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External Website Optimisations |
Ok, you've optimised your web pages. You've tweaked headings. You've added really good (unique) content. What else can you do to boost your Google ranking and get traffic coming to your website?
Building Links
One way to boost your traffic and page ranking in search engines is to have links from other websites point to your website. The theory goes that the more links that point to your website from other websites the more importance Google and other search engines will place on your website when people are making searches.
It is also important to try and have these links on relevant websites or areas of websties. For example, if you are selling "fresh plums" and you have a link on "Joe's Garage" website it isn't going to be as good as a link from say "Fresh Produce" or "Fruit and Vegetables" website.
Some people join a 'Link Exchange' where websites trade links - you add a link to their website on your website, and they do the same for your website. However, one-way links are said to be the best - having your website link on other websites without having there site link back to yours.
Not only will this help with search engine ranking, but if you can get your website link on other high traffic websites chances are you will naturally get people following the link to give you traffic to your website as well. Remember, if your website link is on some total irrelevant or unrelated website people 'may' follow the link and count towards traffic when you check statistics for your website, but if they only stay for 30 seconds or less then what is the point?
Submit to Seach Engines
Search engines are normally very good at finding new website, though you can manually submit your website address to search engines which may speed up the process on very new websites (generally unnecessary). It can sometimes take 48 hours to 2 weeks before websites can appeal in search engine results, so don't shoot your website host just yet. If it takes longer than that, then there may be a problem and it would be best to contact your web administrator.
Submit to Seach Engines Manually
Add website to Google
Add website to Yahoo
Website Directories
Website directories are a good way to get your website referenced and linked. Even better when it is free! Of course, there are plenty of directories or 'premium' accounts for listings but ask yourself what you are getting in return and even perhaps do a free trial before handing over any money. Some premium sites are worth their weight in gold, but are often better at promoting certain types of businesses over others (so do your homework).
Also try any local community websites you can list you website on, or simply googling 'business directory' (or even search for more specific directories).
Please find below some free listing directories. We will update this list with more later.
Directories with free listings
Yellow Pages
Australian Business Directory
Hot Frog
BusinessPages.org
Ozbizlinks
AusBiz.net
Australian Business Listing
MooToad
StartLocal
AussieLocal.com.au
Shopseek.com.au
TrueLocal.com.au
w3PAGES
webfind.com.au
Fatcow - Australia's Farming and Agricultural
Gumtree
dLook
OceanPages.com.au
SurfPacfic.net.au
Addme.com
Article Submissions
Another trick you can use is to write useful articles, perhaps a 'how-to' article or tutorial, and submit it to another website (of course with your website referenced). If the article has some worthy content it may generate some traffic to the article and then hopefully to your website. The two-fold effect is direct traffic to your website, and also help search engines to build data and reference relevant information to link with keywords regarding your website. To know the exact process of how Google or any other search engine does this is unknown unless you work for Google or similar company, but just know that this works!
Blogs, Twitter, Facebook and other sites
A recent fad has been to have a twitter or facebook account for your business. While it sounds a bit strange at first seeing that these sites originally stemmed from personal and social networking, for many business these sites are actually improving traffic quite significantly. Because of the mammoth size of these sites if you manage to promote your business just a little bit and carve a small percentage of traffic, that small percentage can actually be quite a lot. The down side is that it may start to eat up some of your spare time plugging your business constantly especially if you are posting daily.