Are you ready to launch a new company?  Assuming you're not going to host a parade or a free iPod giveaway, then you're probably thinking that the most affordable means of advertising is through SEO (Search Engine Optimization).  You're right, and you're also correct in assuming that making it to the top 10 is a challenge!  How do those websites manage to stay on the top 10—or even reach an impressive #1 in some cases?

First, understand that there is no top 10 unless you're talking about search engine keywords, that is, the words people type to find a new product or service.  Based upon your chosen keyword, you may be ranked anywhere from #1 to #100,000,000.  Search engine rankings are not decided upon by popularity or total traffic, though those are factors.  On the contrary, search engines look for quality optimisation, excellent quality writing and consistent quantity.

First things first—this is a crowded online market, so you're not going to get very far with general keywords unless you have a stellar reputation, loads of traffic and a long Internet history.  Instead, try to choose local keyword phrases or specific market keywords (also called "niches").  In effect, this is making you a bigger fish in a smaller pond.  When you target long tail keywords, you are separating yourself from the competition and instead getting deeper inside the mind of your customer base.

Your customer base is just as impatient as we are!  They know that if they type in a general keyword, the top 10 matches are probably going to be too general for their tastes.  More and more Internet shoppers are using long tail keywords to find their specific needs.  This is good news for you, the company just starting out in SEO.

Knowing which keywords to target is very important to your campaign.  You can't just guess at these words, not if you really want to make a profit.  You have to find out what keywords are being searched for and what keywords are being used by your competitors.  Just for your information, Google is going to be your best friend, since 65% of the worldwide population uses this search engine (85% in the UK).  However, you can't neglect Yahoo and even Microsoft, who each have nearly 20% of the search market (15% in the UK).

Not only must you fill your pages with quality keyword content but you must also make an effort to build links to other sites (not owned by you).  This is a practice known as linkbuilding and it goes a long way in establishing your reputation.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to understanding SEO, but even this publicly available information is not readily understood by nearly 30% of the online retailer market.  For further information, contact an SEO firm for a consultation!