Search engine optimization is all about making your site easy for search engines to find.

If someone does a Google search for “web design company in New York”, and that’s what your company does, good SEO will increase your chances of getting your site to appear in that search. And, of course, your site must appear so that your prospects can find it.

SEO is a cost effective way to market your business. It can help you reach potential customers who are looking for your services at the exact moment they need them. Higher placement in search results is not guaranteed, but following five basic steps will improve your chances of ranking well. While pay-per-click advertising is the only surefire way to get a front page placement, SEO is a low-cost and effective marketing technique. When done correctly, it can have a significant impact on your business.

You don’t have to be a professional search engine optimization company to implement basic SEO to help your site rank. (If you need a refresher on the basics, check out our basic introduction to SEO.)

Here are the 5 basic SEO techniques that every website should take advantage of:

1. Keywords. You need to understand what keywords and phrases your prospects are searching for so you can use them throughout your site. But it’s not about which keywords are the most popular. It’s all about which keywords best describe your business. The phrase “search engine optimization” is very popular, but the phrase “Affordable SEO in New York City” might better describe your business. Check out the Google Keyword Tool for keyword ideas.

2. Use keyword-rich content throughout your site. Search engines read the content of your website and use it to determine your ranking. Therefore, it is important that your keywords are present in the actual text of your website. It is important to remember that the content on your site has two functions: to attract search engines and to attract the reader. Check out our article, Your Website Content Has Two Functions. Another great way to have constantly updated keyword-rich content on your website is to have a blog.

3. Use descriptive page titles. A page title is one of the most important things search engines use to find your site. (The title is what you see at the top of your Internet browser.) Remember, titles aren’t just seen by search engines, they’re also seen by your website visitors. Don’t overload your title with keywords or phrases, just focus on the most important ones that truly represent your business.

4. Use keyword-rich meta tags. Meta tags are the html tags at the top of your web page’s code. They are another way that search engines find your website. Be sure to use a description tag for your web pages. A good description tag is usually two or three sentences long and incorporates the strongest keywords or phrases. Search engines aren’t paying as much attention to keyword tags, but there’s nothing wrong with putting 5 or 6 keywords in a keyword tag on your site. Don’t overload your labels, less is more.

5. Remember the importance of incoming links. The quantity and quality of inbound links are important to your website’s ranking. There are many ways to increase inbound links to your website. Some include posting comments on blogs, writing articles, using social networking sites, or finding partners to link to your website.

Even if you don’t have a professional SEO company working for you, you can still use the basics of search engine optimization to help make your website more search engine friendly. By implementing these basics, you’ll have a huge advantage over other new websites that don’t.

If you want to further your SEO activities when developing a new website, consider hiring a professional web design and SEO company to handle it for you.