To most web users, the Internet starts with a search engine. With more than 1 trillion webpages online, how can you help your site to be found? Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the techniques used to present your site to Google, Yahoo, MSN and other top engines. Now with tons of informational resources, so called experts and training seminars, what is a small bsuiness owner to do?

Without going into a deep technical discussion, there are three very vital steps to keep in mind when developing, publishing and syndicating content online:

1) Keywords: More than just phrases, keyword research is a the foundational discovery step. Knowing what you want to say is often easy; determining who and how people are searching for it is the challenge. Sites like Keyword Discovery and SpyFu are great free resources to utilize. Remember when implementing your keyword and key phrase strategy, it’s not the quantity it’s the quality.

2) On Page Elements-The factors that you use to build your web pages. Items like site wide navigation (how easy is it for a web visitor to discover and find things on your site). Far too many times I see very deep page staructures meaning too many clicks to discovery. A good startegy to stick by is what I  call “3 Clicks to Gold”. Pull up Google, type in a search term, {Click}, from the results page find the item you’re looking for {click}; land on that specific website’s page matching your item {click} and take action (buy, subscribe, call, etc}.

3) Off Page Elements-Extremely important in getting found and improving placement in search engine results pages. Off page factors in short are all the other sites referencing or linking to yours. Now remeber, just as in keywords, it’s not quantity its the  quality. Too many irrelevant links and Google will even penalize you as a link farm (someone who buys tons of links).  A strong off page startegy includes creating social profiles with links back to your site, blog commenting, article submission and even product reviews.

1) Content: More so than just writing creative text that keeps a reader interested, you have to consider extremely descriptive terms that not only are relevant but are also searched for in top search engines such as Google, Yahoo and MSN. Remember industry inside talk, such as”802.11 card” may make sense to you as the merchant, but come to find out consumers may be searching for “Wireless Internet Access Card” .

2) Easy checkout lanes and short lines: Just as we all hate a crowded store in the real world or long checkout lines, the virtual world can have the same affect. Always remember when building the navigational part of your site, how a consumer searches and selects product, make sure it’s simple, intuitive and quick. Unfortunately in the online world, there isn’t a sales associate walking around in the orange vest to answer questions.

For more detailed tips, have a quick read of the CNN article and remember millions are searching, but only few are finding. Got a question or comment, let’s hear it?