All search engine spiders are programmed to consider the content of the Web site (the actual text on the pages) to be the number one thing to extract and put into their database. They do not have enough room in their database to include all the content of a Web site; they only archive the content that appears to be the most representative of the site.

If a Web site is lacking three or four easy-to-understand, keyword-specific paragraphs that describe what the site is all about, the search engine spiders will probably be confused by the discrepancy between the content in the META tags and the content in the page itself. (They won't calculate that the META tags are truly relevant to the site if the text on the page doesn't support this.) This means they may index whatever they can find that seems to be pertinent (such as words that were in the text more than once, words that appeared in headings, and/or words that were within a hyperlink).

This brings us back to Covey's Personality Ethic. Sure, someone can edit your META tags quickly and submit your site to the search engines. However, if you haven't invested the time upfront to create a Web site with great content that covers what your site is about in plain language that real people use, (in other words, without technology buzzwords), you will not get good long-term results.

How to Get Good Long-Term Results

You may achieve one or two high rankings with one or two engines by editing your META tags but, as Covey so aptly put it, these will be illusory and deceptive results at best. As soon as the search engines change their ranking formula, there's a good chance your high rankings will vaporize and, with them, any traffic this may have brought you.

It is imperative to think of the search engine optimization process as a long-term investment for your site. Here are a few tips to help you invest in the future rankings of your Web site:

• Make sure your site is not made up of graphics alone, as these cannot be "read" by the search engine spiders who come a-crawling. (This is especially true of graphics that look like text — these are often used when a particular font is desired.)
• Be sure to use natural, easy-to-understand language that conveys the message of your Web site and includes keyword phrases you'd like your site to rank high for.
• Make sure your TITLE tag, META tags, and ALT tags all jive with the visible content on the page.
• Be patient! The search engine spiders are extremely slow to index new information that they find when crawling Web sites. Don't be discouraged if it takes six months or more to see the fruits of your labor.

Remember, you are working toward the future. Good placement achieved by doing things the right way will almost always get better and better over time with very little additional effort. Like everything in life, if you spend the time and money to do it right to begin with, the long-term results will most always be impressive.

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