The Dream-Racer web site has been up and running for nearly two months and already it’s getting noticed. If you type Dream-Racer into Google the site is listed on page three. But, when the search is restricted to Google UK Dream-Racer is listed on page one and the main catalog page on page 2. (Excuse the spelling that’s how Actinic spells it.)

The same search on MSN World or UK lists both the catalog page and this blog on page 1. Additionally, one of my other sites, Excitim also features on page one because of the case study reference linking through to Dream-Racer.

Alongside these there are lots of other pages because of references to Dream Racer and other items that are not relevant to either this blog or our Dream-Racer site.

To get high up the listing I need to help Google, MSN, Yahoo and all the other search engines out there rank the site and this blog more effectively.  I’ve learnt that the process – getting a better ranking – is the goal of search engine optimisation (SEO for short)  Perhaps the gurus will disagree but, to me, SEO appears more of an art than science.  Log onto any SEO forum and you’ll hear opinions and counter-opinions all the time.

The one thing they all agree on is the essential use of keywords and phrases in your web text. I’ve worked on selecting a series of keywords and phrases that seem most relevant to describe the radio controlled toys we designed for children and young adults with physical disabilities and special educational needs.

The other essential ingredient to a high ranking site is the quality and number of links your site attracts. Except it’s not the ones you create by pointing outwards; it’s the links that point inwards to your site that matter most.

The gurus also suggest that you need to build these links slowly: too many in one go is bad news. A bit like the game of snakes and ladders were climbing up ladders is good but, a wrong shake, sends you sliding back down the snakes.

Yesterday I contacted two organisations keen to list sites that referenced adaptive technology products for individuals with disabilities. Robin at Ableize and Alpha at Enable Together were both very willing to create links from their sites to Dream-Racer. Robin has done even more. Thanks guys.

Over the next weeks and months I’ll be looking to increase the number of links to Dream-Racer. If anyone knows of other suitable sites were the focus is adaptive technology for individuals with physical disabilities then let me know and I’ll take a look.

Mike