Internet marketing can be difficult, given the hundreds of billions of websites vying to be seen. The only way to get heard in this landscape is by pleasing a gatekeeper named Google. Google archives the Internet, and pulls out anything the user desires. By using search engine optimization, or SEO, to advance in the Google rankings, you increase the chance your website gets noticed.
Search engines have come a long way since the earliest days. You know those doodles Google does on holidays and other noteworthy days? The first doodle was of the Burning Man festival, a Nevada festival Sergey Brin and Larry Page went to, way back in 1998. Google was just a start up back then. Now it’s one of the largest tech firms.
Today, search engines are a part of our lives and our business, and Google rankings are all important. 92 percent of online adults in the U.S. say they perform at least one search a day, and 57 percent of B2B marketers claim their largest lead generator is SEO.
A high place in Google rankings is a way to get noticed, but how do you get there? You could buy your way to the top of Google rankings. This makes money for Google, but not for you. You see, 70 to 80 percent of Google users do not click sponsored results, and choose organic Google rankings instead. That is where the money is at.
But how does one increase his organic Google rankings? One method is blogging. Blogs are a great way to show your authority, thus generating traffic and inbound links. Google uses inbound links as a proxy for trustworthiness, so this is huge. In fact, those businesses that blog have 434 percent more indexed pages than those who do not, thereby increasing position in Google rankings. That results in more leads, and better SEO.
Another method to get higher in Google rankings is better content. Google rankings are rather intelligent, for they know when your content relates to what a person is searching for. Write a webpage with the three or four keywords you think customers use to look for you, and see where it takes you.
Increasing your position on Google rankings is no online marketing panacea, but it can help your business stand out. All you need is a fair hearing online. After that, the rest is up to you to get the customer, and that is always a good feeling.