Many people are asking me about what it takes to make their website easier to find through Search Engines such as Google, Bing, and Yahoo. My first reply is often that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is part art and part science. Although some SEO marketers make it sound like there is a 'Golden Bullet' that will bring your website on the number one position in the search results, the reality is much different. There are an estimated 150 to 200 million websites made up of over 25 billion pages, although nobody knows the exact number. My point is, no matter what kind of business you are in, there will be thousands of websites that sell or promote a similar product or service.

Although there are no shortcuts when it comes to ranking high in the search engine results (most people will only click on results that are on the top of the first page) there are some things that can be done to make it easier for search engines to find you on the web. Google has an excellent, easy to read document that describes some of the most important factors that Google uses to rank websites in their database. The Search Engine Starter Guide gives clear direction of best practices and is a good primer on how you can optimize your website.

Most importantly, having fresh and relevant information and content on your website is probably the easiest way to find your way to the top of search engine results.