March 26th, 2010 by Dan

The Holy Grail for all online businesses these days is to achieve first page results in search engine results. This will undoubtedly lead to more business and increased profits, and as such, sound search engine optimization practices are vital. But just how can you hit that elusive top spot, and once you’ve made it what can you do to stay there?

Well, success comes down to stellar SEO techniques and implementation. A lot of them need to be utilised in your campaign as focusing on one thing is never going to do the job. You’ll need to optimise your content for keywords, include relevant META tags, get top-quality inbound links… and that’s just for starters. It takes a lot of time and effort, but if you’re targeting the right things and using every SEO tool at your disposal you’ll be well on your way to reaching that coveted number 1 position.

But, once you’re there, it’s important to never get complacent. As much as you’d probably like to you can’t just revel in the glory and end your campaign, because your competition will always be snapping at your heels. You’ll need to keep a constant eye on your results and will always need to tweak your strategy throughout the following weeks, months and even years, as constant analysis is the only way to keep that ranking.

It’s a good idea to get even more quality inbound links to cement your position. You need to encourage natural links by improving your design and having exceptional content on each and every page, and don’t be afraid to be even more proactive in your approach. Try to get a link on Wikipedia, for example, as this is a fantastic way to keep your top position. Seek out bloggers who write about your industry and ask them to link back to you, or try article marketing or guest blogging. All of these can be invaluable in increasing your number of inbound links and are therefore worth the effort as part of your SEO link building strategy.

You’ll also need to optimise your click through rates, and you can do this by tweaking your title tags and META descriptions. The title tag is the primary factor in successful on-page SEO and can always be altered for better results, perhaps by shortening it to match the exact keyword phrase or by altering the code/adding a symbol to attract more attention. The description tag can also be optimised to promote your business, as this sales blurb can be one of the easiest ways to encourage more clicks.

It’s also vital to keep up-to-date with current SEO practices, as search engine algorithms are always evolving. What could work now may not be working in a few months’ time, so if you want to keep high rankings you’ll need to keep on top of any changes. It’s also important to focus on long-term SEO practices rather than short-term, so don’t use tricks or loopholes to gain quick rankings as over time they’re never going to stand up. Never underestimate the important of social media marketing and networking either, and make sure to keep your customers updated with what’s going on.

These are just a few ways you can increase your chance of keeping the first page position, and above all it comes down to never getting complacent. Things can always be tweaked and improved upon, so always analyse your results and continue to engage in stellar SEO practices if you want lasting search engine optimisation success.

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