Being found on Google is probably an end to the real goal of getting new customers. Your customers will be using Google to find you. Google and other search engines can bring thousands of visitors to your website everyday. Imagine if you could get thousands of people to walk into your store everyday and look at your merchandise. To get this done you first need to understand what Google wants. They sell advertising by displaying content on their websites. So you can be found on Google, and get new customers, by having interesting content on your website. This will have to be interesting, relevant content that people will want to read.

What is interesting content and where do I get it? Content is informative, written articles about the products or services that you offer. This is your business expertise and you are in a unique position of sharing it with prospective customers. If your business is creating hardwood floors from recycled barn wood, tell how you dismantle an antique timber frame barn, store this lumber, or assemble the floor. This last sentence could be four articles. Talk about your work, you do not have to be a skilled writer. You could probably get several articles out this such as how to restore the barn wood before even beginning the floor. Write short informative articles about the product or service that you offer and the process used in creating or providing it. You already have a lot of experience talking to customers, just write this down. Use your website to sell your product.

How do I write content? Choose a very narrow or small part of your overall business. Think of key words or phrases that customers would search for when wanting your product or service and put these in the title of your page. Broad terms like coffee are almost impossible to be listed. Instead, try Roasting Coffee in Kewanee, Illinois or Brewing a Perfect Cup of Coffee. Short pertinent, precisely to the point articles are best for the web. If your article is longer than a screen, consider making two articles or using subheadings containing important points from these specific paragraphs. The title or subtitle is extremely important and the entire article should be relevant to this title. Start with a very small sub topic and cover it well.

Write an article every day or as often as you can. Google will give preference to websites that are updated the most often and have the freshest content. Consider starting a Blog or journal, search engines love these because they are usually frequently updated. The more often you update your website the more frequently they will visit your website and update your listings. Always write for your visitors not search engines.

Your website should use valid programming, see http://validator.w3.org/ Visitors should not have to wait on your website to load. Valid programming insures that it will be seen on various computers using different computer monitors, browsers and operating systems. If your web site is properly constructed there will not be a need for a best-viewed message or dialog boxes saying to download some software just to see your site.

Written text should be on your home page, if you can have a summary of several article’s and links to them it is perfect. Your site should have a clear, text navagation system that does not require any guesswork by visitors who are unfamilar with it. Visitors should not have click to get to content. When a visitor comes to your website they see should what they want immediately. Visitors should not have to guess or figure out how to use your website.

Google gives preference to older websites so you will not see results overnight. Small business people are accustomed to not getting overnight results. Farmers know they must plant in the spring to harvest the crop in the fall. Keep writing and updating your website everyday and don’t worry about results for at least 6 months to a year.