When submitting your web pages to the top search engines, in order to get a good position you need to optimize your pages to rank well for a certain key phrase.
Once you have determined the best key phrase for your webpage you then need to do two things:

1. Your header tags should have that exact same phrase within them. Preferably your title tag should be that key phrase only, and your description tag should have the phrase within it. Your keyword tag should also have that phrase only. This is because lots of different keywords here will only dilute the importance of the first.

2. Secondly, make sure this key phrase is the first word on your page i.e. the title (h1) at the top of the actual page (directly underneath the header tags). It should also be an integral part of the page as a whole. In other words it should be mentioned several times throughout the page, especially towards the top of the page, but in a natural way. Also, any image you have at the top of the page should have the key phrase as its alt tag.

These two tips are the most important for getting a good ranking but there are other points you should bear in mind. So here are some more important tips to help you get and keep the top listing you’re looking for:

Remember optimizing is imperative in order to gain a top position but it isn’t everything. Use some common sense as to how the title, description and content will look to visitors.

For example, it’s almost pointless getting a high position if the title and description doesn’t talk people into clicking for more information. Your description, as well as incorporating your key phrase should tell people what your page offers. And its pointless anyone reading your page if it doesn’t inspire them to do what you want them to do.

Furthermore, once you’re happy with the page, leave it for a few months to see how it works out before making drastic changes. Remember it can take a long time for your optimized pages to rank highly even after the long wait to get indexed in the first place. Once your page is in the search engine’s index give it a chance to get properly established before you start tweaking your work just because you haven’t immediately got a number one position.

Plus, it’s perfectly normal for your page to continually rise and fall in its ranking. Don’t panic if it falls. This is normal. Be patient. After the wait you had to get your page indexed in the first place, you then have to wait a while longer because it will take time to see how your page “ages” in the indices.

In time it will settle down as the search engines determine your pages click-through popularity. Any changes you make to your site may not be reflected in it’s rating for several months or more, so be patient before you make drastic alterations.

A final important point:
Don’t submit to the search engine until you have established a few links to your site from other sites. Some of the biggest search engines will not index you if no other domains are linking to your site.

The best way to do this is manually. It may take a lot of time and effort but it is essential if you are seriously wanting to get indexed with the big search engines. The most ideal links you can have pointing to you are from the major directories such as LookSmart or Yahoo, but especially The Open Directory.

I hope this advice will help you get a number one position.

Article by: Stuart Elwell, Webmaster for WebSmart-Marketing.com;
http://www.websmart-marketing.com/home.html …which provides
good advice and strategies for making money from the Internet.