For anyone who is just setting up a web-site

[Bagpuss]

I just thought I'd pass on a tip to anyone who's setup a website recently and is struggling to appear in Google searches.
About 6 weeks ago this was all new to me, I went through a local Graphic Designer who also does websites, he purchased the domains
for me and hosted them. He asked me to list about 30 odd searches e.g. Upminster Picture Framer, bespoke picture framer etc., etc,
and for the last 6 weeks, nothing has returned on Google, he told me it could take a couple of months before Google picked up the
website ( there was a technical term but I forget )

I had a word with a friend of mine who had had some experience with Google Ad words, I didn't want to go that route straight away as it was
only a single page site with a fully functional website to come after Christmas ( don't hold your breath ).

He gave me this tip which I thought I'd pass on to anyone in a similar position. If I'm teaching you to suck eggs then please ignore

He told me that to speed up the process of Google updating it's searches to include your website you can setup a Blog at http://www.blogger.com (this is a Google Blog application apparently)
and refer to your website within the Blog ( you have to set up an account but no cost ). I did this about 7 days ago and I'm on the first page when I search on "Upminster Picture Framer", I'm really pleased with this, OK I haven't set my sights too high but it's a start !

cheers,
Adam The Picture Framer

[LeFrisp]

Top tip adam. Im in the middle of building my site and was wondering how to get hooked into google...... crackin bit of advice

[Merlin]

Did you register with Google?

Also to help you set up an account with Google Webmaster Tools.
They will then provide you will a detailed account of your visibility with Google.

Even if only one page. Set up a sitemap.xml and tell Google it is there.
The spider will then trawl your site and update its information.

[Dermot]

If you can get your web person to add some key words to the very top blue line you see on screen, this is the single biggest thing you can do for your ranking with Google, Yahoo, etc.…..they look first at what you can see on your screen, however it wont do any harm to have more words that cannot be seen, however don’t get to greedy or Google will penalise you….a bit…

The lines will be picked up by the Google, Yahoo, Etc. crawlers within hours if not less, and if you can switch the words around every few days or add new words it will help keep your in the high rankings for Google….

[Bagpuss]

Thanks for the additional pearls of wisdom Gents, I think I need to get in touch with my web designer chum and give him some pointers ! He'll be ringing me up for advice soon .

[birdman]

Don't forget to register your business on Google Maps too, it's free and will also help make you visible to the planet.

[Bill Henry]

There are also paid submission sites to which you can subscribe.

When I first went on line, I submitted info (and $29) to I need hits. Within a week I was listed on over 300 search engines.

At this point, I would still recommend that new web pages pay a few buck (quid) and get listed as soon as the page is uploaded. But, for you to get a ranking on the first page of a Google search is somewhat beyond your control. That depends on how many ‘hits’ you get and how many reciprocal links there are to your page. I personally don’t think a monthly submission to those paid sites will have any further benefit than the first time.

Also, even though it is said to be less important these days, don’t ignore your ‘meta tags’ or descriptions embedded into your pages. Spyders still use them to some extent, I believe.

For example, in our index page there is

<meta name="keywords" content="Framers Loft, picture framing, custom, photo restoration, Hudson, Litchfield, New Hampshire, NH, Framer's Loft, Londonderry, Nashua, Framers' Loft, Windham, Frame Loft, Derry, CPF, certified picture framer, shadow box, fabric, needle craft, stretch, shrink wrap, needlepoint, cross stitch, dry mount, plaque, cross-stitch, picture frame, laminate, mat, matte, crewel, crewell, cruel, glazing, glass, acrylic, plexiglas, matting, canvas">
<meta name="description" content="The Framer&#146;s Loft has been the leader in custom picture framing in southern New Hampshire since 1985, employing the first Certified Picture Framer in the state.">

Don’t be afraid of using misspelled words. Not all of our customers are as bright and literate than we are.

[The Jolly Good Framer #1]

The best way to get your site at the top is with links pointing to your sites.

The more links the higher up your site will be (well, thats a very basic way of putting it).
If you ask, alot of people here will do a link swap. Well worth the effort and it's free

So to help you on your way I have put a link to your website on my site, hope it helps!

Another good tip is using this site - http://websitegrader.com/ - type in your website address (don't bother with your email address) and click on Generate Report. It takes a few seconds but full of really good info. (thanks JM for that tip )