How can I make my site appear on google searches?

valid code, good use of metadata, good hierarchy as in <h1> for most important things <h2> second most important and so on. use the title attribute for images.

just remember, it doesnt happen overnight, it takes time for a site, especially a new one, to come up in a search unless you are very very specific what you search.

I read this fantastic article about SEO today. Best thing I’ve read on the subject-highly recommended

a few blurbs:

Search Engine Optimization is not a legitimate form of marketing. It should not be undertaken by people with brains or souls. If someone charges you for SEO, you have been conned.

And so, like the goat sacrificers and snake oil salesmen before them, a new breed of con man was born, the Search Engine Optimizer. These scammers claim that they can dance the magic dance that will please the Google Gods and make eyeballs rain down upon you. Do. Not. Trust. Them.

A fantastic read.

Before going out and spend the big bucks on so called experts, you could google for a few basic tutorials just to get a concrete idea, then ask more specific questions right here on Fluther or even on specialized forums like webmasterworld.com.

I would recommend the SEO book by Aaron wall. There are multiple approaches for ranking in search engines, but all are tied to fundamental basics like key word research and link building.

Read Google’s Webmaster Guidelines…

Also focus on your content, building relevant, useful content that gets traffic is a nearly fool proof way of getting ranked. Just think of it like this: people love your content, they twitter your content, they facebook your content, they blog your content, they link to your content, and now Google can’t ignore your content. Even sites built totally from flash can rank well (granted it doesn’t happen often) if their content is popular.

@patg7590 I just read your article and I agree with most of what he is saying, however I disagree that because someones job is SEO it automatically makes them shady. The article you provided states Google revolves around a link system in which the number & quality of links determines trust & rank… I completely agree.

What really bothers is that getting these links can be difficult and if someone who refers to themselves as an SEO has found legitimate ways of building a sites popularity while also gaining links then how can you without question label them bad, stupid, or downright evil?

To be clear when I say legitimate ways of building links I am not talking about link spam, I am talking about utilizing quality content promoted through social networks and the blogosphere.

Really I am asking how can you place the label of SEO in a negative light if your definition/references to that label consist of only the negative and doesn’t touch on the positive? To me it is no different than saying Accountants are evil because they embezzle, cheat on their taxes, and work for the mob regardless of the fact that many are perfectly honest.

I have read the article provided by patg7590 and I agree with the last few paragraphs under the heading, “The One True Way.” However, I disagree with the accusations that SEO providers are evil. Yes there are some who resort to black hat techniques, but you will find such con persons in every respectable profession.

I know of genuine and hard working SEO providers in the market.

When I was a newbie, I did not have the time nor the knowledge about inbound links and search engines. That’s when I hired the services of http://freelancewritingdesk.com. They did not promise to get my site on the first page of google search overnight. It wasn’t magic. It took a couple of months. Yes, Google keeps on changing their algorithms, and I don’t regularly spend on SEO as now i have learned how to create backlinks in the blogosphere.

@timothy050 I couldn’t have said it better myself.

@drClaw & @timothy050—totally agree with you, I thought the article was very enjoyable to read; but yes I also agree that not every single person who does SEO is evil. I think the author’s point is that good content coupled with web best practices does well in searches all by itself. So in theory, someone well versed in web shouldnt need to hire an SEO professional, because they would have an understanding of how the interwebs work. That being said, as more and more lay people start creating content on the web, as the barriers come down, so do the quality standards, hence a need for SEO (or proper web practices) comes into effect.

cheers

@patg7590 & @timothy050 Did you guys notice we got no lurve when we legitimately answered the question, but all got lurve after getting steered into a tangent? What up with that?

lol sometimes that’s just how it goes