Search engines list web pages in order of relevance to a search. How relevant to a search is the content of your web site?

Content:
One of several factors contributing to relevance to a search is the content of a web site. If you search the web for say toys, then it goes without saying that websites at the top of the search results will be all about toys, more toys and have many details about toys.

Times have changed:
Websites built a few years ago had less competition for search rankings. There are now more competing websites being added every day on any subject. Many web sites still present just a home page mentioning the product or service once, with contact details. The pages may be well laid out with attractive graphics. But their owners need to understand why they are not high in search results. It is now almost impossible for a website with just a home page and a few inside pages to be found high in search results.

What is relevant content?
If Website A displays its products, details of their uses, descriptions, related information and articles about them, and Website B just displays its products, obviously Website A has more relevant content than Website B. Website A will be more highly ranked than Website B. If there are a million listings for that product, then it's unlikely that Website B will be found in the first few pages.

How to get relevant content:
Fill your home page with many words about the products, mentioning the products as often as possible. e.g. If the products are toys, then say: "toys are... toys do... big toys... little toys... new toys... toys have... toys to suit..." etc. Persuade your visitors that you know everything there is to know about your products. Have as many inside pages as possible mentioning the products and linking back to the home page. Web pages for:

• descriptions of the products
  
• expanded product details
  
• comparisons with other products
  
• uses for the products
  
• maintenance of the products
  
• frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the products
  
• histories of the products
  
• new products
  
• newsletters, with archives of previous issues
  
• top ten sales
  
• special promotions
  
• articles about the products
  
• testimonials mentioning the products
  
• links to other relevant websites about the products

Get help from others:
Your customers can provide all the content for 'Frequently Asked Questions' pages and 'Testimonials' or 'Feedback' pages. If you can't spend time writing articles, or can't write articles, there are many article publishing websites happy to provide these to you. It all increases the content of your website.

Be relevant:
The more relevant content you can get, the higher your web site will rank. But if you don't rank high because you don't have relevant content, then all the money you have spent making the website look beautiful could be wasted if not enough people see it.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ken McKay is an Australian web designer. More information on web design is available at platypus websites - www.platywebs.com.au