Crawlers, which are small programs, are sent to a site by a search engine when the site is submitted for placement. These crawlers, also called spiders, scout the pages for keywords and tags attached to the site to compile a list of search-related features to generate the site on the search engine’s results page.
Crawlers usually look for keywords, so optimizing their use in the pages is a good way of making sure they are picked up. Also, the more information available for a page, the easier it is for those programs to reference the page. For example, each page should have its own page name clearly defined, and this should include the title and header, which is also known as the meta tag, which the crawlers look for. Tags should also be well used, for they allow for broader scope when the crawlers are doing their job.
A good bet would also be to include the most relevant information of the site in the first paragraph of the home page. The first 2-3 lines of this paragraph are usually included in search engine results a page, providing at first glance whether the site has what the person doing the search is looking for. In this way, the inverted pyramid structure of writing, whereby the paragraphs are written in order of most important information to least important, should be followed when writing the content of the page.
All these help the site have a better chance of ranking among the top spots on the search engine’s results page. 5 to 10% of clicks are generated through higher up placement on results pages. One thing to steer clear of here - bad links or ‘under construction’ pages on the site. This is a deterrent for crawlers, which may thus not add the site to the results, as the site is not fully functional. Regular maintenance and updates of links and pages help to keep this issue at bay.
Another good option to increase organic traffic is to submit the site to directories and other guides on the Internet. These too will make the site come up through searches in their databases.
Other tips to increase organic traffic are:
• Increase the number of related phrases that are typed in search engine boxes in the content of the site – this could allow for the site or page to be featured in results.
• Provide the geographical location of the business – this works mostly for product-based sites, as the likelihood of someone choosing to buy something in their area is enhanced. Providing location, especially if the site is international, helps target more people that could have geographical location as part of their search parameters.
• Listing products/content topic individually – the more pages on the site, the more a site is considered 'worthy' of being included in search engine results. Specific pages for specific content also show in-depth knowledge about the product/content, enhancing the reputation of the site as a good destination.
The above mentioned options are only the tip of the iceberg where increasing traffic is concerned. Other methods have been discussed on this blog, and additional options will be considered individually.
Well then, that's today's post.
Until tomorrow,
Terry
