How to increase your website's Google Page Rank

Google PageRank (PR) is a measure from 0 to 10 of how important Google thinks a webpage is. Google's search engine, [www.google.com], uses a variety of methods to determine which pages are displayed first in the results. Though their exact formula is a secret, but there are a few things you can do to improve your positioning. The term for this is Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

SEO is not a rocket science, just need to focus on certain elements on/off your webpage. Let's be realistic, the following tips may not make your website the first one to appear in the list, but they will definitely help you move up a little in Google search results:

#1: Page Content: Focus on quality over quantity

Most online marketers talk about using blogs to increase the number of pages indexed in Google. And while it still holds true that more pages indexed for a given search term gives you a better chance of achieving a high Google rank, it isn’t enough just to publish text optimized for keywords. The quality of the content is now a key factor.

Since the Panda update, Google has attempted to screen out those publishing high-volume, low-quality content. Now, in the eyes of Google, it’s better to have fewer high-quality pages then lots of low-quality pages.

Blogging is still one of the best ways to move up the search engine rankings as it is a good way to add high-quality information to a website. However, web pages or blog posts offering little of value can now negatively impact a website. Removing these pages might actually help a website move up the rankings or recover from a drop in ranking.

Also, not to mentioned that tuning-up your webpage's meta tags (i.e. title, description, keyword, alt, etc.) will also help gaining a better ranking in search results.
 

#2: Single Word vs. Keyword Phrases

Instead of focusing on a single word, try adding a few words to make a keyword phrase. If you were searching for your own website, what keyword phrase would you type into Google for each page? Would you look for super fast widgets? Would you look for cooking with widgets? It may be helpful to get a different perspective [in fact, a prospect's perspective].

Try to stick to one subject per page, and stick to one keyword phrase per page. That doesn't mean you should write stilted text or use odd phrases. Clear writing is both easier to search and easier to read

#3: Keyword Density

One of the things Google looks for when it catalogs pages is the density of the keyword usage. In other words, how often the keyword occurs. Use natural phrasing. Don't try to trick the search engine by repeating the same word over and over or making text "invisible." Frankly, it doesn't work. In fact, some of that behavior even get your website banned. [Warning!]

#4: Quality Links

Incoming links have always looked good in the eyes of Google. As a result, one way to move a site up the search engine rankings was to generate a high number of incoming links all pointing to a given web page.

Many online marketers suggest that press releases were a good way to generate incoming links because distribution services often generated back-links as articles were placed on various press release syndication websites. This link-building strategy has also changed post-Panda update, as these links are not as highly valued as they once were. However, a well-written press release can still be very effective when picked up and reported by a journalist or major publication.

Bottom-line is: Focus on getting high-quality links from high-quality websites.

#5: Submit Your Site to the Right Directories

Submit your website to the open directory project, if possible. Google considers this directory to be an important link. 

Note: Submit your site to specialized directories. For example, a work at home mother owned business (WAHM) should submit her site to WAHM directories. A site on butterflies should be sent to biology or entomology directories.

Don't get too submission happy, though. Google, in an effort to combat click fraud, often filters out websites linked from link farms, or pages with nothing but links to other websites. This is one reason why free services to register your website may hurt you. Stick to specialized directories and organizations. They're more likely to help and not hurt your rankings.

#6: Social Sharing and Social Search

Social networking sites can be a good way to promote a site, but not all of them will affect your rank directly. Digg and Del.icio.us are social linking sites that could potentially have the most impact. 

Do not forget that efforts made on SEO take 3-6 months in order to show their ideal results. Therefore, patience is the key [do not keep modifying the page every day or week]. Ignore spam and websites that offer to submit your website to hundreds of search engines. At best these are wastes of time or money and at worst they can actually hurt your ranking.

Good Luck!

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