Social Media Marketing

Currently, the simplest factor Google uses to rank sites is text content, which is simply what a site says. A site must contain the key words that the search engine visitor is using to look for a product or service. For example, if a person types “Seattle Guitar” into Google and these words do not appear on a particular site, that site will not appear in that user’s search results.

Another factor is HTML standards and compliance, which depends on how well a site is coded. Placement will vary greatly depending on whether the site adheres to current web standards based code. Conversely, if the site is a jumbled mess of out of date or confused code, it will not rank very highly among search results. Web designers must ensure that the code is easy to index and is W3C compliant and ADA compliant to be sure that search engines will find the page.

An emerging factor is back links, which refers to who and how many sites are linking back to the site. The quality of the back links is as important as the quantity. For instance, a reference to the site on CNN’s website is worth significantly more than a mention in an obscure and unrelated site. Placements within a newspaper’s editorial page are worth more than placements within paid advertising.

The site’s longevity is also a factor - how long has it been live? How long ago was the URL registered? For how long is the current URL registered, will it expire soon?

Finally, the relevance and uniqueness of the site can be a critical factor. The quality and originality of the content, based on what Google feels is important to a specific site visitor, is essential to achieving the highest quality placement.

Companies should, at minimum, continue doing traditional search engine marketing and optimization. However, savvy businesses will use the latest web-awareness to enhance their internet presence, add to their credibility, and create buzz around their projects.