Link Popularity

SEO is a foundation. If the site is well optimized, it will do well. However, in today's competitive search engine world, good optimization may not be enough. You also need regular content updates, lots of deep content, and lots of links coming into your website.

How do you know how many links your website has compared to your competition? There are link popularity tools that can help with this. Here is one - http://www.marketleap.com/publinkpop/. Try this and find out how your website stacks up. If your competition is doing better than you, find out where they are getting their links. Maybe you can get them too.

Ultimately, if you have good content, other webmasters will link their sites to you. You can speed up the process if you actively develop your own link building strategy. This is something we do for our clients here at Page 1. At its basic level it is part of the overall search engine optimization strategy. However, we can take it to a whole new level for our LASIK clients who want to get more aggressive.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions

How Long Does It Take To Get Good Search Engine Results?

The answer is - it varies.

Each search engine is different. And the answer varies on a case-by-case basis, so we can only speak in generalities. Of the major search engines - Google, Yahoo and MSN -Yahoo and MSN tend to index new sites a lot faster than Google, but that is not always the case. On the other hand, if you add a well-optimized page (say for a new type of procedure or service) to a website that is already performing well, Google is often quick to find it. This is particularly true if your LASIK website makes regular updates and Google is on alert for them. It is even truer if the case is a topical news item - like a newly recalled contact solution or major LASIK technology breakthrough. In those situations, Google seems to go out and look for new material on the subject.

If you have a type of procedure or technology that you want to promote aggressively, the solution usually is an aggressive pay per click ("PPC") campaign on Google, Yahoo and MSN. With PPC you have much more control over where your listing shows up. In that case, it is always best to be one of the top two listings (top three may work also), so your listing appears above the natural listings.

Dan Goldstein
Page 1 Solutions

The Importance of Frequently Updating Blogs:

It may sound silly, writing on a blog about the importance of updating a blog, but keeping fresh, new content flowing can significantly increase exposure and search engine results.

There are many variables concerning how well a blog will function. One of the main idiosyncrasies is the frequency of updates. But, along with quantity, quality must be provided as well.

A LASIK website’s visitor will usually not want to read the ranting and raving of a generic topic that yields no useful information about LASIK. Instead, use specific topics relating to LASIK or other vision correction surgery with constructive, interesting or unique content. Give potential LASIK patients your perspective.

It is critical to think about these tips when making an update:

1. Write about something that is familiar. Who is better qualified to write about a topic than someone who is well versed and experienced in that area?

2. Keep the blog entry concise, yet informative. Clearly an entry could go on for eons, but no one would want to read it. By making the entry short, sweet and educational, the visitor is left with helpful information and an appetite for more.

3. Update the Blog at least three times a week. A great way to build readership is to be constantly adding fresh, new content. Updating the blog at a minimum of three times a week can start paving the way to blogging success.

By adding content frequently, search engine spiders recognize the additions. The spiders will come back to index the information over and over as long as there is something new to read. This not only helps with search engine positioning, but it also creates an environment conducive to overall success on the web.

In essence, frequently updating a blog with clever, informational content will add zeal to the blog. Not many things are reliable, but a habitually updated blog will assist in the quest of positive public exposure and good search engine rankings.

Noël Otten
Account Manager
Page 1 Solutions