Here’s a common question among new website owners. Why can’t I find my website? This article attempts to shed some light on why your website may be lost in the myriad of search engine listings.
Now that your web site has been launched, the next most important step is your site must get indexed by the leading search engines. Since search engines love content, each search engine automatically spiders the web looking for new and updated pages. If your site is found during this process, then your site will be indexed (it’s been added to the search engine database).
Has My Site Been Indexed?
Here’s one simple way to find out if your home page has been indexed. Simply copy and paste the following text into the search engine box:
“mydomainname.com”
Be sure to use the double quotes around your domain name. If your home page has been indexed, then you will see your website address listed in the search results.
If your website has not been indexed, then you should:
- Create an XML site map and notify Google, Bing and Yahoo!
- Write an article that includes a link back to your home page. Be sure to submit the article using www.ezinearticles.com
- Submit your site to several leading directories
- Make blog post that includes a link back to your home page (watch out for no follow attributes)
- Add your link to a website that gets spidered on a regular basis
Why can’t I find my site using my company name?
The short answer is that your favorite search engine does not know enough about your web site yet. The long answer is your company name is competing with other pages that use the same keywords. When you enter your company name into a search box, you are simply entering a keyword phrase. So, the keyword phrase Bill’s Lawn Care Service, has to compete against any page that contains the term bill, lawn, care and service. As you can imagine, there could be over 400,000 competing pages.
With so many competing pages, you’ll want to increase your visibility within the search engines. There are several strategies that you may use to increase your search presence. You may want to generate inbound links to your web site, submit your home page to relevant directories and indexes or start posting to blogs and social networks. These are simple tactics that anyone can you can use.
Don’t get overwhelmed, an online marketing plan can help to keep you on track.
So you have learned that getting a site indexed is only the beginning. If your website is lost in the maze of search engine results, then you can use a few of the above suggestions to find your web site.
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Cheryl Wilson has been creating search engine friendly websites and providing online marketing services to small business since 1997. Learn how you can have a website that produces leads and sales online by visiting Vertronics Media at http://www.vertronics.com/