When potential customers search the Web for products and services you provide, you want to make sure that your Web site show up – if not on top, at least in the running. Few users are going to scroll through page after page to find your business so you've got to master the art of boosting a business Web site ranking, a process known as search engine optimization or SEO.

There are a number of ways you can "optimize" your site to gain a more favorable position. Improving your Web site rankings can:

1. Drive more traffic to your site
2. Build awareness about your company
3. Add credibility
4. Increase sales

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Provide quality content with effective keyword phrases

Choosing the best keyword phrases, and including them in your content, is one of the most important aspects of SEO. Keywords should be used in page titles and the site description in your META tags as well.

I recommend: Use tools such as Overture to choose keywords.Enter a keyword in the tool to find out how often the phrase is searched and to receive a list of similar keyword phrases and their own search rankings.

Increase relevant incoming links

The number of incoming links helps search engines determine how 'important' your website is when determining site rankings. The biggest key here is that incoming links should actually be relevant to your content.Links from generic sites like directories don't carry the same weight in search engine rankings. Also, it's always more valuable to receive one-way incoming links, rather than having reciprocal links (or a link exchange).

I recommend: IncomingLinks.com provides a listing of niche-specific directories and tips on approaching sites while trying to build incoming links.

Submit your site to search engines and directories

You can't rank well in search engines if you're not listed there in the first place. Most search engines will 'spider' your site on their own (find your pages through incoming links and internal links), and index them. If your site has been live for a while and still hasn't been indexed, at least submit your URL to the major search engines and directories.

I recommend: Submit your URL to Google, Yahoo! and MSN.

Get help

Monitoring your search engine rankings and adapting your strategy when search engines implement new algorithms to determine rankings can be very time consuming. If you run a major Web Site, or you simply don't want to handle the task yourself, get help.

I recommend: If you have a small Web Site, you may be able to get by with a software program, such as Web Position Gold. You can opt to hire a full-time employee or contract the work out to an SEO firm such as Fathom SEO. You can find many SEO professionals in the SEO Consultants Directory.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Submit your site to search engines and directories if it isn't already listed there.
• •  Research the best keyword phrases in your topic and create quality content utilizing them.
• •  Use those same keywords in your page titles, headings and subheadings. Also use them in your site description in your META tags.
• •  Strive to increase relevant one-way incoming links to your site.
• •  Avoid using duplicate content on your site (content with a non-exclusive license that is also being used on other websites).
• •  Review your efforts often to ensure that your site remains at the top of the list.