Being relatively new to search engine optimization techniques,
I dreaded confronting the mysterious Google aging penalty which,
by some accounts, plagues websites for well over a year. Moreover,
I figured that achieving a decent PageRank (not that it really
matters) would be as elusive as first page Google rankings.
Well, after about 3 months of worrying, I’m fortunate
enough to say that my newly registered domain has emerged from
the depths of anonymity with a PageRank 5 and more importantly,
several first page search result rankings.
Since I never came across an easy to digest newbie “how
to guide”, I figure why not share my experiences? With
that said, I’d like to layout exactly what I did so
other newbies have a framework by which satisfactory PageRank
and first page rankings can be achieved. It should come as
no surprise that my short-term success was a result of domain
selection, unique content and link building.
Domain
1. Keyword rich domain, not too long and yet catchy.
Don’t go overboard with keywords and hyphens. The shorter
the better.
2. Try to buy an existing domain with a favorable
reputation and topical authority. Expect a somewhat
attractive, aged domain to sell for $500 - $10,000. In
my opinion, the “extreme” cash outlay isn’t
worth it unless you’re rolling in bills or the competitive
landscape warrants a “running start”.
3. Register the domain for multiple years since
Google favors multi-year registrations. Most fly-by-night
spam websites are registered for only a single year.
4. Host the domain on a dedicated or managed server
that includes at least 1 IP address - finding
a reliable host in itself can be an exercise.
Website
1. Set up a temporary website as soon as possible
and don’t wait for the finished site since website
development usually takes a lot longer than expected.
In my case, the project timetable allotted 2 months when
in fact development took 6 months.
2. Develop a simple HTML website to house temporary
content unless a better alternative is possible.
The temporary site is meant to be search engine “fodder” designed
to begin the search engine courting process in which Google,
et al. assign your site to a topical neighborhood. In my
case, a rather rudimentary homepage was developed that
was updated several times a week with new content. Once
moved off the home page, older content was hot linked from
the home page, and yes, it was damn ugly.
3. Create on-topic keyword-rich content with a length
of 300-500 words. I started with content derived
from industry news. Topics were researched, expanded upon
and then transformed into unique articles.
4. Update keyword rich unique content as frequently
as possible. Since golf real estate isn’t
that newsworthy, my options were limited. Therefore, on
average, 3 new and unique content items were posted on
my site weekly.
Link Building
1. Secure one-way inbound links with any reciprocal
linking. Basically, there are 3 alternatives: directory
links, article syndication and press releases. Natural inbound
links are nearly impossible since your site is really set
up for search engines. Despite this, one should be able to
safely generate at least 300 external links over a 3 month
period.
2. Create 3-4 site descriptions for link building
with targeted keywords in the anchor and description text.
Vary site descriptions by using word stems and related
keywords. I created a basic site description template that
changed on the fly when submitting to directories.
3. Submit to as many credible directories as possible
and don’t worry about accumulating too many links
too soon since most directories don’t approve links
immediately. Over the 3 month period in question,
I probably submitted my website to at least 150 free directories.
Prior to submitting my site to a directory, I made sure
that the page my link would be on had a PageRank and that
PageRank was passed. I wished I had known about RoboForm
which I recommend using for directory submissions.
4. Write and post at least 2 articles to as many
credible article syndication sites as possible.
Articles should target a couple keywords without going
overboard on keyword frequency. Optimum length is 500-1,000
words. I submitted 3 articles, each spread a month apart,
to about 110 somewhat credible article syndication sites.
The sites were compiled by parsing through the numerous
SEO forums.
5. Submit a couple press release if you have something
noteworthy to announce. Article syndication guidelines
can be applied to press release distribution. I’ve
been able to find approximately 50 credible free press
release sites.
Robert Flournoy is a private gated community real estate
internet marketing consultant and founder of GolfHomeConnect.com.
Golf Home Connect dedicated to connecting active lifestyle
property buyers to golf community realtors, developers and
builders. For additional information on golf course community
real estate visit
http://www.golfhomeconnect.com.
