need help with search engines

[newatthis]

Hi, as you can tell i'm new at this, so here is my question:my site has a brief description in the title, also some meta tags to maximize chances of being found through search engines,but...if i search for the name, everything is ok, but if i search for keywords included in the title or meta tags, i have to spend hours to find my page...any ideas?thank you for your replies.

[MattJ]

The effect of meta tags in HTML barely affects search engine listings nowadays.

My experience of SEO (Search Engine Optimization), is the following;

Don't waste money hiring in 'professionals' to do it, especially if you are wanting to save on funds.
Everything you need can be acheived with very little time and effort, and for free :-D.

Firstly, ensure your site is search engine friendly. Be aware that graphical titles etc. are not readable by a search engine. Neither are Flash/Javascript add-ons.

Incoming links should be your highest priority. The text of the link that points to a site is a major factor of what keywords the search engine will list you under. For more on this, simply look up tthe tecnique of 'Google Bombing'.

Next, get your site listed in the dmoz directory. Then, be patient for Google to pick up on this and add it to theirs.

Finally, don't try any cheap tricks, and just concentrate on the content of your site. That is the most important thing. It really is true that if you have high-quality content, people, and search engines, will find you. They want to find you! Follow these tips, to make it easier for them. The rest is out of your hands.

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On a side note, there are people who believe that Google still pays attention to meta keyword tags, on the premise that the keywords appear in the body of the page.

All search engines are different, but Google is by far the biggest. Concentrate on that, and the others will also find you. Some quicker, some slower.

Good luck! It took me 3 months to get to #1 :-D