How much does it cost to get my website to the top of a Google search?
First, it's important not to confuse paid advertising campaigns with "organic" search results. In either case, it's not necessarily about how much you spend. In the case of pay-per-click (PPC or paid ads), the results may appear on search results pages or in a content network. You may not get to the top of the listings even if you have a very high bid for a particular search query. Quality score also comes into play (particularly on search results pages) and the relevance of the search keywords to your ad plus the relevance of your ad to the "landing page" have a very big impact on where your ad ends up. Other factors impact your ranking, too, such as how the search engine views the quality of your landing page and how your quality score and bid compare to your competition for that same keyword.
If it is the "organic" or unpaid search you are concerned with, there are many factors in this case, as well. Global link popularity (number, quality, and relevance of other sites linking to yours), anchor text (the text used to describe links to your site), proper use of titles, and the age of your site and the documents within it are just a few of the many factors that figure into search engine algorithms used for ranking website listings. Search engine optimization requires discipline and dedication to be carried out to the extent that you will see real results for your company, especially if you are in a very competitive or saturated industry.
Should I buy the keywords including my brand name as a part of my PPC campaign?
In some cases it may be worthwhile. For example, if your competitors are using your brand name as keywords, you want to make sure you are positioned well in that context. However, your brand should make up a very tiny percent of your PPC campaign.
Is keyword density important for my search engine rankings?
This used to be the case, but it no longer appears to be so. Well-written copy that is relevant to your overall subject matter is much more important than the number of times a keyword appears on a page.
What are "meta tags" and are they important?
There are different types of meta tags. The "keyword" type is not used by search engines in their ranking algorithms. Some web designers/developers include them as a best practice to describe the purpose of the page. Others elect not to do so, since this will reveal your intended keywords to your competitors. There's really no right answer, here.
The "description" meta tag is very important, but not necessarily for the search engines. This is the information that shows up in the description when your website is part of Google or another search engine's query results. A well-written description with emphasis on your critical keywords can help ensure you get the best possible click through rates (CTR) from your best prospects.
Are keywords in my URL important?
If you can find domain names with your important keywords in them, that's great. Grab them! But steer away from "spammy" looking domain names, such as those with multiple dashes (my-spammy-domain-name.biz) or those with .biz, .info, or other extensions besides the usual .com, .net, .org. As for the words after your domain name, as in http://www.digmktg.com/search-engine-marketing, using dashes to separate words in an article name makes it more likely that the words will be bolded in the event your page shows up in search results, which could draw the searcher's eye and improve click through rates (CTR).
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