On-Page SEO factors have been dealt with in a previous editorial. Off-Page is much more critical though. It’s a sort of selection process. Site A gives a link (vote) to site B. They’re saying, “Look at them – they’ve got something interesting to say…”

Two main features make up the link to your website. The web address (in other words the actual URL) of the targeted page. And additionally the anchor text that’s been highlighted to click on. The particular page with that anchor text then receives one vote. i.e. one vote towards this site appearing higher up in the natural listings when we type that phrase in the search box.

This is the way it works. The anchor text and page pointed to are irrevocably tied together. You have to have anchor text to make your vote. The Search Engines use the anchor text as an explanation of what the page is all about. This is vital to understand: Your website’s search terms are totally controlled by its anchor texts.

Therefore, can you see why “Click HERE for more information” is next to useless for creating SEO value? The phrase ‘CLICK Here’ is what we’ve voted for! Who thinks of typing in ‘CLICK HERE’ when they’re doing a search? No-one of course.

Hence why the anchor text must be used correctly. Because that’s what controls the phrases you will rank for. And by the way, if you DO Google “Click Here” you will always find the Adobe Reader download site at the top. Did they SEO that term? Absolutely not! It’s just that millions of web sites have a link using those words to download Adobe Reader.

So to count a ‘vote’ for a web page, the Search Engines always go to the anchor text. And why not? SE’s try to look for relevancy in the same way a real person would. To some extent it’s irrelevant what your page is actually about. You’ll rank for the terms in the anchor text phrases that point to you. That’s irrefutable!

Of course, it’s not quite as simple as that… Because the SE’s also use the page title and wording of the page being pointed at to correlate the results. Along with a host of other things as well. They’ll look, for example at how appropriate the relevancy is of the websites linking to yours.

In essence though, a wealth of back links is the most significant element of Search Engine Optimisation. And back links with the right anchor texts that come from lots of different websites. The quality of a site counts too… A back-link from Microsoft.com or Adobe.com would be worth a lot more than a back-link from a local hardware store!

Picking the keyword phrases that you want to rate for is an art in itself. (Research your competitors well before you plump for yours.) Fundamentally though: What would a customer of yours type in the search box in order to find your product or service? Find the answer to that, and you’ve got your keywords.

Interesting answers often come up when you do your researches and tests. It’s so often the case that the phrase people expect is NOT what produces the most results. We all have different ways of expressing ourselves. Imagine you’re intent on sleeping better. You might think to search for ‘comfortable bed’. Whilst the line GOOD NIGHT’S SLEEP could be used by someone else.

Would you really want to trust your marketing to vague ideas and feelings about what might be typed in? A lot of measuring, testing and research of each term is of vital importance. The amount of traffic you’ll receive is intrinsically linked to this. Compare it to an entry in a physical Business Directory. As a Car Dealer, you won’t receive much attention if you’re listed as a Greengrocer! It’s just as important to be listed for the right terms online. Search Engine Optimisation is the key

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