10 years ago we were submitting a website to over 500 search engines. Today there are only three that really matter. Google has gained the most popularity, followed by Yahoo and MSN.

There are millions of websites on the world wide web - every one of them wants to be among the first ten on the first page. As you can imagine this is NOT POSSIBLE. But you can design and maintain a website so that it will gain in importance. The search engine geeks don't even tell you how they rank or index a website, however there are a few rules which are valid today. I say today since these rules keep changing. Whereas a couple of years ago it was "keywords" that were most important, today it is "links".

Since Google is the most used search engine, these are some rules of Google's way of ranking websites:

• you don't need to submit a website anymore - Google's spider software scans the world wide web constantly and will come across your NEW website and indexes it.
• the older a website the better it will rank
• Keywords might or might not play a big role anymore, however it does't hurt to program them in. Keywords are words and phrases that are hidden in the text of your website and reflect what people type in the search bar and are the words under which your website wants to be found. For example: you sell webdesign services, your keywords would be "webdesign", "website services", "Palm Beach" etc.
• Content is very important. Google thinks the more content you have on your website the more important it must be. This is where the webdesigner needs the customer's help a lot since you know your business best. Content on the home page is important and should reflect the keywords.
• Links are also very important. Again Google figured that if there are many links to and from your website it must be important. Links should also be meaningful which indicates that a link to a website with the same or related topic is important. There are also lots of websites that are general listing sites. Local websites like the Chamber of Commerce, government site or general information sites might be a good link source. Don't forget to add a link to your website on the Yellow Pages. Find the national and international association websites for your profession and add a link to your website. You might want to link to manufacturers of your products or even competitors in a different area. Again your help is crucial in finding sites relevant to your profession or website subject.
• Update your website on a regular basis. Google thinks that if a website is being changed and updated it must be important. Don't let your website be static and get stale. Maintenance for the first year is included in AKS WebDesign's developement price. Thereafter it is a flat yearly fee according to your needs.