They say “If you can’t be found online your business is already dead - you just haven’t noticed it yet.” Now, 11 days after launching my site, Google can see me. Findability is key to any site’s success. Here are 5 easy ways to be sure your site gets found.

Create findable content - This seems obvious, but thousands of great companies bury their content in sexy (occasionally annoying) Flash animations or objects. If done wrong (as a majority are) it renders their content and links completely invisible to search engines. I believe 90% of SEO can (and should) be done during the design of a site.

Good ‘n plenty - Often companies make redesigning their website the central focus of their marketing efforts, only to abandon it after it’s completion. Your website is not finished when you launch it. It’s not finished ever if you want to continue to be found online. Regular content updates, links to related content and links back to your site are not only search engine gold, they will exponentially grow your connection to the web.

Get listed - AdWords programs (bidding on industry specific keywords) if properly implemented, can be very effective. But don’t forget to take advantage of free listing opportunities, contests, content web rings, etc… In the same way one article about you in a magazine can be worth ten print advertisements, getting listed on relevant sites can be seen as a much more legitimate link to your site. Plus, it’s free. Here’s an example of a contest I recently submitted my website to that is already generating traffic: Creative Public, February Top 10

Opinions are like what? - With over 70 million blogs, there’s no lack of opportunity to give your “2 cents” to someone writing content relevant to your business. Commenting on blogs creates a link back to your website, providing millions of readers who are already reading something relevant to your business, a doorway onto your site.

BLOG! - Okay, this kind of overlaps a few of the others, but it really is a smart strategy for businesses. Don’t think of blogs as diaries, or personal journals. Think of blogging as a Content Management System - a simple tool for updating your website with fresh, findable content. There are plenty of free blog engines available, but for sites requiring customization, and a robust CMS, something more “feature rich” may be in order. The tool I use to build my site is called Expression Engine, and I’d highly recommend it.

With the popularity of content aggregation and RSS, getting found has become even easier. Now users only need find someone, who found someone, who found you. Think of it as “ambient findability” or digital word of mouth. Chris Pirillo offers a beginner’s guide to content aggregation here.

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