Needmore Designs is not a search engine optimization firmbut we do know how to make websites that are quite searchable! When we design a website, it is important to know if search engine ranking is important to you.

For many of our clients, searches are not an important way of spreading the word about their site. Many excellent ways of promoting your website exist within your current means, and you can let people know about your website through ads, mailings and word of mouth.

Perhaps, for you, the best way to reach people outside this circle of influence is by getting your site into search engines on the Internet. When we create your site, we?ll create the best website for you and, if optimization is important, your site will be created in a way that is easy to read for search engines.

No one can guarantee specific placement results because a third party, the search engine, is ultimately in charge of how your site ranks. To ensure the best possible visibility for your website, it is important to address three components of a website:

1. Content
2. Links
3. Popularity

The content component targets keywords that are placed both in your meta tags, title tags, alternate text for graphic images and in your website’s copy.

Your site might also benefit from improving internal links. These include the coding of your navigatin. One helpful tip: if your navigation is graphical, consider plain-text navigation links at the bottom of your website as well. Also, some sites have trouble following image maps and flash (Google and FAST Search can follow flash links).

Finally, site popularity is measured by the number of reputable links pointed at your site and how often (and how long) people look at your website.

For new websites, it is not uncommon to wait 3 to 6 months before a search engine like Google indexes your site. During that time, you can relax and enjoy your new site. Or, if driving traffic to your site immediately is important, consider chatting with us about options for paid placement programs, such as Google’s own AdWords.

Most of the information for this article was inspired by the book Search Engine Visibility by Shari Thurow.