Get your Web site noticed Page 2 of 2

Create

Avoid scams

Beware of offers that guarantee top placement with search engines. There’s no shortcut to good placement, and some dubious tactics employed by disreputable companies can get your site banned from a search engine. For example, in early 2006, Google temporarily banned the German BMW site because it sent different Web content to the Google search bots than it was providing to regular site visitors.

Some infamous scams include filling a page with nonsensical keyword-rich text, hiding keyword-rich text by making it the same color as a page’s background, and participating in link farms—Web sites that exist merely to increase the number of incoming links to your site.

You can find more information about which tactics Google deems acceptable.

Draw an audience

The best way to attract visitors to your site is to create strong content that’s constantly updated. Here are a few rules that can help you accomplish that:

1. Stick to What You Know Whether you want to blog about local politics or chronicle the progress of your home remodeling projects, make sure you’re passionate about the topic of your Web site. Your enthusiasm will help draw readers who share your passion. But don’t be too self-involved. Think about what your readers want from your site. While most people probably don’t care what your favorite books are, they may be interested in reading book reviews.

2. Go Deeper Look for new and interesting ways to present content. For instance, if you’re selling handmade imported rugs, go beyond the basic sales pitch by providing stories about the places the rugs are made or the people who make them.

3. Update Frequently Once you’ve attracted users to your site, keep them coming back by making sure that your content is fresh and up-to-date.

[ David Sawyer McFarland is the author of Dreamweaver 8: The Missing Manual (O’Reilly, 2005) and CSS: The Missing Manual (O’Reilly, 2006). ]