On Monday, we discussed how the word “blog” was derived from nautical terminology. Blog came from “web log” which in turn came from log, a record that a ship’s captain kept about the ship’s dealings at sea.

Another term with nautical roots that has great significance for organic search placement is anchor text. When it comes to making your website more and more visible, you need to make sure that your website is making good use of anchor text. Good content can do a lot for you, but not if no one can find you.

Words, phrases, and even sentences that appear underlined and often highlighted in a different color on a website are anchor text. Just as an anchor was very necessary to keep a ship from drifting, anchor text is a key element in keeping search engines from drifting past your website in favor of the competition. When you connect certain words to the URLs for pages in your website, you are anchoring those words. A search engine will notice that your website has been pinned down to these words and will inform internet users that your website has some connection to the words you chose.

With that in mind, it is very important to choose anchor text wisely. There was a time when websites all over the internet, simply connected a hyperlink to the words “Click here.” After all, we have been told to use verbs and suggest action to customer, right?

Well, the days of using “click here” as effective anchor words are over. This tells search engines that your business is related to “click” and “here.” Unless those two words represent your key products and services, you do not want to use them. An internet user is very unlikely to type in those two words to find your business.

What you want to do is choose anchor text that highlights the kinds of words and phrases that your customers will use when they are looking for your business online. Increase Visibility can help you determine proper keyword terms to promote for organic listings. You may think that you know how potential customers are looking for you, but it is entirely possible that they are using search terms that you never even considered. Our SEO plans include expert keyword analysis. Once, Increased Visibility zeroes  in on the search terms that people use to find you, we can help you optimize your website to that these keywords are being used effectively on your website.

It is interesting just how many of the terms we use in everyday life were originally nautical terms. Many of us have spent little time on the seas and probably could not steer a ship if we had to, however we do know something about navigating the uncertain and unchartered waters of running a business. When it comes to weathering the storms that come up in running a business, we would do well to understand how nautical terminology relates to running a business.

For example, you know that a blog is a useful tool for gaining better placement with search engines, but did you know that blog is a shortened version of the phrase “web log?” And that “web log” is a modern variation of log, as in the captain’s log that was used by a ship’s captain to record important data? Even after a ship’s captain was no longer in charge of a certain ship, the log was a record of what happened aboard ship.

In some ways, a blog functions that way too. You hear a lot of people speak in worried tones about how things on the internet do not really disappear. If you have high quality content on your website and blog this can be a good thing. You never know when a blog you wrote that addressed a very specific topic will come up in a search someone is doing down the road. Sometimes an issue or industry is thrust into the spotlight because of current events. If you have covered a related topic in your blog or on your website, people will be able to find your content and are likely to seek you out for your expertise.

This is why you need expert help to come up with a strategy for shaping your online content. Content that is created with a goal in mind can help you gain new customers, encourage current customers to return, and position you as an industry leader. When you have good blog content people and search engines are drawn to you. Still, they may not always find you right away. That is where Increase Visibility comes in: as part of the services we offer, we can link you with other websites that will complement your products and services. These related websites will be industry specific and non-competitive.

Come back on Wednesday to read more about how you can make sure that people are able to find your high quality content.

When it comes to SEO, Google rules the roost, and you should know that they take their work very seriously. They may not get it right every time, but a lot of work goes into making it possible for someone to type in words related to your industry and find you.

Like many other huge organizations, Google started with a great idea, but they do more than just think about search engines and queries. Google puts a lot of time and effort into make sure that when someone types in a query, that person is going to be satisfied with the search results.

While they can only examine a small sampling of all the queries that are typed into Google, the company evaluates the effectiveness of these searches using real, live humans and results generated by automated experiments. Human evaluators are not just people picked off of the street. They are trained to examine search results to ensure that they truly are useful.

According to Google, if asked, internet users would say that they wanted a search engine to provide relevant results. But the definition of what is relevant has become increasingly more complex. Internet users want up-to-the-minute results from reputable sources. They are also interested in related links that really tie into their original query. You want to make sure that your website goes to the top of the heap.

Like Google, our team at Increase Visibility works hard, too. We keep current on how search engines function. The techniques you employed last year to get a higher page ranking, may not be working anymore and we can explain why.  There is a lot you can do to get your website noticed and reach more customers, which will lead to higher profits.

We apply our in-depth knowledge of SEO to your specific business goals. Increase Visibility doesn’t just lecture you on SEO. We take the time to learn about you and your business, so we can customize our plans to fit your needs.

Call us today at 877 SEO ADVICE, 877 736 2384 or e-mail us at info@IncreaseVisibility.com.