you’ll end up writing keywords naturally into content, the way it should be.
3. Register on Google’s Free Apps – Google offer so many different tools to help you be more visible on their products with the need for being an SEO Magician. Check out Google Places, Google Merchant Center and their Webmaster Blog. If you are infact an aspiring SEO Magician (I do apologise), get on Webmaster Tools also.
4. Buy an SEO Book – It seems ironic to use a book to learn how to manage basic internet marketing, but it’s a great place to start. We give copies of ‘SEO: An Hour a Day’ by Jennifer Grappone and ‘Search Engine Optimization’ by Kristopher B. Jones to our SEO Trainees.

I think that about covers it for now, especially as it’s 11:45pm on a Friday evening. If I had to state a fifth tip, it would be a cheeky reminder to keep visiting this blog for more SEO bits and pieces. I kid, but seriously, keep reading.