5 (Ethical) Tips to Help Your Client Rank Higher in Google Search

It's been said that the best place to hide a dead body is on page three of Google search results...because ain't no one going there. You could leave a trail of bread crumbs wrapped in cash leading to your client's website and it still wouldn't matter. Current and prospective audiences do not travel that far on a search engine because they are either "busy," lazy, or simply assume there is nothing past page two that they need to see in the first place. And how wrong are they, really? Folk are bending over backwards to make things happen because digital PR is so competitive. So, outside of bribing Google, Bing, and Yahoo -- or resorting to the occasional black-hat tactic -- how can you make the most of the Interwebs for your client? We have some ideas. Five of them. This week's #5Things is a list of tips to help your clients climb toward the top of those all-important search results...ethically, of course. 1. Know the King and Queen of the Internet. We all know that content is king, and although that many people in PR think that just means writing anything, it's like any other marriage: the king needs a queen, and that queen is...links! While your client loves new content, Google adores the links that should come with it. Is your client able to score a few linkbacks via relevant, authoritative websites? Good. If not, find a website that would allow a guest blog to link back to your site. Join industry associations. Submit that website to directories for backlinks. If the Internet really is the "Web," you need the largest possible net to make your content stick and provide links. 2. Learn to Write SEO-Friendly Websites. The days of cramming all the client's content into a press release template are over. Do your releases have links in the copy? Does your release contain words and links germane to your website? Bold terms? Keywords? How about this: Do you know that, without a thorough understanding of how to write for the Web, your release matters about as much as that 450-word boiler plate at the end of it? Consider Google as a person: if you don't care about content that doesn't amount to anything, why should the Internet at large? Take a class. Read a book. Or you could just Google it. 3. Quantity, Not Quality. Now that Google has brought its zoo to the Internet (e.g., Penguin, Panda, Hummingbird), your content needs more than anything to have a purpose. Search results are, ideally, based on the content quality, not just quantity. As we all know, countless websites consistently release low-quality content that doesn't mean anything. If you blog, write Web pages, pen editorials, or score bylines, the content you (or your client) creates must be high in quality and packed with terms, definitions, and a basic story that is directly connected to the subject at hand. Consistency is required in order for your client to leap a few spaces above its competitors. 4. Speaking Engagements Are Internet Appointments. What usually happens when your client gets a speaking opportunity? Exposure to various people, a nice chance to network, and the occasional honorarium. All that stuff is good, but if the organization holding the seminar is worth anything, they'll place a bio of your client on their website. That "quality content" and its backlinks are like crack to a search engine. The brief bio linking to your client's website is yet another outside source designed to increase credibility and authority. The more backlinks and guest speaker bios your client earns, the higher up on Google, Bing, or Yahoo they will land. 5. Keywords are Still Key. This is one of the most overstated and least understood topics on the Internet. To put it in the most simplistic terms possible: when people are searching for your client, what words do they use? No one searches by URL any more, which is why understanding the words used to describe your client's business and industry are crucial for PageRank. Search engines -- specifically Google -- have algorithms that are so dense and complex that it does us no good trying to comprehend them. Just respect them. Do your client a big favor: invest time to analyze the keywords that produce conversions and make your client money. If you have access to Google Analytics, use it. Which words lead to maximum conversions? As they say, "Knowing is half the battle."

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5 (Ethical) Tips to Help Your Client Rank Higher in Google Search

Yes, your client can move on up "like George and Weezie."

Shawn Paul Wood

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Shawn Paul Wood