Looking for help on optimization

[chrisJumbo]

I know we don't rank very well in Google for the keywords I am most interested in, "cd rates" and "certificate of deposit rates" (no quotes).

We rank better in Yahoo and I've been focusing my efforts there for now. For about 5 minutes I had #10 for "cd rates".

There are some sites that rank higher that don't make sense. I keep my content current and have added a lot on different pages to provide useful info beyond making a buck.

One site is dated June 12, 1994 and ranks #8 (on Yahoo). I've posted to numerous directories, posted an article, and gone through numerous re-writes and content changes. What am I doing wrong?

Our site is http://www.jumbocdinvestments.com

Thank you,

[sdrury]

You have obviously tried most avenues - so perhaps you'll consider this:

It may be a case of going back to basics again. I (personally) would initially suggest that your site "looks wordy". Have you analysed visitor statistics on your site?

Secondly - do you have a robots.txt file in the root of the sites directory?

Also - have you persued an effective linking campaign?

Finally did you pre-test this site on a complete outsider before going live. It may be a case of reviewing keywords/phrases that youwould consider your "ideal type" of customer to use ?

Hope this helps.

[chrisJumbo]

I have had current customers review it and they seemed satisfied. We get around 1200 visitors a week, and probably on average 1-2 conversion. (5 - 7 call or email for more info)

We rank high for some phrases (at least on Yahoo) such as "highest cd rates" and some others. I have used Overture's keyword tool and "cd rate" gets about 8x as much traffic. "certificate of deposit rate" is pretty close but about 1500 more hits.

I recently started an overture campaign and am waiting for approval on 3 targeted phrases.

Also, we are getting a campaign going on google. Currently our Yahoo traffic is about 2x that of Google and MSN combined.

[cyanide]

HI Chris,

Personally, I think the site needs some design work.
I agree the site is a bit wordy and could use some graphics and photos.

You can get all the hits you want, but if your site itself isn't attractive, then you're not maximizing your campaign.

As I was going through the site, I wasn't quite sure what it was about.
When I saw you were targetting "CD Rates" - I thought you sold Compact Discs(CDs) - I kept looking for them :)