When I first started my website almost 2 years ago, it was with GoDaddy.com. I built the site and then waited for all the inquires to come in. That didn't happen. I would search "jewelry assembly", "jewelry outsource in the USA" and my website didn't come up. I just thought that it was new and it would take forever to penetrate the millions of pages that make up Google. So I left it at that, waiting for my turn to get to the first page.
Then I started this blog, started tweeting, became exposed to other bloggers who are quite informed about Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. One of the bloggers I contacted was at SmallerBox.com. I asked them to take a look at my website and tell me what's wrong with it. Well! I got a list of all kinds of website mishaps! My first course of action was to revamp the site. In the almost two years it went live, things have changed. I called GoDaddy to find out why it wasn't showing up on Google at all. The techie informed me that I wasn't even signed up for Google!
Say wha?? AND if you think you can just throw a website up there and go back to making your earrings thinking the almighty world wide web is working for you, think again. You have to maintain it. If there is any inactivity in maintenance on your website, Google drops you. You won't even know it because they don't send you a note saying, "Hi Melinda! I haven't heard from you in a while so I'm ignoring you!" Talk about a reality check.
There's also LOTS more search engines other than Google. Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Lycos, Clusty, Altavista, and ASK are just small percentage of the search engine universe. There are dozens of general search engines and hundreds of site specific search engines. Unfortunately, there isn't a " central registry" to get on these search engines. You have to go to where your website is hosted and make sure you are signed up or connected to each one. Check it off and WAIT to make sure you've been accepted.
GoDaddy also has a website optimization and other search engine visibility information page. It starts off with "The Top 10 SEO Checklist" and then will show you if you have errors or warnings. It takes you to a checklist:
I don't know anything about building websites, my wonderful, patient, VERY patient husband built mine. If you go at this a little at a time and study the definitions of these words it will help you understand how make your website work better. There is so much information out there about this, learn one thing a day about it, that's it. Absorb one message and make sure you get it. Now when I read what other bloggers say about SEO and how to maximize exposure, I know what they are talking about and can apply some small bit that will help the website along. Make sure your website host is doing all they can for you. Check up on it to make sure something didn't "expire" since the last time you visited and you aren't aware of it. And DO make sure you're hooked up to search engines!
Then I started this blog, started tweeting, became exposed to other bloggers who are quite informed about Search Engine Optimization, or SEO. One of the bloggers I contacted was at SmallerBox.com. I asked them to take a look at my website and tell me what's wrong with it. Well! I got a list of all kinds of website mishaps! My first course of action was to revamp the site. In the almost two years it went live, things have changed. I called GoDaddy to find out why it wasn't showing up on Google at all. The techie informed me that I wasn't even signed up for Google!
Say wha?? AND if you think you can just throw a website up there and go back to making your earrings thinking the almighty world wide web is working for you, think again. You have to maintain it. If there is any inactivity in maintenance on your website, Google drops you. You won't even know it because they don't send you a note saying, "Hi Melinda! I haven't heard from you in a while so I'm ignoring you!" Talk about a reality check.
There's also LOTS more search engines other than Google. Yahoo, MSN, AOL, Lycos, Clusty, Altavista, and ASK are just small percentage of the search engine universe. There are dozens of general search engines and hundreds of site specific search engines. Unfortunately, there isn't a " central registry" to get on these search engines. You have to go to where your website is hosted and make sure you are signed up or connected to each one. Check it off and WAIT to make sure you've been accepted.
GoDaddy also has a website optimization and other search engine visibility information page. It starts off with "The Top 10 SEO Checklist" and then will show you if you have errors or warnings. It takes you to a checklist:
- Proper Title Tags
- Proper Description Tags
- Proper Heading Tags
- Page Content
- Proper Navigation
- Proper Sitemap
- Controlled Crawling
- Duplicate Content/Tags
- Word Density
I don't know anything about building websites, my wonderful, patient, VERY patient husband built mine. If you go at this a little at a time and study the definitions of these words it will help you understand how make your website work better. There is so much information out there about this, learn one thing a day about it, that's it. Absorb one message and make sure you get it. Now when I read what other bloggers say about SEO and how to maximize exposure, I know what they are talking about and can apply some small bit that will help the website along. Make sure your website host is doing all they can for you. Check up on it to make sure something didn't "expire" since the last time you visited and you aren't aware of it. And DO make sure you're hooked up to search engines!
2 comments:
This is interesting especially to the new ones, I mean those who just started building or having their own site. It's a lesson learn and doing more research or contacting an experts really helps. I appreciate you for sharing this.
Your welcome Philam! I learned the hard way that I wasn't getting on the search pages because I wasn't "plugged in". And do keep checking at least once every 3 months!
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