#1 ON GOOGLE - HOW TO DO IT

Let me begin by stating that I currently have three sites on the first page of Google for GENERIC search terms (verified as of yesterday's date, June 2011). Here is the breakdown:

free publicity - 8,600,000 competitors
author radio - 720,000,000 competitors
book marketing - 43,900,000 competitors

I do not mention these first page placements to brag (well, maybe a little), but rather to illustrate that what I'm about to say is fact, not fluff. There are no empty promises or hype in what follows. I am not blowing smoke. These placements are fact, not fiction.

PUT YOUR MARKETING PROBLEMS BEHIND YOU
First page position on Google is the Holy Grail of nearly everyone hoping to succeed in marketing anything today. This is how people succeed in this environment. Do you know what happens when one reaches the first page of Google for a generic search term?

Awareness. On a global scale.
Publicity. Tons of it, all free.
Sales. Lots of them.
Business. A lot of it.

This is beyond valuable. Google has made gazillions of dollars by putting people on the first page of search engine results through their ad programs.
 
WHAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SEARCH TERMS
The most important thing to note is that these placements are for GENERIC search terms. This is a key point and it is vital that you understand this above all else.

Hardly anyone will ever google your name - or your book title - or your business name. Period. Don't fool yourself into thinking that, because you are number one on Google for your name, you are in a good place - everyone is number one on Google for their name - or their book title - or their business name. That is an oldest SEO advisor trick in the book 'Look - you are number one on Google for your name!' Well, duh, so is the rest of the planet. Try getting there for a phrase like 'childrens book' or 'novel' or 'hardware store'. Don't fool yourself.

In an inbound Internet marketing environment, in which nearly everyone on the planet uses a search engine to do research before purchasing anything, the value of search engine optimization (SEO) cannot be overestimated. It is, frankly, the most important thing you can do. It can mean the difference between being wildly successful or working very hard while failing miserably. In this environment, search engines rule. The engines will not show your site to your buyers unless the engines get what they need from you first. What they need from you is that you do proper SEO on your site. Period.

WHERE ARE YOU?
Try it. Google some of those all-important generic phrases and see if you appear on one of the first three pages. Don't use your name, don't use your title. Use 'children's book' or 'good fiction book' or 'auto repair' any other phrase your SEARCHERS may be using.

You can also visit Alexa.com. Type in the address of your site and look at your relative site ranking. While Alexa does not provide information that is exact (the information is an estimation), this can give you a feel for where you are in relation to other sites.

ARE YOU INVISIBLE?
Remember, hardly any shopper ever goes beyond page 3 of search engine results. If they have not found what they are looking for by page 3, most people will go back and start over with a new phrase. If you are not one one of those first three pages for those generic terms, you ARE virtually invisible. All your efforts will count for nothing if nobody every sees your site. Again, period.

IN TODAY'S ENVIRONMENT, SEO IS THE KEY
Solid SEO principles will work for any type of business. SEO won't work at all for someone who does not do it. No amount of yelling, telling or selling will create enough traffic for you to really succeed at the level you hope to achieve in today's inbound marketing environment.

ARE YOU MISSING THE OPPORTUNITY?
To succeed in today's environment, organic search engine traffic is an absolute necessity. People normally do not optimize their sites because they believe it is a confusing and difficult process. It is, if you have not done it before. Yes, the learning curve is long. But the rewards are great and the results are ongoing. Once the tipping point is reached, your sales results should continually grow and grow, with much less ongoing effort on your part.  

Perhaps you've not done this because you don't understand it and there is a bit of fear of the unknown. Well, I don't really know how my car works, but I get it tuned up. I don't understand how that's done really - I don't know a wrench from a pair of pliers - but I get tuneups regularly, because I want my car to go. If you want your site to 'go', you must make certain it CAN go. A sharp looking car with no engine will go nowhere. A site without good SEO will languish in obscurity, no matter how pretty.

WHERE DOES ONE START?
Knowledge is the key to success. If you don't know what is wrong, you cannot fix it.

You can get a free website analysis by filling out the form below. There is no cost for this analysis and no obligation. This analysis will pinpoint problem areas and offer solutions that may solve the problems you are experiencing.

If you hope to really succeed in marketing in this environment, this is the most important thing you can do now. Don't work harder - work smarter. With proper SEO, your buyers will find you FIRST. When that happens, you can begin to put your marketing problems behind you, and get on with doing what you do best.