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• 84.8% of web users use search engines to find sites like yours!
  (Source: GVU Center, College of Computing - Georgia Institute of Technology)
• Millions of people use Internet search engines every day!
• Simply submitting your site to the Internet search engines is not enough!

If your site does get indexed (listed) by a major search engine, it will just be one of millions. So, just being listed, has nothing to do with making sure you get a good position. Positioning is what matters most! The truth to obtaining this huge number of potential clients is a search engine position on the first three pages of the returned keyword search results. If your keywords rank below page three, your share of this potential traffic will be practically non-existent.

There are many ways to improve your site's ranking. The most effective of which would be hiring a company that not only specializes in site positioning, but guarantees their results.

With the intense demand to achieve a top search engine position, the cost to achieve it is not inexpensive. However, it is usually much less than what one would spend on a bid-for-position search engine. Achieving a high ranking on the search engines is the best advertising "bargain" on the Web today. The reason is simple: Millions of searches are done everyday. The thousands of Web sites that appear near the top of those search results essentially get free advertising. People must be able to find your site on one or more keywords when they do a search! A good description of the top search engines can be found at: http://www.websitetrafficbuilders.com/search_engines-url-guide.htm

This article focuses on what you can do (without knowledge of HTML coding) to improve your site's chance of getting its fair share of Internet search engine traffic:

1. Make sure each page of your site has the proper Title, Meta description & content tags. Many sites only have the proper tags on their entry page, leaving the other site pages with incomplete/improper tags. Do not just copy your entry page tags over to your other pages. To be useful, the tags should be unique to the content on that page.

2. To continue on with tags, you should check any framed pages used on your site. Here you should verify that you are using good NOFRAME tags. Not all search engines correctly index framed pages. Without the correct NOFRAME tags here, your framed pages may not be properly indexed.

3. Lastly, sites that are graphic intensive should be utilizing the ALT tag to properly describe each graphic. No search engine reads/indexes graphics. Therefore, the ALT tag is very important.

4. Never use "Under Construction" text or images on any page. This is almost a sure way to not be indexed on certain major search engines. If your page is not complete, do not publish it!

5. Apply for web site awards. Some awards are more difficult to achieve than others, but most are free. The award issuing sites just require a link back to their site linked to their award graphic. Awards add credibility and also enhance the time spent on investigating your site. An excellent graphic accompanies the Web Genie Excellent Content Award. To apply for this award, visit: http://www.websitetrafficbuilders.com/search_engine_website_award_program.htm

6. With the algorithms of most search engines factoring in link popularity, your site should have a links page. To be effective, this page should be linked to your site's entry page. Use this page to trade links with other sites in related (but non-competitive) industries. Real estate sites could trade links with home improvement/maintenance sites, lenders, lawyers, financial planners, logging sites etc. Keep in mind; the objective is not to just link these sites, but to exchange links with them!
   • There are a number of sites that will offer you free membership in a link exchange service. You are required to host a number of pages on your site listing the other participant's links. Though well intentioned, and effective in increasing your link popularity, the search engines have caught on to this ploy and as one of our clients recently found out, will de-list your site for this practice.

   • Plus, the importance of links to achieving a better ranking for your site is related to the standing of the site linking to you. So, a link from a site highly ranked itself, will be worth more in the search engines eyes than hundreds of links from low/non-ranked sites.

   • Do not fall for the pie-in-the-sky instant promises of these services. Building effective links takes time and perseverance.

7. There have been recent changes in search engine submission policies. Today to get your site indexed quickly, the most cost effective, and in some cases, the only way to get on certain search engines, is to pay for a guaranteed site review. The two best places to apply are through the Looksmart search engine network and the Yahoo directory.
   • The cost for the Yahoo review is $299 and is recurring annually. Plus, you are paying for a review only, with no guarantee of being listed. Also, these services do NOT guarantee where your site will be positioned, just that if accepted, it will be indexed Lastly, on this point, keep in mind your fee of $299 is NOT refunded if your site is not accepted. Here is part of an email site rejection received by a local site from Yahoo:

   • "Dear Business Express Client,
     
     Yahoo! has reviewed the URL you submitted with Business Express order #. We're sorry to report that we've decided not to include your site in the Yahoo! directory at this time. We base our evaluation of each site solely on the content it
     has on the site at the time of evaluation. When we reviewed your site today, we found that it did not have enough content to support a listing through the Business Express program."

   • . Looksmart has changed to a pay per click basis.

8. To lessen the potential for your site submission being rejected, and to insure your share of the Internet search engine traffic ... Hire a company that specializes in positioning. The most cost-effective things to consider with this approach in order of importance are:
   1. A guarantee that your specified keywords will achieve a position on page one, two or three of the search engine results.
   2. A written outline of the entire program.
   3. No charge should be made for any placement below page three.
   4. There should be a sliding fee charged based on actual results.
   5. There should be a maximum fee stated.
   6. Prior to hiring any firm you should verify their actual prior results.

9. With a little time and a modest investment you can achieve some very respectable results yourself. There are a few programs available, but the best one, which we utilize in our own business, is WebPosition Gold. The extensive help section alone provides invaluable insights into top search engine positioning.

In conclusion, real estate web sites can be very productive in achieving huge search engine keyword directed traffic. For additional insights into the Internet search engines, software programs noted above and web site promotion, visit: www.websitetrafficbuilders.com

Bob is a Certified Residential Specialist, associate broker with Century 21 Award in San Diego Ca. & co-owner of http://www.websitetrafficbuilders.com. Internet web site placement specialists and distributors of Epson compatible inkjet cartridges.
Bob can be contacted at: