Getting to the top of Google

Do you want your website at the top of the google search results? Learn the winning formula for being found on Google.

The most important rule of search engine optimisation (SEO) is that Google searches for web pages that contain the search phrase. So many people fail to put important search phrases in their website.

For example, if someone searches for "Bed and breakfast Grey Lynn" then they will find websites or web pages containing exactly that search phase. If your website does not contain that search phrase, then your website just won't be found. Having your suburb listed on the "contact us" page is not enough. Google won't make that association.

If "Grey Lynn" is close to "Westmere", and you don't have the words "Westmere" on your website, and someone searches for "Bed and Breakfast Westmere", then your website won't be found. Add "Our Bed and Breakfast is situated near Westmere" to your website, then you might be found. Add additional words like "homestay" and "accommodation" and "Auckland central" into the content of your web page. The more varied key words that appear on your web pages, the more likely you will be found for strange and alternative search phrases. You should describe your business and location in as many different ways as possible.

There are a number of tools for thinking up alternative search phrases. However, a brainstorming session with a friend is always a good idea. Avoid using words that describe collections of services. For example, if you are in the "financial services" business, that won't help you be found as a "mortgage broker" nor "investment adviser". The phrase "nationwide" won't help you be found in Wellington nor Christchurch. 

Once you have created a list of suitable key phrases, you then need to find the best places in your website to put them. Avoid having a single "our services" web page. Expand on this area of your website, providing a more detailed explanation about each service. If you have a shop, then include a full product catalogue online, with lots of detail about each category, using lots of synonyms and "uses" for your products. Avoid relying on the category "picture".

Following the above steps will help your website get found, the next step is to get your website higher in the list than everyone else. This can be achieved by the following: 

• Dedicate one page of your website to each search phrase.
• Use that search phrase in the page meta title, first paragraph, and the file name of the page.
• Link to that page from your home page, using the search phrase as the link text.
• Get other websites to link to your website and/or web page using the same search phrase link text.