I needed to delete this post because of course this post came right up on google when searching my name but not my actual website!

What am I doing wrong?

Having a Flash site AND a "splash" page.

Having either one of those is crap for SEs, having both is pretty much a death sentence.

Originally Posted by Nmink100

I have a photography flash website like many of my fellow photographers. For some reason, they all come up on google searches and I don't. For example, my website is www.natalieturetsky.com and my cousin is www.rachelfellig.com We both use the same web template company, both have flash sites, and similar key words and when searching for 'family photographer miami beach' or 'child photographer miami beach' her site will come up on the first page and even the first organic result and mine is no where to be found. What am I doing wrong?
I added pertinent contect to my splash page, it was recently cached and still nothing...Even if I search for my own name 'Natalie Turetsky Photography' I still only show up on the second page! What is going on? Can anyone help shed some light on this for me?

Hi mameduke here.Have you tried writing a few articles and linking them to a blog.That helps with you're ranking on search engines

Hope you can use my advise to you're advantage.Just try some articles.And blogs it is not that difficult.And it does help.I have been doing it for a week now and i am all ready on the third page of google
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You have too many keywords and your site description is too long and not very optimized. Go for 2-3 specific keywords in your description. In your keywords try to limit them to no more than 12 related keywords.

It's strange thought that my cousin and I did the very same thing, both have flash sites with splash pages, both have lots of keywords and long site titles and she is on the first page, first organic result and I am in cyberspace.

So how do I write some articles? And I should create a blog and link the articles? How do I do this?
Gosh why does it have to be so complicated for some and so easy for others...

One thing I did notice is that she has a business local listing REVIEW that she actually made up herself. Could that be what the difference is?

Considering the total lack of anything off site promoting either of your websites, yes, it could make a difference..

It's not 'complicated', just new to you.. I'm sure we can both take pictures, but I bet yours turn out better than mine because that is what you do.. If you want to learn to do the online marketing yourself, be prepared to spend some time learning, and then implementing what you learn.. Just like if I wanted to be a better photographer, I'd need a better camera, spend some time learning, and then practicing..

Or you can hire someone that does it for a living.. Just like people hire professional photographers

Whenever the subject is anything besides politics, I find myself saying "Feydakin is right" - and this post joins the chorus.

How old is your site, and how old is your cousin's?

Google ignores meta keywords completely, so that has no bearing on any difference you see.

Lol.. Would it make you sad to know that when it comes to politics I'm an instigator

Both sites are more than 2 years old, and neither has 5 IBLs that I could find.. Basically they built these little shrines then put them in a closet and wonder why no one can find them.. No big deal, lots of people do that.. They just need a little promotion and could do just fine in the local market..

Hi Feydakin,
Our sites are not 2 years old. We registered the domain names that long ago but the actual sites we both put up just this past summer!! Not even a year. Your analogy makes a lot of sense. Is internet marketing something you do for a living? I think I may need to hire someone...

Everyone went swimming when they got to YOUR site, and Everyone went surfing when they got to your competitors site.

Brian, can you please explain what you mean by that comment? Do you mean people did not stay on my site long enough?

MAMEDUKE would you please edit your post to delete my name and website address? Because now this thread is coming up on google...please please can you delete that? How can I delete the thread?

Deleting you web name from these posts is a bad idea.. It ranks.. You had links pointing to your site.. Someone searching for you "could" have found you this way.. But you went and killed it.. If you do this a lot, then you will never be found..

You absolutely NEED to have links like this Natalie Turetsky : Miami Beach Photographer pointing to your website.. Otherwise you may as well take it down and not have one..

This site outranked you for your own name because it has a ton of marketing behind it.. You have none.. So it's more important than yours.. But, if you leave things like those links you deleted, then they get added to the ranking potential of your website.. Do that enough places and ways and you start to climb in the rankings..

And yes, I do marketing for a living.. But my website has hardly been touched since I started it back up after taking some time off to make jewelry

Also, there is no way I will EVER disable a popup blocker for any website.. So whatever you were hoping to show in that popup will not be seen by me, or likely thousands of other people.. You need to rethink how you present that information..

Oh yeah, I forgot to add, I absolutely hate websites written in the third person.. It really hurts conversions and it's painful to read..

You absolutely NEED to have links like this Natalie Turetsky : Miami Beach Photographer pointing to your website.. Otherwise you may as well take it down and not have one..

AND of course, pages that have more "authority" than your pages do, WILL always out perform yours in terms of ranking regardless of how well your site is promoted. HOWEVER, if that results in YOUR site getting visitors from that link, well, that's what marketing and promotion is ALL ABOUT.

use div tags rather than tables . . . Is this advisable?

Originally Posted by full house

use div tags rather than tables . . . Is this advisable?

Yep but not for search engines.