Web Wise: Write Now!

We spend a lot of time, money and resources building beautiful, informative Web sites, and then ... no one shows up for the party. It's as if no one can find you - or your site. Don't you hate that?

While there is no single, all-encompassing silver bullet when it comes to gaining the top spot on search engines, there are ways of attracting attention to your site that can help grow your ranking. One method is by adding real, informative, top-notch content to your site on a regular basis - at least once a week.

Think of it as a weekly message of the things you'd like to tell all of your customers when they visit, but forget to tell them. And it's not difficult to launch your own "column." As a matter of fact, it's as simple as starting your own blog or online newsletter page.

You may think you have nothing to say, but I'll bet you could come up with at least five or six timeless stories designed to teach something about auto care and/or repair to your site's visitors. These stories, says Yaro Starak of Teasa's Tips, should be your "pillar" articles. Starak advises that pillar articles are typically 500 words or more and contain plenty of practical advice or tips.

Once you've established your initial set of stories, begin submitting your articles to online directories, such as Ezine Articles (www.ezinearticles.com) and GoArticles (www.goarticles.com). From there, the search engines will begin crawling you more regularly, as you continue submitting articles. In addition, other sites may begin linking to you, and more importantly, you will begin building a reputation as an "expert" in your field.

If your software allows it, be sure to encourage comments from readers. Follow the comments closely and answer as quickly as possible. To start a conversation with your readers, you might post a question at the end of your article, asking them to give you feedback.

It doesn't take long to build truly rich, organic rankings with the search engines. But like a garden, it does require a little work

ASA Web Ways: Complete Your AAM Online

The Automotive Management Institute (AMI), which is celebrating its 20th anniversary, offers an online version of its required self-study "Automotive Service Management Course." The online version of this course allows students to participate in interactive management training on topics including sales and marketing, personnel management and financial management. After completing the six modules within the course, students receive 18 credits toward the Accredited Automotive Manager (AAM) designation. To order the course online, visit www.AMIonline.org and click on "Self-Study Courses."