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top tips to improve your search engine ranking

Research your key phrases

Find out what phrase people type into the search engine when they're searching for your service. Ask your clients how they search for you- what they say might surprise you. And remember, hardly anybody types just one word into a search engine, we've learned to use a three or more word phrase to get good results. Make use of keyword research tools to help you understand searching behaviour.

Hand craft your Title Tag

The Title of every web page plays double duty: it influences the page's position in the search engine rankings and it is also the clickable link to your site in the search engine results. Get your key phrase in your Title Tag, and avoid dead words like Welcome or Home. Every page should have a unique Title Tag describing what the page is about.

Get links to your website

Other sites need to link to your web site - but you don't want just any old links. They have to be from quality sites that form part of your business' topical community. Links from professional associations, government or education bodies, directories or other expert sites are probably the most important factor in boosting your credibility and your search engine rankings.

Make your site search engine friendly

The search engines can't watch Flash movies, can't see your pictures, and can't pull down menus. Think "text." Search engine friendly websites have text links to all the content on the site, with descriptive text on your images and links.

Write well

Create great copy about your products and services, and you'll be using your key phrases naturally. There isn't any magic formula or percentage for key phrases. Just focus on your customers, not the search engines.

Don't be tempted to cheat

"Black hat" optimisation techniques try to improve your rankings in an unethical manner. Keyword stuffing, buying link packages, doorway pages, invisible text are all ways to break the search engine rules . If Google was serious enough to ban BMW from its index for cheating, then it will certainly ban you if you do the same.

Susan Hallam is an internet marketing trainer and consultant.

Read Susan Hallam's search marketing blog if you want to keep up to date, or subscribe to her email marketing newsletter

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