SEO – The Pot of Gold at the End of the Rainbow

Search Engine Optimisation - otherwise known as SEO – can be likened to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Few people bother to search for the end of a rainbow when it appears, already certain that the pot of gold rumoured to be there is a myth.

However, regardless of whether the gold is there or not, if you look in the right place, the end of the rainbow does indeed exist.

So too, it is with SEO. What so many have considered an impossibility – to have a real hand in improving a site’s ranking on Google or any other search engine – is actually merely the adherence to a spectrum of factors, heavily based on research, keywords, text, links, and correct site structure, to name the main factors.

No longer an enigma of the global marketing world, SEO has unveiled much of the mystery of which sites are placed where and why. Here is probably the most phenomenal marketing tool of the modern age: the ability to reach an unprecedented amount of people, who are searching for exactly what you offer.

So why is it relatively unexploited?

Possibly due to the bad rap SEO has received to date. With many of the belief that a handful of random keywords inserted into their text will suddenly propel their site towards the number one position, it’s no wonder they get disappointed.

Identifying the “niche market keyword phrase” is a challenging task that demands substantial research. Yet finding the right niche market can be the difference between getting into the “Top 10” and not, the success and failure of an online business.

Choosing the “wrong” keywords means that valuable time and money may be wasted. Reaching the Top 10 of Google will not help you or your site, if the search term you have used to get there is not used by anyone else.

SEO is not comprised solely of keywords: it is broken down into two equally – important facets: on-page optimisation and off-page optimisation. On-page optimisation concentrates on making the copywriting aspect of the site (the text, tags, and descriptions that the search engine “spiders” use to rate its relevance to a search request term) informative, creative, correct, and of course, keyword-rich. Off–page optimisation focuses on the links to and from various other sites.

These links can originate from specific links pages, articles, press releases, forum posts, chat room comments, tagged images, YouTube videos, pod casts, blog posts and social networking sites such as Facebook or Twitter.

A link protocol must also be followed: links need to be acquired at a natural pace and from a variety of sites that provide related content and ideally are highly-ranked by Google in terms of importance (page rank).

On-page and off-page optimisation requires time, so it is not surprising that SEO does cost. If done correctly, it should more than compensate for the initial investment in terms of increased business.

So, is it possible for any site to rank in the first page of the Google search results listings? The answer is a resounding yes!

Making sure that your website is structurally and technically correct, contains keyword-rich text and clearly tagged images, supports a network of inbound and outbound connections (links) to other related sites, is constantly maintained, and regularly updated with relevant information, is a sure-fire way to drive your site up into that elusive “Top 10”.

Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of spending too much time, energy, and money on a site that can’t be found. By using the knowledge that now exists you can effectively reach the people that you want – wherever in the world, they may be.

Exploit SEO and discover that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow really does exist! 

To learn more about DDG's SEO products and services or to discuss your online business needs, contact DDG's Sydney, Melbourne or Geelong office here.

By Tracy Roth-Rotsas
SEO Consultant