To rank high on Google, your website has to be measured by

"500 million variables and 2 billion terms" of Google’s equation,

as stated on Google’s Corporate Information Technology Overview

page. Google’s ranking system is based on a democracy, and the

citizens are the links on the worldwide web that vote for

each other. Not unlike our government today, many of these

"links" are paid for, and some are of greater value. Ranking

high on Google is playing politics. Links and Keywords are the

key players in the ranking game. Google also takes into

consideration the full content of the page including HTML

codes, fonts, subdivisions and the "precise location of each

word."

Links are votes. You must develop a link strategy. Google

likes linking things together. Create a rich network of links

with distinct quality content. Your website must have quality

links going out and coming in. Quality is the key word. Links

from reputable pages (which ironically includes .gov pages)

are given more weight than links on "link farm" pages. Linking

to a "link farm" is one of the worst things you can do and can

potentially get your deported off the web. The better the links,

the better your ranking. Google will factor in your page content

and the content of the pages you link to. Do your research.

Google has a free page rank tool on their toolbar. Use it to

find out the page ranking and visit the site.

Google also gives more weight to one-way links that lead to your

site, and less weight to reciprocal links. How do you get these?

Buy them. List yourself in a reputable directory

listing. Make sure you are listed in the Open Directory Project

(DMOZ.org). If you can’t buy links, write good content. Give

someone a reason to link to your site. Again, the keyword is

Quality. Submitting articles and press releases are also

strategies in the linking game.

Keywords are your platform. They are what you stand for. Words

count. Graphics don’t. Make sure your words are not in graphic

form and make sure you have relevant titles under your graphics.

Start with your title tag. Put everything you stand for in ten

words or less. Make your URLs short and keyword specific.

Brand yourself. If you type in soda, Mountain Dew will not show

up on the first page. If you type in Mountain Dew, it will

be on the first page. Brand yourself so users know what they

are searching for. Do not put the same words in every heading

and every tag. Be descriptive. Sell yourself. There are

multitudes of free keyword rank and suggestion tools. Use them

as a supplement to your knowledge of your company.

Think of every element in your website as words and pages

in a presentation that is going to be up for a vote. Does

everything fit? Is it all related? Are you a reputable

company with a quality product? Does it sell? Now sell it.

Google is waiting for you.