In what has huge implications for the way people will arrive, (or not arrive), at your website, Google last week conducted a major restructuring of how organic, (the left hand side), search results are displayed. You will now notice that there is a new column on the far left of the search page incorporating tools such as blogs, videos, time-based results and more. So what does this mean for you?

1. Regularly update your site

Now there are many more filters that people can use to find what they are looking for. You need to ensure that your site is optimised to take advantage of these new methods of segmentation. This means regular updates / changes / additions to aspects of your site such as articles, blogs, pics and videos. It also mean that whoever your web designer is, they should at least know the basics of search engine optimisation (SEO) and be applying them to your site. Remember to make sure all these changes to your site are relevant to the product(s) or service(s) you are attempting to sell.

2. Embrace social media

One of the best ways to keep your site full of fresh content is to employ a social media strategy. It doesn’t need to have all the bells and whistles and you can start small and grow your campaign as time allows. Tools such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube are good ones to start with. Check out the articles in sites like Mashable and on blogs like Thinktank Media and start the learning process now.

3. Start a Google AdWords campaign

Obviously there is a great deal of effort in trying to get onto that elusive Page 1 of any search engine, including Google. Whilst virtually every business appears at or near the top of Page 1 for their own business name, the unfortunate reality is that that is often where their ranking success ends. Some businesses manage to appear for a few keywords, but even the best ranking businesses on the left hand side will always rank better by using an effective pay per click (PPC) / search engine advertising (SEA) strategy. You can bid on as many or as few words as you like, but with recent studies showing searches are now involving many more words than in the past, a strategy employing many terms and geographic areas has never been so vital. Effective SEO and social media strategies may enhance your positioning, but effective PPC / SEA will all but ensure it.

Sure you can attempt to tackle these 3 points by yourself, but do you have the time, the knowledge or the patience? So what’s my advice?

Do some research and find a great web designer, a great social media firm and a great pay per click / search engine advertising provider. In the case of the latter, just like you’d be less likely to choose a builder that’s not a Master Builder, you should also be diligent in choosing a provider that’s a Google Authorised AdWords Reseller or a Yahoo! Certified Local Ambassador, or better still, a firm that holds both certifications.

So there you go. Do the research, get the knowledge and go kick some ass!