by Debra A. Jason

Questions I hear, more often than not, are, "I have keyword meta tags on my Web site, but I still don’t show up in the search engines?" "Or, "I use keyword meta tags, but my site doesn’t show up in the top 10 — not even in the top 50. How come?"

Upon reviewing sites such as these, one of the main reasons they’re not getting good positioning is quickly apparent. There are no keyword phrases in the ACTUAL PAGE CONTENT! How can your site be relevant when you don’t even mention the keyword phrase in your text?

In addition, as Search Engine Watch’s Danny Sullivan says (and has said for years), "Meta tags are not a magic solution. They have never been a guaranteed way to gain a top ranking on crawler-based search engines." That holds true more so today than ever before as very few search engines support keyword meta tags anymore.

Since day one, search engines have continually changed their algorithms for determining relevancy of a Web site. However, certain key criteria have remained the same and can still make a difference in your Web site. Granted, it’s getting harder and harder to achieve or maintain top search engine positioning — especially with pay per click options growing in popularity — but it can be done.

Content Is Still King

As I’ve stated repeatedly in my presentations on the subject, although there are many different criteria the search engines take into account when ranking your Web page, one of the most important places they have always searched and continue to search is the actual page content.

This doesn’t bode well for your site if the Home page is simply a large logo or image that says "Enter here." Same goes for a Flash presentation with an option to "Skip intro."

So, what can you do? Whether you do it yourself or hire an experienced pro, here are a few guidelines. Adhere to them and increase your chances of creating a relevant site. For instance, pay attention to:

1. Location and frequency. I have long maintained that your Home page needs content on it — it’s one of the most important things to the search engines’ spiders (not to mention to the viewers of your site). Content is where the spiders look for the keyword phrase that your viewers are searching. And, they look in certain strategic places for those words or phrases. Three important locations include:

a. The page title (programmed in the HTML code).
b. The page headline
c. The first few paragraphs of text

"Search engines assume that any page relevant to the topic will mention those words right from the beginning," explained Danny Sullivan. Those pages with a greater frequency of the keyword are also often considered more relevant and therefore, can obtain higher positioning. As always, be careful not to overdo it or the search engines will think you’re ‘spamming’ and penalize your page.

Unlike a brochure, where I avoid repeating the same words or phrases, a Web site benefits from repetition (when the words being repeated are relevant keywords). However, it must be within reason — don’t repeat keywords so often on a page (or hide them in the background) that the engines penalize you for "spamming."

2. Link popularity. Are there links from other Web sites that link to your Web site? I’m not talking about links from search engines to your site, but links from other compatible sites that offer your site as a resource.

Last time I checked, The Write Direction’s site had more than three hundred links from other sites to its site. It’s a time consuming process, but you can do it too. First, why not check your current link popularity? You can do this at www.linkpopularitycheck.com. Then, go online and do a search. Find sites that are compatible — not competitive — with yours and contact them directly requesting a reciprocal link.

Or, visit LinkPartners.com. It is a free categorized directory of web sites that trade reciprocal links with one another. Also known as "link swapping" and "link exchange," you can swap links with other quality sites, increase web site traffic and boost the link popularity of your site.

3. Length of time you’ve been online. If your company’s site has been online for several years, the search engines deem the company a viable and credible business. Therefore, the site is considered relevant to them.

If you’re just getting online, it doesn’t mean you’re not credible. It just means it may take you a longer time to be recognized and achieve a higher rating. Patience is the name of the game here. Even when you submit your site to the search engines and know it’s relevant for a specific keyword phrase or phrases, it can take months till it’s indexed in the rankings (that’s why having an integrated marketing campaign in place is vital).

I had one client who kept calling each month saying his site wasn’t showing up in the search engines. Or, it showed up one day and was gone the next. Six months later, he called to thank me because the site was consistently achieving top ranking for 2-3 of his keywords. It just was a matter of time. Today, years later, the site is maintaining those high rankings.

Some people ask me why I "give away" these pointers in my articles or seminars. Here’s my answer. I believe it’s important for any marketer to understand the Web and its intricacies simply for their own education. I teach courses on copywriting because it helps professionals, who don’t write, understand what to look for when they hire a writer.

So, when I write about search engine content and SEO (search engine optimization) it’s also about making sure you understand what’s important. This way you’ll know what to pay attention to should you do it yourself or what to look for should you retain a specialist to assist you in your efforts.

Hire A Professional or Do It Yourself?

If you do an online search for "freelance copywriter, you’ll find my Web site, www.writedirection.com, achieves top positioning on many of the leading search engines (within the top 10 and, at the time of this writing, #1 on Google). This isn’t an accident. It occurs because of hard work and a concerted effort. And, as a result, I offer my expertise doing the same for other companies’ Web sites

Should you decide to retain the services of an expert who understands search engine optimization, be sure you let them do what they do best. In her article, "Letting Your Search Engine Optimization Expert Do Their Job," Jill Whalen explained it this way, "If you're going to hire an expert to do something for you, whether it be search engine optimization or building a house, you've got to trust them to do their job correctly. Professionals do not make specific recommendations just for the heck of it. They have tried-and-true methods that they know will work. If you hire someone who has a good reputation and track record, then put your faith in him or her (May 2002)"

So many times professionals like Ms. Whalen and myself have heard comments like, "Oh, my cousin’s brother likes to write. He’ll do our Web page content." Whether your sister, your roommate or you, want to take on the content of your Web site, my recommendation is this . . . do your homework and be prepared. Understand your product and your market . . . read up on the subject of search engine optimization . . . search the Web . . . do a test run.

If your site already has keyword meta tags, there’s no harm in leaving them there. As Danny Sullivan said, "...it’s sometimes useful as a way to reinforce the terms you think a page is important for ON THE FEW CRAWLERS THAT SUPPORT IT" (i.e. Inktomi and Teoma are two of the leading engines that still do). If you do use them, keep two things in mind:

1. Your keyword meta tags should be consistent with the text in your body copy.
2. Don’t repeat a particular keyword too often or you may damage your page’s chance of obtaining high rankings.

After taking on the job yourself, if you still don’t get the results you want, then turn to a professional who does this for a living. You’ll find it’s a smart marketing investment.

Debra Jason is a seasoned copywriter with more than 19 years of experience in the field of direct marketing. Formerly based in Boulder, she is now on the island of Kauai, HI. Her business, The Write Direction, specializes in writing Web and direct marketing communications such as brochures, catalogs, direct mail packages, Web sites and more. Having written numerous articles and spoken on the topic of Web marketing, she also helps clients optimize the content of their Web sites to improve search engine positioning. She may be reached at (808) 826-1846, email: debra@earthlink.net or visit her on the World Wide Web at http://www.writedirection.com.