Dan Gilleland posted on March 20, 2008 09:21
If you are in any way interested in learning how to improve your site ranking in search engines like Google, then head on over to Google's Webmaster Central blog. Here you will find tips & tools that can help you craft your site so that it gets higher & higher page rankings.
But, don't go looking for "quick fixes." The biggest factors determining your site's success are content, content, and content! And, if that wasn't enough, it had better be good content (and by that, I mean content that is rich, well-crafted/written, and relevant to your intended audience).
Sure, there are tools that can help you analyze your site and fine-tune your site for better SEO (Search Engine Optimization) - tools such as WebCEO as well as Google's own Webmaster Tools. But the really hard work is to write your content so that it's going to be "bang-on" when Google (et.al.) scans it. To do that, you have to A) know your business, B) know your market, and C) know how to write well. Then, once you've got the ABCs done, you're still left with having to do the work (or pay someone to do it).
If you've read this far, then you might be feeling somewhat discouraged - "I didn't know it would be so hard!" But, take a moment to look at the other side: Because improving your site's page rankings is so hard, most people won't go to all the trouble, thereby leaving you the opportunity to excel!
Like Thomas Edison is reported to have stated:
"Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work." [From Jan Karon's Patches of GodLight: Father Tim's Favorite Quotes]
Official Google Webmaster Central Blog