subject: How Search Engines Make Your Page Real: Part 2 [print this page] How Search Engines Make Your Page Real: Part 2
How real are your web pages if they cannot be found?
Your keywords, according to your business will be uniquely suited to your text content, and they will follow two rules:
A reasonable assumption of what your market will search for
A more exact and unique expression of your business values
Before you can even assume what your market will search for you have to know who your web market is, collectively speaking. If you do not have a description of your web market then selecting keywords can be like fishing without proper bait.
Do you know your web market?
You have two avenues of thought to choose from in discovering your web market.
Logic based on your own business
Intuition based on your business values
These two avenues of thought are the subject of another article called "Discover your web market from the inside" and so I won't go any further into the subject other than to say that the inner research you do is more important than the outer research. I'm sure a few marketing pros will disagree.
When you know something about your web market you can create keyword signals that your market will recognize. These keywords then play a big part both in your web pages and on the web with your organic web marketing. This is another subject that is part of your web marketing strategy and it simply goes to show how layered and integrated search engine optimization can be. Again I digress.
The best keywords do not provide page rank
Placing high for your search terms is not the same thing as having a high page rank. For most small businesses they can place very high with search engines for their unique search terms that were discovered through internal research. Establishing your unique search terms is very important as the first step in building your own network within the web. There won't be much there at first, but it is all your to build upon.
Today most any small business can place high with search engines by using unique search terms that connect with their market.
For these same businesses that want to be found for popular search terms they will need a higher page rank and deep pockets for ongoing advertising.
Page rank is based on link popularity
Google invented page rank based on link popularity as a way of finding web pages that were highly relevant to a given search term. The logic goes like this:
If a web page has a lot of incoming links from other web sites it must be because the page that is linked to is very relevant.
From this perspective Google raised the bar on finding relevant pages for search terms and in the process it created the system known as "page rank." Therefore, when you see web site pages that place very high for popular search terms you know that they have a lot of incoming links from other web sites.
This started a whole new way for SEO people to manipulate a web page into a high placement for popular search terms. It also became abusive from Google's perspective and it constantly changes algorithms to compensate.
Building link popularity
Google has the greatest regard for organic link building which is simply another term for natural link building. That is to say, when a page has high relevance other web sites will link as a reference, or to share the best information by providing a link. This is not only a compliment to the relevant web page but it is a stronger vote of confidence for Google as opposed to a link exchange.
A link exchange is a secondary way for web sites to voluntarily exchange links so that they both gain in link popularity. Google spots the exchange and discounts the value in comparison to a one way link.
At the end of the day, so-to-speak, it will be a combination of good keywords, good page content and one way links that will boost your web site within sight of your web market.
