Web-based businesses are focusing their efforts on the search engines, with good reason, because the majority of customers these days are not browsing, they are searching. The search engines are taking a customer's desired keywords and providing the most relevant results it can find. Being a small or medium sized business owner, you want your site to be listed high and found for specific terms that most closely resemble your product. But what if you're not on top and want to be? This article will outline the 10 most common mistakes made that often result in low or nonexistent search engine rankings.

5. URL Contains Special Characters.
Choosing a good URL is the first major step in creating a successful website. Oftentimes web sites with special characters in their URL are just skipped by the search engine spiders. If your website is continually getting skipped there is no chance for you to show the search engines all the wonderful content contained on your site.

4. Poor Optimization - Hidden text in the background of pages.
A few years ago it used to be fairly standard for websites to include hidden, keyword-rich text in the background of their pages. The goal was to match the text color to the background color so the search engines would read all of these great keywords, and a customer would not have to see the mess. However, search engines no longer pay attention to text that is hidden, and many sites have actually been penalized by search engines for employing such tactics. Instead of trying to trick a search engine spider, it is best just to make each page on your site rich in keyword density the right way.

3. Low link popularity.
There are several factors that contribute to how powerful the search engines perceive your website. One of the most important factors is link popularity, or how many incoming links to your website there are. Other relevant sites linking to yours let the search engines know that your site is credible and provides valuable information. A common solution to this problem is to join a reciprocal link partnership to increase the number of links pointing to your site. However, this tactic is being discounted by search engines. They are looking for similar websites pointing to yours with a relevant anchor tag on the link. If you have a furniture store, for instance, a link from a site about laser eye surgery will not be helpful. The more powerful the website that is pointing to you, the more credit the link gets in the eyes of the search engines.

2. Content Problems - Don't Use Frames.
This concept is fairly simple, when using frames on your website, search engines are unable to read the text within the frame. This creates a sizeable problem because the search engines are not able to understand what the focus of your web pages are, and do not pick up any of your valuable content. It is best to avoid frames altogether. There are many ways to design a site so it functions like you want it, but is also attractive to search engine spiders.

1. Patience is a Virtue.
If you have gotten all the way through the first nine tips and are still having problems, maybe giving the search engines a little time will help. The amount of time it takes for a search engine to show your site in the rankings can take up to a full year and depends on factors like the history of your site's URL, new links pointing your way, and content updates. A brand new website must sit for a few months while the search engines verify the credibility of the site. With so many new websites being launched everyday, many spam, the search engines must carefully choose which ones offer valuable content before placing them in their search results.

Hopefully these tips can help propel you into the search engine rankings sooner rather than later. The most important thing to keep in mind is to not try and trick the search engines because they will eventually catch on and penalize your website, an event your business can not afford! The impact of high search rankings on traffic to your site and bringing potential customers, is enormous. With the rules of each search engine changing on a daily basis, it may be a good idea to employ a professional to handle the content and search engine optimization of your business's website.

Glenn McCarthy is an Internet Consultant and is a successful WSI franchise owner helping local businesses with Sacramento web design. WSI web design consultants bring a local presence along with International resources to help your business succeed online through better web site design, higher traffic from search engine optimization, and smarter conversion rates for leads and e-commerce sales. For more information on search engine optimization and PPC advertising, see the regional website.