More than half of the world's Web users make a stop at a search engine each day. Because they're looking for something specific when they enter their query, you have an opportunity to take advantage of targeted marketing. If you get good placement within the search results, your business can enjoy the rewards of this essential Web tool.

Optimizing your site for search engines is also a reasonably priced way of getting your name out there. This sort of marketing is usually much less expensive -- and more effective -- than banner ads.

Rise to the top
The main reason you want to have your site listed near the top of the results is that most search engines list results 10 per page, and people generally only look at the first 10 or 20 results. Prime positioning means better exposure for your business.

So how do you get to the top? While each search engine uses a slightly different algorithm to rank the results, the following criteria have the most influence:

• Link popularity. The number of people who have clicked through to your site from the search results in the past partly determines where you will rank with successive searches. Sites accessed more frequently appear closer to the top. The number of sites linking to your site also influences the results -- the more, the better.
  
• Keyword presence. How you place your keyword within the HTML title and description tags of your site is vital. Keywords near the beginning of the title and well-distributed throughout the description can get your site more weight in the results.
  
• Category popularity. In search engines or similar portals that allow searching by category, the popularity of the keyword within the category itself is an important factor in the order of the results.

Keyword is key
Your keyword is your greatest tool for increasing your rank in the results listing. Search engines and other portals rely on your keyword to tell them about your site, so it can be properly categorized and listed. Your keyword should be as specific to your business as possible. Here are some guidelines for using your keyword to your advantage:

• Phrase it. Instead of a single word, choose a phrase as your keyword. The competition is fierce for single words, and it's likely you won't end up in the top 10 results. Phrases also draw more targeted traffic than single keywords. Think "Maui snorkeling vacation" as opposed to just "travel."
  
• Make your keyword your domain. Use a domain name that reflects your line of business -- even one that contains your keyword. Many search engines give higher ranking to sites that feature the keyword within the domain.
  
• Give visitors what they're looking for. There are resources on the Web that allow you to view a list of the most frequently searched keywords of the day, week, or year. The more you know about how people search, the better your keyword choice will be. You can access the top 500 frequently searched words on the Internet at Wordtracker.com. And the Lycos 50 Daily Report highlights the most frequently searched keywords of the day.

Get results with tags
Using your site's HTML tags to your advantage will score you points in the search engine results competition. The following tags present an opportunity to utilize your keywords and move on up the results ladder:

• Title tag. Always use your keyword within the title, preferably toward the beginning. And remember that the title tag will be displayed in the search engine results, so make it attractive and grammatically correct.
  
• Meta tag. The Meta tag of an HTML page gives search engines information about your site. This tag is displayed as a brief abstract when your site is displayed in the search results. Be specific and use your keyword to entice click-throughs.
  
• Alt tag. The browser displays the alt tag when the pictures on a Web page cannot or will not be viewed. Image alt tags take the place of the pictures. Search engines often use these tags as well to determine site content.

Your search engine ranking can be a valuable way to promote your business to a specific market of willing consumers. A modest initial investment of time spent picking your keyword and optimizing your tags can return widespread exposure. Then your business can give consumers exactly what they're searching for!