About Search Engine Optimization
JonasWeb offers basic search engine optimization and submission as a standard part of our web design packages. This process entails putting together the site with an eye toward the elements that search engines look for in listing your site.

However, the process of getting results in the major search engines has changed signficantly with the advent of the Pay-Per-Click model, and these days it makes the most sense to hire a company that specializes in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) work.

For a basic understanding of how it works, SEO includes many techniques such as the use of meta-tags, which are listings of appropriate search terms that are hidden in a site's HTML code. It's important to note that although meta-tags are a significant element of the process, they are not used by all the major search engines and directories (including the big man on campus, Google). Thus the most important way to get good listings is to start with content that legitimately uses the kinds of words and phrases that will be indexed by search engines and at the same time legitimately describe your site. Never use the illegal or frowned-upon search engine submission techniques that many disreputable search firms offer; these methods are unscrupulous and will only end up getting your site permanently removed from a given engine/directory.

So the best place to start getting good listings, bar none, is to create keyword-rich content to begin with. We recommend the book "Net Words: Creating High Impact Online Copy" by Nick Usborne, an excellent resource for learning how to write effective copy for your site. And, of course, the same elements that make for good search engine optimization within your site text also make for an effective, user-friendly and informative website.

Once your site's content is complete, it's helpful to provide a list of keywords, 10-20 effective words and/or phrases that describe your business and elements of your business, which could be possible search terms used by surfers looking for a site that offers what you offer. They should be targeted and legitimate and shouldn't include words that don't relate to your site; the search engines will quickly remove you if they feel you are doing what is known as "keyword spamming". Search terms shouldn't be too generic; the more specific, the better.

The other important ingredient of metatags is a short description of your site/business. The description should follow the same rules, being 1-2 sentences in length, and including keyword phrases as well as regional information if applicable (for example, if your site specifically targets an audience in one geographic area). This is used to index your site as well function as the description of your site that will show up under your site's name in a search.

Once this information is worked into your site, it gets submitted to the major search engines and directories. Submission doesn't hurt but the best way to get good listings is to have the search engines find you on their own, most importantly by finding other sites that link to you, so getting links to your site on other sites is important.

If your budget permits, the only way to truly guarantee your listings are to pay for them, notably pay-for-inclusion (PFI), pay-for-performance (PFP) and the very popular pay-per-click (PPC). For a detailed article on the options and benefits of marketing your site in this manner, click here.

For the "Natural" (free) listings, there are no guarantees as to what kind of placement you'll get, or even if your site will get listed at all, but using the allowed "tricks of the trade" at least puts your site in the best possible position to get effective listings. Waiting to see if your site gets listed and how it ranks takes time, so patience is important - imagine the amount of submissions the engines/directories receive on a daily basis, and you'll realize why it can take months to see your site get listed.

TIP: To see what pages from your site have been indexed, enter "inurl:yoursite.com" into Google or "site:yoursite.com" into Yahoo, of course substituting your own domain name in place of yoursite.com.