How do I become first on Google?

Climbing to the top of Google (or other major search engine - Yahoo, Live) can be a daunting and somewhat confusing task often left to Search Engine Optimisers.

There is an enormous amount of competition vying for top position on all the major search engines. You need that extra boost, and sometimes you may need to spend money to pay an expert to generate targeted traffic to your website. However, there are still things that you can do. We'd like to share some tricks we've learned over the years.

4 simple steps to improving your search ranking

Research keywords for your website
Which keyword searches would you like to appear at the top of Google? Make a list of up to 10 for starters.
Tip: Be realistic - you may need to include your city in the search, for eg "web design sydney" rather than "web design"
Add rich keywords throughout your website
If you want someone to search for a particular phrase or keyword to get to your website, then make sure you have text on your website with these phrases and keywords. Scatter your researched keywords in appropriate places throughout your website text.
Tip: Don't overdo it. Using the keyword too many times hurts your listings, so just use them in normal context. It should still be readible to a human visitor.
Increase the number of websites that link to your website
For every link that comes from another website to yours, Google counts this as a vote for your website. The more votes you get, the higher your website will appear in search results.
Tip: link swap with suppliers, associated companies, etc. Be creative.
Make sure inlinks use search keywords
Ask others to use your researched keywords as link text when linking to your website - for eg, instead of a link saying "Drawstring", ask them to use "Drawstring Web Designer"

For more information, view another Drawstring initiative - First on Google