by Mario Sanchez

One of most frequent questions small business owners ask me is: I've designed my website, now, how do I get it on search engines?

Actually, having your site indexed by a search engine is not that difficult. However, making it rank high and appear in first results page is. Let's start with a brief explanation of how a search engine works:

Search engines store billions of pages in an archive called index. When a search engine conducts a search, it doesn't really search web: it searches index. Search engines add web pages to their index through work of a "search bot", a powerful software program that "crawls" web regularly, following links and adding to index all pages it finds.

So, step number one is to make search bots find your page. You can do this:

a) by directly submitting your page's URL to search engine, or b) by placing a link to your page on another page that is already in index.

There is strong evidence that method (b) is most effective.

Now, lets suppose that your page is already in search engine index. How do you make it rank high? The different attempts to answer that question have given birth to a whole new discipline called Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves following a series of techniques to increase relevance of your page for certain search terms or keywords.

You must decide in advance what are keywords you believe a user will type in search engine window to find your page. This is probably most important step in search engine optimization: if you pick keywords that nobody uses, or, to contrary, keywords that are too common (too competitive), your page will never be found.

Why do you want to get Number 1 in Google?

"Because it's good to be there isn't it? It means my website is best out there."

Well, no, it doesn't. Why do you really want to be Number 1 in Google?

"Well, everyone wants to be Number 1 don't they? If I'm right at top everyone will see my business and customers will come flooding to my website in their thousands."

They might. But it depends what you're top for. Have you thought what you would like to be top for in Google?

"My company, ABC Widgets Limited, comes top in Google when you type in 'ABC Widgets Limited'. That's pretty impressive isn't it?"

No, frankly, it is not. How many other websites do you think are competing for phrase 'ABC Widgets Limited'? There won't be very many unless there are others out there who share your company name. Why is being top for your company name any use?

"Because people looking for us on Google will find our website".

Big deal. You need to be found by thousands of people already out there looking for what you provide that don't know your company name. They don't know what you look like. They don't know where you're based. They don't even know you exist! What sorts of search phrases do you think they will be typing in on Google?

"Phrases like 'widget suppliers', 'widget sales online' and things like that?"

Yes - you've got it! But are you listed Number 1 on Google for phrases like that?

"No. We're nowhere to be seen Mike. I think I've been patient enough with you though now answering your questions. Please will you reveal secrets of getting Number 1 on Google?"

No, I won't.

"Why not?!"

3 Reasons I'm Not Going To Reveal How To Get Number 1 Spot In Google, Every Time, Guaranteed

Reason 1 - There Are No Insider Secrets