I enjoy reading books about SEO and the ins and outs of Google and Get to the top on Google has been recommended to me many times so I decided to give it a try. David Viney tries to describe this as a seven step process that includes:-

1. Phrases that pay
2. Courting the crawl
3. Priming your pages
4. Landing the links
5. Paying for position
6. Making the map
7. Tracking and tuning

I think the approach he has taken here is very methodical and it really does give you a very good insight into the process. The book kinda does feel tutorial in nature and you can almost apply the techniques as you move through the book.

Get to the Top on Google: Tips and Techniques to Get Your Site to the Top of Google and Stay There <<< This is an Amazon Affiliate Link which helps to support this site >>>

Towards the start of the book you are given links to a special forum that David has and for which he gives you a code in the book for six months free access. I thought this gave the book massive added value and was putting this in my very small pile of must have and must keep books.

To be fair though, the forum is pretty poor and i didn’t find many examples of where David was actually contributing by answering people’s questions etc and there did seem to be a fair few negative comments on that very subject as well. I think it’s a real shame as the book offers so much but even some of the links didn’t work either so it does lose a bit of it’s appeal.

If you’ve also read Get to the top on Google then why not give us your opinions in our comments section.

Over the last decade Google has become by far the most dominant search engine on the internet. It is estimated that over 60% of all searches conducted online are via Google, as such having your website displayed in the top few results that google provides can bring huge amounts of traffic to your website. Optimising websites can be a time consuming task and a lot of popular keyphrases already have strong competitors holding the top few results positions. One way that many websites are able to make their own mark and climb the rankings is by targeting geographically specific areas. This article aims to give a few tips on how to improve your chances of ranking highly for location-based searches.

1) List your business on Google – The first step is a very obvious one; make sure that your website is listed in Google’s Local Business Centre. This ensures that Google is aware of your business, its location and it provides searchers with feedback from other users derived from numerous sources.

2) Look into long-tail keyphrases – It is very worthwhile considering targeting long-tail keywords that contain the area your business is targeting. For example instead of targeting web designers or search engine optimisation it could be slightly easier to try web designers Edinburgh or search engine optimisation Edinburgh. It is true that these general terms will bring less traffic, but usually those searchers using localised search terms are far more likely to turn into sales.

3) Ensure the contact details are local and valid – Display the address and local phone number of the business on the website. Search engine spiders are able to take this information into account when indexing the site; this is then used when Google creates local listings.

4) Submit your site to local directories – It is worth spending time finding some legitimate local business directories at which to link your website. Google uses links found on local business directories in order to select which websites it will display.

5) Use local domain names/hosting – When Google lists local sites it prefers sites that originate in the country that the search is centred on. Sometimes cheaper overseas hosting can be tempting, but this can have a hugely detrimental effect on the results your website will experience in localised Google searches.

In conclusion, targeting specific geographic locations when performing search engine optimisation can provide a faster route to higher rankings in Google. Typically location based searches have slightly less competition than general terms and traffic derived from these searches is often easier to turn into sales. It is important however not to focus solely on local searches allowing the global SEO to fall behind, finding a balance is key to successfully promoting a website.

I have been asked this question on many occasions and I have observed several forum posts on the subject. I believe that submitting to good directories can help your SEO efforts. The reason that search engines like directories is because they do a small part of their job for them. Most good directories are human edited this means a real person has to review your website so it confirms to the directories guidelines.

Most good directories have guidelines that a website has to conform to get listed. These usually involve making sure your website doesn’t contain spam and that you have submitted it to the correct category.

Finding a Good Directory.

It is not a good idea to just start submitting to the first one you find as some are better than others. Look for well structured directories that are easy to navigate. If they don’t have many entries this does not mean they aren’t any good it may mean they are a young directory. Also beware of the no follow rule, some directories but this on their entries to boost their own website. This won’t help you though as this tells the search engines not to count your link. This won’t help your SEO one bit.

How to Submit

Before you submit to a web directory make sure you read their guidelines as you don’t want to get it rejected. Directories can take a long time before they list your website due to backlogs. So getting it wrong can set your listing back months.

There are thousands of good directories out there it’s just a matter of identifying them. This can be very time consuming but can yield good rewards in the long term. Which is what SEO is all about, working on the long term strategy.

Author:

Kevin Gallagher

SEO Manager for Moovin On Up

Website Design and Ecommerce Solutions

When optimising your website for the search engines I do advise employing a professional company to do this, as it can be a complicated process, and attempting it yourself may result in you inadvertently being banned from a search engine.

However, I do understand that some people prefer to do it themselves or are on a tight budget so for those people I’m going to discuss some of the basics that you must get right.

Keyphrases, keyphrases and more keyphrases.

Your keyphrases are one of the most essential elements in your SEO campaign as the rest of your optimisation efforts are based on what keyphrases you choose. To identify your keyphrases you need to first come up with a list of keyphrases that you believe people will use when searching for your company, the longer the list the better. Try to be imaginative and ask friends and colleges for their input as they may revel keyphrases that you may have never have thought of. Then do a keyphrase analysis by using your favourite keyword suggestion tool.

Title

When you have identified your potential keyphrases make sure all your page titles have unique keyphrase rich text. This will strengthen your page in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages).

Descriptions

Furthermore, make sure that your description tags are all unique as well as relative to your keyphrases. In addition, make sure that they describe what is actually on the page to better serve the searcher. Also, make sure that the description contains a call to action, as this is the part a searcher sees below the title in the SERPs. You should make the description desirable so that the searcher wants to click on your link; as you are competing with many other website listings. You want yours to stand out.

I am going to be writing articles on SEO every week, let me know what you would like to see on here.

Author:

Kevin Gallagher

SEO Manager for Moovin On Up

Website Design and Ecommerce Solutions