Failure should never be an option. Unfortunately for many online pr and marketing strategies, this is the harsh reality. This is not necessarily due to a lack of efforts, but more on the basis of improper techniques and limited “Know how”. Having a meaningful presence on the Internet goes far beyond merely having websites and social media accounts, it is about taking the right measures to market those websites and social media accounts and make them count.
Websites are the best way to publicize ones image and purpose to the world at any one time. But along with creating the website, it is important to manage how the website will be ranked in the search engines. Of course, a high rank is the ultimate goal, but to achieve this there are several things that MUST be taken into consideration:
* What the Spider-bot wants, It Gets!
Upon understanding how search engines operate, website must be constructed accordingly. When a “search” is conducted, the first thing that is looked upon is the home page of that website. The “spiders” or crawlers robots within the search engine therefore go over this page of the website to identify the information it seeks. However, if the homepage (and this must be emphasized) does not contain these sought out information, the website will neither be ranked nor appear in the search engine results. The inclusion of images and graphics are therefore advised to be very minimal on the home page of website as the search engine robots will NOT extract information from these. However, where this is unavoidable, include as many of the key phrases as possible on the page to further enhance the online PR and Marketing strategy.
* What are you saying with SEO?
The single most important aspect to a website is its WRITTEN CONTENT. Since this is the criteria that search engines use to measure its relevance within a search, it therefore follows that websites that possess Keywords and Phrases rich contents should receive high rankings. Achieving such key word rich contents, is done through the process of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Primarily, this entails providing information on the website (mainly the Home page), that are “rich” with the key words and phrases that the crawlers robots will identify as relevant to that particular search. However, this must be meticulously done through careful research for such words and phrases that are being sought by search engine user yet possess minimum competition from other websites. The information containing these key words and phrases must then be logically presented on the website. Keyword search platforms such as Google Adwords Keyword Tool will assist with this process and thereby provide any Public Relations online or Marketing campaign with its best chances to succeed.
* Back-linking offers such great support
Having keyword rich contents on the website is the primary and most essential step to success. However, along with this, the websites need to have quality back links to other relating websites in order to be validated. The higher the ranks of these back links the better the chances are of the websites receiving priority by the search engines. Again careful research must be done to identify the best back links for the website. Importantly too, are the number and quality of back links received from other websites.
* Yes, we’ve been SiteMapped and Indexed – You Can Find Us
The website must also be SiteMapped and Indexed. Fortunately however, the process of getting indexed within a search engine directory is automatic (can be done manually),providing that all the other procedures are done correctly. SiteMaps are files (best placed in the root directory of the website), that inform the search engines about all the other pages on a website. They provide details about the content of each website page, which makes them more accessible and identifiable within the search directories. Thus, having Sitemaps on any website would make it easier to be located by the search engine.
* Stay on Track
Further tools should be implemented in the process of website management when conducting online Marketing and Public Relations. These include tracking and ranking devices that monitors the positions of the websites Online i.e. its flow of traffic and the other activities that are done on it. This would therefore assist its manager with identifying what features and information are functional and the things that should be adjusted in order to improve its success rate.
* PING! – Just Love That Sound – Generates Traffic From All Around
Pinging the websites are also useful ways to generate traffic and increase page ranking. This is a simple process of notifying the search engine index about any updated information that has been added to the websites. It is easily done by uploading the URL to websites that offers this service and helps the website to stay current and relevant in search results. There are various free Ping sites available on the Internet. In addition to this, persons also have the option of adding RSS Feeds to their websites and thus generate even more repeat visits to the site. By this method, persons who have subscribed for the RSS Feed, are instantly alerted about new information that has been added to the website.
* What is SEM?
Along with those other key methods, implementing Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a vital way gain exposure for websites. Although it also encompasses SEO, it implements methods such as pay-per-click advertising, Google AdSense or other paid advertising features to advance the websites position in search engine results (SERP).
By applying these techniques such as back linking, pinging and many others to your pr online and marketing strategies, your websites should be on their way to being better ranked in the search engine results.