Google has created a massive database containing the details of most webpages.

When someone searches for a particular word or phrase, Google shows a list of appropriate pages and sorts them in order of relevance.

The software used to determine the ranking is very complex and takes into account hundreds of factors. However the most important are:

• The use of the search phrase on individual pages & websites;
• The interlinking of pages on a website and the phrases used to link;
• The inclusion of the search phrase on links back to websites & pages;
• The location of the user
• The “Quality” of the websites linking to individual pages

Most of the factors that are used by Google to determine relevance are fairly sensible. For example, if a website showed an address as being in Bray, Co Wicklow , has a link from the Irish Institute of Funeral Directors, has text which includes words like “Coffin”, Cremation, Cemetery, Church, Flowers, Undertaker etc. This site should feature highly if someone in Dublin does a search on Google for “Bray Funeral Director”.

The problem arises when there are many different websites, all of whom are competing for a particular phrase. In this case, it is important to do everything possible to demonstrate the relevance of your website for those phrases that are critical to your business. That’s where you need a Google Marketing Specialist.….. That’s when you need Hoot!