A typical, perhaps even daily question we get around here is how to “optimize my site” to “rank higher” in Google. In other words, here you are, recognizing the importance of showing up on the 1st page of the Google results, but completely unclear as to what it is you can do to accomplish this.

Well, the first step in knowing what to do, is to consider how search engines (like Google) determine your rank. Once we understand how Google determines rank (or at least have an educated guess), then we can take action (where action is appropriate) in those areas.

First, let’s get one thing straight: optimizing an existing site by editing page titles, tags, URLs, and content is indeed an important step, but alone it is most likely incomplete and inadequate. There are some exceptions to this, in the case where you have a site that targets keywords with little to no competition. But anymore, how many of us can claim such a thing?

Think about it this way…Imagine you created an exact copy of the Google.com home page (search bar and all!) with the exact content, meta-tags (the “invisible” keyword information buried in the code of the site), and links. Then you place this page on a server somewhere and put it online. Do you think that, if you went to Yahoo!, and searched for “search engine” or “google,” that your site would show up anywhere near #1? Not a chance.

So then, you should think the same way about your own site and the keywords you’re targeting. Is it realistic or logical to think that simply creating a “technically proper” website, with all the right keywords, is going to sweep you to the top of the search results? As a general rule….of course not.

Yes, it is important that the keywords and technical aspects of a website and its content be well informed and, if possible, researched. For that matter, Ignertia always designs and develops websites with this in mind.

But what are the most important factors that search engines use to determine your rank? Well, let’s see what the experts say:
http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors

So, from this information, you can see that the overall trust and authority of your host domain (A.K.A. your URL) is first and foremost in Google’s mind (at least, according to “the experts”). Then we see that the link popularity (A.K.A. the number of links to your site and the quality/credibility of their source) comes next, followed by anchor text (A.K.A. the words used in the blue hyperlink of the external sites).

You’ll also see that “on-page keyword usage” comes in 4th place. FORTH!

So what does that tell us? First off, it tells that well-researched and written use of keywords, along with proper and well-executed technical aspects of a website are important…just not most important, and we would be wise to keep this in perspective. Think of these things (keyword use and proper coding) as “potential energy.” Do you remember that term from 5th grade science class? Basically, it’s stored energy that has yet to be unleashed. It’s the object’s potential to do work.

The more potential energy, the more work the object will do once that object is put into motion. In the case of your website, it’s important that the use of keywords be well thought out and researched, and that the pages of the site are well optimized. This gives your site the highest POTENTIAL possible to move up the ranks of Google, but is most likely inadequate in itself to do so.

To make use of that potential, you’ve got to bring in traffic from relevant and credible sources. This means links from external sites that Google sees as authoritative, thus adding credibility and authority to your site.

Getting to this point can take a while, and deserves a well thought out and executed strategy. It requires a long term, user and customer-centered approach that builds links and credibility throughout the web over time.

So, whatever your strategy, it certainly helps to start with a technically search-engine-friendly website, with well informed and researched use of keywords.

Just keep in mind that it is but one (somewhat small) piece of the pie.