Photo by Andrew Neel on Unsplash

 

Periodic changes in Google’s search criteria and algorithms have indeed hurt many Web sites.

But it’s possible to bullet-proof your site’s prominence on Google by taking 14 precautions, which is worth your time and energy.

Google has perennially owned about a 66 percent search-market share in the U.S. and a 90 percent share worldwide.

Combined, Bing and Yahoo have about 30 percent in the U.S. Most of the other search engines are also powered by Google.

So, obviously, it will behoove you to take full advantage of strategies to maximize your presence on Google.

Here’s a checklist:

  1. Make frequent changes on your home page. But be sure it’s all about quality and relevance to Internet users.
  2. For content marketing, regularly blog about relevant topics (see Google Speaks Out About Frequency vs. Value).
  3. Interact with your target audience using the salient social mediums: Twitter, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
  4. Be very careful about what you post – keep it professional and on business. Don’t assume that your professional profile can be separate from your personal life. Did I say be careful? Separate business and your personal life. Avoid posting compromising photos, text or videos.
  5. Be aware that Google is influenced by links from the news media, quality online press releases distributed by authoritative firms, and other sites with a strong Google page rank (PR).
  6. Be careful about your other links. Do not allow weak Google PR pages to link to you. Minimize your links to other sites, as Google will perceive you as being manipulative.
  7. Make certain your profile or bio is professional and consistent throughout. Use the same picture.
  8. Insert relevant videos.
  9. Check your Internet reputation on a frequent business. Here are Best Practices to Optimize Your Brand, Manage Your Web Reputation.
  10. If you have employees, develop and implement a social media policy regarding your business reputation.
  11. Change your passwords frequently – make sure they’re strong.
  12. Accelerate your site’s download speed, which is important.
  13. Understand what matters to Google – see Google Insights – 23 Key Questions about Your Web Site.
  14. Despite what you might read, pay close attention to your use of meta tags and key words. They will influence Google and the other search engines.

By the way, don’t be fooled by the incessant hype about Facebook. Your Web site and prominence on Google will always be more important than what you do on Facebook. (See Winners and Losers in Facebook’s Invasion of Google’s Turf.)

My only regret about Google: That it hasn’t found a way to restart its real-time feature with Twitter. If you use the 14 recommended strategies, and if Google and Twitter get back together for real-time results, you’ll really rock.

Oh, here’s more good news — surprise — these strategies work on Yahoo and Bing, too.

From the Coach’s Corner, here are more resource links:

10 Tips to Optimize Your Web Site for Higher Sales — If you haven’t optimized your Web site for sales, you might want to reconsider. There are more and more indications that online shopping will continue to grow.

Startup Toolkit to Make a Hit on the Internet — Just like your bricks and mortar location, your Internet presence will be strong if you always remember why people will buy from you.

“The only thing Google has failed to do, so far, is fail.”
-John Battelle

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Author Terry Corbell has written innumerable online business-enhancement articles, and is a business-performance consultant and profit professional. Click here to see his management services. For a complimentary chat about your business situation or to schedule him as a speaker, consultant or author, please contact Terry.