OR…How To Get To Number 1 Spot In Google?
As a web designer I often get asked what I think is the best way to get noticed on the internet, or how to get to number one spot in Google…good questions!
One of my clients today was approached by a company who claimed to be google…(that’s funny…if you ever want to get in touch with an actual Google rep, it’s quite difficult to find one…now google has phoned my client directly – I don’t think so!!!) and of couse they claimed to get my client to number one spot in both Yahoo and Google.
WHAT TO DO IF SOMEONE CLAIMS THEY CAN GET YOU TO NUMBER 1 – Be suspicious, be very, very suspicious….then ask, how much is this going to cost me? AND, do your research!
CASE STUDY
My client was emailed a Search Engine Marketing Proposal which was very well presented, used lots of graphs, comparison and flow charts and implements the use of google adwords…this company was called Yodel.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS – I checked out the Yodel website and my initial response left me feeling very impressed. Their website was also very well presented, the deal looked good on the surface with their commision charge at a seemingly affordable 5%. They also claimed to provide reports which could save most individuals or businesses a considerable amount of time.
OH DEAR! – As usual, I did a google search for complaints regarding any company I am considering dealing with and came up with these interesting customer reports.
I think you will find enough information on this page to make the same decision about Yodel that I did in the end.
YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF
Seriously, the quickest and easiest way to get to the top of search listings has always been to purchase google adwords…but you don’t need another company to do it for you, you can easily do it yourself. You can read more about google adwords here…
I have heard of people in certain industries who ONLY use google adwords for their internet marketing and don’t spend on other forms of advertising at all. With a large percentage of people using the internet to make their day to day purchases, this method seems to be quite feasible and cost effective.
WHAT IS GOOGLE ADWORDS? – Well, do you see the advertisements below (there are lots of different formats both in text and image style, this is just one example), every time someone clicks on any of these ads, three things happen -
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1. The advertiser gets billed for a particular amount of money (depending on the amount of money they agreed to pay every time someone clicks on one of their advertisements – called ‘pay per click’).
2. Google takes a percentage of that amount.
3. I get a percentage of that amount as the website owner.
HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY FOR GOOGLE ADWORDS – The amount an advertiser pays depends on the amount they bid for a particular keyword or keyword phrase they are targeting. The total amount can also be varied according to a set monthly limit for those on a budget or those who simply want to test the effectiveness of the adwords system.
HOW DO I KNOW WHAT KEYWORD/S TO TARGET – First of all, I recommend you think of all the words a potential customer might use to search for what you have to offer.
You can also use the keyword tool below to get an idea how many people search for the terms you are wanting to optimise your website for.
https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal
You can test all sorts of search terms and phrases and find other variations that might be even more appropriate and can see how many people locally or globally are searching with those particular words. I use this keyword tool regularly as part of my market research.
WHAT ABOUT OTHER INTERNET ADVERTISING – Check them out by all means. Perhaps different types of internet advertising works well in different niche markets, but I stand by the statement below…
GOOGLE IS THE BEST – When I check website statistics to see where my traffic has come from, google has generally sent in excess of 85%. I NEVER bother with yahoo, MSN or ask or bing or any of the others and you can see the stats from one of my websites as an example in the image below with the TOP 2 results both related to google.
GET TO NUMBER 1 WITHOUT PAYING A CENT
A website will generally find its’ way to number one in its’ targeted niche by having –
- a suitable domain name
- quality and relevant content
- appropriate use of keywords
- links to the site from other relevant higher profile websites
- updated, additional or changeable content.
For instance, my South Gippsland website employs most of the above methods with its’ domain name http://south-gippsland.com being pertinent to the region without even needing the .com.au extension. It contains quality and relevant information about the South Gippsland area in Victoria with good use of the most searched for keywords, some links from other relevant websites and the information and photographs are updated or added to every 6 weeks or so.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST – If you don’t have the time to write articles, get links from high profile sites and add extra content on a regular basis and your website is compelling enough, the easy and quick way to get noticed on the internet is to use google adwords – full stop!
