If their titles, descriptions & keywords put them on top . . .

Want to be on the top of search results?

. . . then why don't I come up on top when I use the same words and similar description?

This was the question posed to me the other day by Maria during a consultation. Since many of you probably have the same question, I thought I would share the answer.

If search engine marketing were as easy as "follow the leader," there were would be thousands, if not millions, that should be "on top." There is only one top slot and someone has to be next.

Because of this, title tags, descriptions and keywords are only a part of what makes a website gain high rankings. There are many, many factors that influence how your site is ranked like these:

• the age of the domain name and related site
• the popularity of the website based upon the number of inbound links
• the popularity of interior pages of the site
• the actual content on the page that serves the visitors
• the words used to link to your site from the outside
• the alternative text used with images and links
• the uniquely written (non-duplicated), quality content

and many more items that, alone, seem insignificant, but when used as part of the overall picture they all contribute to achieving high rankings for a variety of terms within your site.

On a local level, you may have so many competitors that have been online longer it may seem impossible to get your local business to come up on top.   This is especially frustrating when dealing with Google and their local mapping interface.  One way to get ahead in the local market (and overall) is to become great at social marketing.  Google in particular has made it quite clear that they value social interactions on their social site: Google+.

If you've got a question you would like to have answered in this forum, please feel free to email me: tj@myideagirl.com.