Show Me The Money Now

As fancy as the term “blog” sounds, it’s actually just a website that uses a content management system. While most blog software is more search engine friendly out of the box than many web sites, the opportunities for blog optimization are readily available.

Here are 10 tricks that will increase your visibility in search engines and eventually drive more traffic to your blog.

1) Use keywords in your blog post titles – This is a given for SEO. Most blogging software uses the post title as the url so take advantage of it.

Example: “10 SEO Tricks to Attract More Traffic to your Blog – Search Engine Journal
Search Engine Journal is included on every blog post title tag automatically.

2) Optimize your blog categories – When you create categories for your blog, be sure to use keywords in the titles. When you post, be sure to default to a general category that is relevant no matter what the post is about. Choose multiple categories on each post when appropriate. This will create a “SEO-friendly” url for each post you make.

3) Syndicate your blog – Make it easy for people to subscribe to your blog. Sign-up with a free service like Feedburner and then create a “syndication” area on your site.

4) Offer RSS to email – Anywhere from 10% to 40% of your blog traffic can come from individuals that perfer to read blog posts via email. RSS readers and aggregators can be confusing. Adding email services to your blog isn’t. There are several free services available for this including: FeedBlitz, Squeet, and Zookoda.

5) Ping blog search engines – This can be configured with blog software such as Movable Type or WordPress to work automatically. If you’re using Blogger.com, then you can do this manually with Pingomatic.com or Pingoat.com.

6) Make comments on other blogs – Your name will be linked to the blog url that you enter. Don’t make comments that offer no value to the blog post. Don’t use keywords in the field for your name, use your name or blog name.

7) Submit your blog directories – Also submit the blog to regular directories such as (DMOZ, JoeAnt, GoGuides, Google Blog Search, etc) that have categories for blogs.

Targeted advertising – Now this doesn’t really drive traffic to your site but will make you money. It’s possible by using Google AdSense to display highly targeted ads on your blog. Once you’ve setup an account and placed the ads on your site, just sit back and watch the cash come in. Cha-ching.

9) Snatch up hot keywords – Now before you place ads on your blog, be sure your keyword density is good for the right terms. A VERY helpful tool to improve your traffic for high-paying keywords is called Keyword Elite (http://www.seojuice.com).

10) Use track backs – If there is a blog that you refer to or quote and it is highly relevant to your subject, leave a track back. It increases your link popularity and may even score a few interested readers from the linked site. A TrackBack is a mechanism used in a blog to show, around an entry, a list of other blogs that refer to it.

Summary

The important thing to remember is that no matter how many optimization tactics you employ with a blog, there is no substitute for quality content. Blog optimization is only as effective as the quality and usefulness of the content you’re optimizing. So do not limit yourself to tips and lists. Use your imagination and you will come up with thousands of ways to drive traffic to your blog!

Author: David Cowgill
http://www.istockblog.com

Categories : SEO // Add Comment »

10 Sure Fire Tips for Choosing The Right SEO Company

There is a lot of conflicting information out there when it comes to advice about choosing which SEO Company is right for you. After all, if you are like me, your Internet business is your livelihood; you can’t afford to trust its success to just anyone! Additionally, as you may have already learned, time is not on your side. Every day that you struggle with optimizing your website is another day without sufficient income and another day that your competitors have a chance to get the jump on you.

To eliminate some of the confusion, below I have listed the top ten things that you should look for when choosing a SEO company. Contrary to popular belief, it is possible to find an effective, efficient and affordable Search Engine Optimization Company!

1. Size. A good SEO company should include different price points for all business sizes. It should be able to effectively optimize websites with pages from 1 to 1000.

2. Page Rank. The company should specifically address ways of improving your website’s Page Rank and Search Engine Positioning. Ideally, this will include a detailed site analysis.

3. Keyword Optimization. Your site’s keyword optimization is an integral part of onpage optimization. The SEO Company that you are considering should be able to analyze and optimize your keywords, and suggest alternative ones, if necessary.

4. Linking Strategy. Any SEO company worth its salt will understand the importance placed on both one-way and reciprocal linking by the Search Engines. Therefore, they should offer and be able to perform an advanced analysis of your website’s linking structure and offer to improve it.

5. Customer Care. You should have expert advice available to you within reasonable parameters. Do you want or like to wait for answers to your questions? I didn’t think so! A company’s philosophy on customer service is your indication as to how reliable they are as a company!

6. Time is of the Essence. If you can’t save time using an SEO company, what is the point? They should be able to do their job professionally, without asking for continual guidance from you. You should be free to work on other, more pressing projects, such as developing another income stream!

7. Savings/Pricing. The company should be competitively priced. Always compare the value of their SEO services with price that you will be paying. The prices should be reasonable; this means not too cheap, but not too expensive either.

8. Communication. The company should ask for all of your contact information and offer all of theirs. You should be able to get regular updates as to your site’s progress, at any time that you ask for it.

9. Value. Compare the price of the SEO service to that of traditional advertising (for example, PPC or classifieds). How does their price compare with other methods of advertising? Do they offer better results faster, with much less cost?

10. Reporting. A serious SEO company should provide detailed reports to you so you can see your website’s performance. Do you like guesswork? I know I sure don’t! It is much better to see results in print rather than “accepting” a verbal one. This way, you can be assured that the Search Engine Optimization Company is really doing what it said it would. Joe Borges is an experienced Internet Marketer and Software Consultant with experience in website development and implementation. He is also a professional SEO Consultant, helping internet businesses increase their web presence, website traffic and Search Engine Ranking. Get essential tips, tools and strategies that you can use right now to make your online business thrive by visiting our Search Engine Optimization website.

About the author:

Joe Borges is an experienced professional SEO Consultant, helping internet businesses increase their web presence, website traffic and Search Engine Ranking. He is also an Internet Marketer and Software Consultant with experience in website development and implementation. Get tools and strategies that you can use right now to make your online business thrive by visiting: http://www.tekretail.com/seo-services.html

Categories : SEO // Add Comment »

From the perspective of a business owner, webmaster,
or marketing manager, the change exhibited by the Internet
is profoundly exciting, yet profoundly disturbing. The
information (and misinformation and disinformation)
it offers, the business benefits it promises, and the
rules it is governed by change at such a rapid rate
that it’s almost impossible to keep up.

These changes have led to a growing appreciation of
the value of quality web copy. This appreciation has,
in turn, led to an influx of opportunistic ‘copywriters’
promoting themselves as website copywriters or SEO copywriters.
Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few excellent
SEO copywriters out there, and you should definitely
shop around. The purpose of this article isn’t
to scare you; it’s to help you find the SEO copywriter
who’ll deliver honest service and excellent results.

So with that in mind, take a look at the following
ten tips. These are the things you have a right to expect
from anyone wearing a name badge that reads “website
copywriter”, “SEO copywriter”, “internet
copywriter”, or “web copywriter”…
(See also 10
Things to Expect From Your Website Copywriter and
How
to Make the Most of Your Website Copywriter.)

1) An understanding of SEO

Obviously, your SEO copywriter must have a solid understanding
of the essentials of Search Engine Optimization. They
must know that ranking is essentially the result of
a website’s relevance (i.e. keywords) and importance
(i.e. inbound links). There are a whole lot of other
factors involved, but if your SEO copywriter doesn’t
understand these two basics, you should look elsewhere.
If you’d like to ensure your SEO copywriter knows
a little more than just the basics, take a look at SEO
for CEOs, Writing
SEO Copy, SEO
Trade Secrets, Web
Copy – How Much is Enough?, and How
to Top Google by Writing Articles for some clues
as to what you might like to ask in order to assess
their knowledge.

2) Proven experience

The proof is, as they say, in the pudding. It’s
not enough that your SEO copywriter can talk the talk;
they must also be able to walk the walk. Ask to see
some examples of websites for which they’ve obtained
some good rankings. Note that it may be very difficult
to find an SEO copywriter who has actually worked on
both keywords and link generation, so if you find one
who has, and they write well, snap ‘em up! They’ll
have a very broad and useful working knowledge of search
engines.

3) An understanding of how many keywords to use

You don’t want to fill every page up with every
keyword you’re targeting. This simply dilutes your
site’s relevance and reduces readability. Ask your
SEO copywriter how many keywords they would recommend
targeting on each page. Hopefully they’ll suggest
no more than 3, preferably 2. By targeting 2 keyword
phrases per page, you can use them a lot without impacting
readability.

4) Clear agreement on who will provide keywords

Someone needs to perform a keyword analysis in order
to figure out what words you should be trying to rank
highly for. Your SEO copywriter should be able to do
this for you, but it’s quite often more cost-effective
if someone a little closer to the business does it.
Either way, make sure your agreement with your SEO copywriter
makes it very clear who is performing this task. Don’t
assume the SEO copywriter is going to do it, because
they may assume you’re going to do it, and then
you’ll blow your budget.

5) Keywords or keyword phrases

Expect your SEO copywriter to offer some advice regarding
how specific you should be with your keywords. In most
industries, the competition for keywords is so fierce
that you’ll be forced to target very specific keywords
in order to rank – at least at the outset. For
instance, if you’re in IT, you probably wouldn’t
start out by targeting the keyword “IT”. The
competition is immense (at the time of writing, there
were approx 3,240,000,000 results for this search in
Google.com) and the IT giants already dominate the search
engines for this keyword. Instead, try using a more
specific keyword phrase like “IT infrastructure
consulting new york” (at the time of writing, there
were only around 4,000,000 results for this search in
Google.com). The other benefit to targeting more specific
keyword phrases is that you’ll generate more relevant
leads.

6) Agree on word count per page

Always make sure your SEO copywriter gives you an indication
of the number of words they expect to write per web
page. While it’s necessary to have a decent body
of words on most of your web pages, you certainly shouldn’t
have too many. What “too many” is all depends
on your industry, the objective of the page, and the
needs of your audience. It’s always a delicate
balance, but it’s certainly possible to rank highly
with only 100-200 words per page. So don’t be fooled
into paying for copy you don’t need!

7) Density targets & measure

SEO of a web page is NOT guess-work. A good SEO copywriter
will talk about density measures. This is a measure
of the number of time the keyword phrase appears on
the page. It’s expressed as a percentage of the
total word count of the page. So if your page has 200
words, and your keyword phrase appears 10 times, its
density is 5%. As a rule of thumb, your SEO copywriter
should be aiming for a density of approximately 5% for
your primary keyword phrase and 3-5% for your secondary
keyword phrase. If your density measures are much higher
than this, readability will be reduced, and you’ll
risk being perceived as spam by the search engines.
Make sure your SEO copywriter understands keyword density,
is prepared to state the target density for each keyword
phrase, and is also happy to be measured by that standard
(should you decide to measure).

Where to place keywords

The question of keyword placement has been the subject
of much debate amongst SEO copywriters. While it is
still unclear how much impact placement has, there is
a general consensus that it has SOME impact. Be sure
that your copywriter is aware of this impact. Popular
opinion has it that keywords are more effective if they
appear in headings, bolded text, links, and generally
toward the beginning of the page.

9) Some comment on structure & links

Websites are generally better indexed by search engines
if their spiders can traverse the entire site using
text links. This means your SEO copywriter should be
linking each page to every other page using text links.
If your site is complex, this may be impractical, so
your SEO copywriter will need to create a hierarchical
structure for your site. First, they should break your
subject material down into categories. Then for each
category, they should write a summary page. These summary
pages should be accessible from higher level pages via
text links. They should also be accessible from each
other. Each summary page should link – using text
links – to a number of pages discussing the finer
details of the category. And each detail page in a particular
category should link to every other detail page in that
category (once again, using text links). This way the
spiders are able to travel from the top of your hierarchy
to the bottom, and from left to right across any level.

10) Don’t believe grand promises

SEO copywriters can play a significant role in increasing
your search engine ranking. But they can’t do it
overnight. By optimizing your site for your target keyword
phrases, an SEO copywriter is simply declaring the relevance
of your site. If you engage an SEO copywriter to write
helpful articles containing a byline with a link back
to your site, you can then submit these articles for
publication on the Internet, and this will steadily
increase your ranking. But if an SEO copywriter tells
you they can dramatically increase your ranking in a
matter of hours or days, be wary. NOTE: Your SEO copywriter
should be able to submit your articles to various submit
sites on the Internet. These sites are closely watched
by hundreds of thousands of publishers of e-newsletters
and article pages from all around the world. High quality
articles are quickly snapped up and published prolifically.
And each time your article is published, you’ve
got another link back to your site, thus increasing
the importance of your site (to the search engines).
If you’d like to submit your own articles, your
SEO copywriter should be able to sell you a list of
50 or more submit sites for as little as USD$99.

Conclusion

An SEO copywriter is a valuable addition to your marketing
function. But you need to make sure you choose wisely.
When you know what questions to ask, the battle is half
won.

Happy hunting!

About the Author
* Glenn Murray is an advertising copywriter and heads copywriting studio Divine Write. He can be contacted on Sydney +612 4334 6222 or at glenn@divinewrite.com. Visit http://www.divinewrite.com for further details or more FREE articles.

Categories : SEO // Add Comment »

SEO Copywriting is a skill. For most people it’s really something you learn over time by doing it, paying close attention to what your competitors are doing and reading up on how to write copy for websites, blogs, press releases and articles.

There are some simple rules that will help the beginning SEO copywriter and keep the experienced “know-it-all” like myself grounded!

First let’s start by really defining SEO copywriting.

SEO copywriting is the art and science of combining three elements:

(1) Valuable Content: providing the reader with content that affords them the opportunity to learn, experience or clarify a product, service, position or opinion. Key factors in creating “value” in your content include organization, a high level of detail, a birds-eye view, reader perspective, usability and specific calls to action.

Your content must provide the reader with ”news you can use” if you will. The overall reader experience must take into account a variety of different levels of knowledge/proficiency with the topic. Here’s where defining and organizing your thoughts come in. Start with a bird’s eye view of the Who, What, Where, When, Why and How, then expand into greater detail on a point by point or step by step basis.

(2) Readability: The user must be able to understand what the heck you are talking about. A good rule of thumb is to write for the reader first, then make a second and third pass for the search engines.

(3) Structure and Formatting: Search Engines are becoming smarter about assessing the “value” of your content, but they still rely on a variety of distinguishable factors which are outlined below. There is no hard and fast rule for any of these tips. Use them all “sparingly” and remember #1 and 2 above.

10 SEO Copywriting Tips

(1) Use Bold, and Italics: Just like a regular old human reader the search engines give more weight to words and phrases that are in bold or italics. Just don’t go too crazy or you’ll irritate the search engines and give your reader a headache (unless you’re selling aspirin, but that’s a different article on subliminal copywriting!).

(2) Internal Hyperlinks: You are your own best resource, so use and to a certain extent abuse yourself. Hyperlink to other resources/pages of your site which are relevant to the copy you are writing. This will benefit the reader, increase the amount of time they spend on your site and help you with the search engines. Don’t forget your ALT tags.

(3) External Hyperlinks: Incorporating links to external resources which will benefit the reader can help you in two ways (a) they provide a third-party validation to a certain extent of your “expertise” and (b) afford you the opportunity to pick up some extra coin if that resource provides reciprocal linking or has an affiliate program.

(4) Use Bullet Points: Using a bullet point or numbered system helps break up your copy into consumable pieces, aids in the clean design of your page and makes it easy for the reader to “go back” and reference previous points without wasting time reading through dense copy.

(5) Content “Mass”: Never have less than 400 words on a page. If the content you are providing is in fact valuable you should be able to come up with aroundt 1,000 words.

(6) Use Examples to beef up your content with relevant keywords. (See #8).

(7) Keyword Density: I like to try for 7% density for no more than 4 sets of keywords or phrases per page. Segway to #8.

(8) Break your keyword sets/phrases into tiers or alternates to enable a better flow while maximizing density and penetration (based upon Yahoo!’s Keyword Selector Tool, WordTracker, WebCEO or a like keyword recommendation program).:

Example: Target: SEO Copywriting
Tier 1: SEO Copywriting
Tier 2: SEO Copywriter
Tier 3: Writing copy for SEO
Tier 4: SEO copywriting services

Example Sentence: “Instead of spending time evaluating SEO copywriting Services become a SEO copywriter yourself by following these guidelines and you’ll be writing copy for SEO in no time.”

I sort of packed it all into one sentence, but you should get the gist.

(9) Write for what the reader is searching for, not what you think they should be searching for. Remember that your job is to provide the “solution” to the problem, not create a greater problem by making the reader/searcher feel dumb. If they are searching for Ham and Green Eggs instead of Green Eggs and Ham, give them Ham and Green Eggs – “The Searcher is Always Right” to paraphrase a service industry mantra.

(10) On Page Structure and Code “Tricks” There is an old saying from high school debate teams: “Tell them what your gonna tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them”. The same applies to SEO copywriting. Use an “introductory statement”, then your body content with bullet points or numbering, then a “summary” (which is essentially the same as your introductory statement). Don’t forget to avail yourself of page specific meta tags, page title, ALT Tags, Image Tags, Screen Tips, etc. to fill in the blanks for the words that just didn’t fit into the “flow” and to increase the relevant weight of your selected keywords.

Remember, SEO Copywriting is a skill. For most people it’s really something you learn over time by doing it, paying close attention to what your competitors are doing and reading up on how to write copy for websites, blogs, press releases and articles.

Follow these simple rules that will help the beginning SEO copywriter and keep the experienced “know-it-all” like myself grounded!

Happy SEOing!

Kaboodle Ventures SEO Copywriting
The Blog Mill
Blog Templates

Categories : SEO // Add Comment »

If they want to have success, companies should do everything they can to ensure that their SEO firm doesn’t provide lousy service. Here are 10 tips to keep in mind:

1. Be realistic.
Don’t waste your time or the SEO firm’s expertise by arguing about broad search terms. Don’t say you want to be in the Top 10 for “e-commerce.” The SEO firm should ask: “E-commerce and what else? E-commerce consultants? Please be specific.”

2. Think long-term.
If you can’t help yourself and you want broad search terms, such as “toys,” think through what it may take to pull that off. Variations on your favorite term may be best in the short term. If you start looking a year or two out, then make sure there aren’t site design, programming and link popularity flaws.

3. Be open with log files.
Don’t shield log files from the SEO firm. Admit if your web analytics capability is poor. How can the SEO firm do a good job if your host company can’t provide decent statistics, such as the number of visitors from search engines and the actual search terms they use?

4. Change text.
If an SEO firm wants to change text, give the consultant lots of room. If a graphic can be modified so the words appear as text, be open-minded about the change. Chances are, it won’t hurt the overall look of the web site. SEO professionals grit their teeth when clients say they want rankings and then resist change.

5. Don’t sit on recommendations.
You may end up discouraging the SEO firm you’re paying if you hire them and then fail to review their suggestions.

6. Reply to e-mails, voicemails and other communications.
If an SEO firm contacts you, especially for a scheduled meeting, make a point to return the e-mail or call. Really, it’s a good idea to be available for strategic conference calls.

7. Stick to the program.
Don’t ask the SEO firm to optimize the web site and then expect them to provide Pay-Per-Click (PPC) guidance as well. If you can’t handle PPC on your own, pay the experts.

8. Keep statistics in perspective.
With many search terms and engines, it’s always going to be possible for some keywords not to rank. Don’t get hung up on what search terms didn’t pop in the Top 30. Focus on your traffic growth and conversions.

9. Know your limits.
SEO firms appreciate informed clients – to a limit. Read the articles. Pick up an SEO book. Keep up with the news. But don’t hire an SEO expert and then tell them you’re an SEO expert. For example, you may be excited to learn about all of the SEO devices that could be at your disposal. Don’t blame the SEO firm for failing to use them all at once. Measured, gradual changes are best.

10. Take your company name out of title tags.
Do yourself a favor and make title tags available for search terms, not your long company name. Only keep it if it’s short and useful from a title tag proximity and density standpoint.

About the Author
Michael Murray is vice president of Fathom SEO, a Cleveland, Ohio-based search engine optimization (SEO) firm. He authored the “U.S. Manufacturers Resist Natural Search Engine Optimization” study and white paper, “Search Engine Marketing: Get in the Game.” michael@fathomseo.com

Categories : SEO // Add Comment »

Effective SEO strategies require a lot of effort and time. Although in the search engines market exist very advanced tools that cost a lot, there are many free SEO tools which can help the novice and advanced SEO marketer to save valuable time.
Here is a list of free and proven for their effectiveness SEO online instruments:

1) http://www.alexaranking.com – It displays multiple domains instead of one. Therefore, you can have instant traffic results from Alexa Rankings instead of typing and search each time separately.

2) http://www.xml-sitemaps.com – Sitemaps are extremely important for websites because they help search engines crawl and index them. This is a free xml sitemap generator.

3) http://www.123promotion.co.uk/directorymanager – You can track your submissions to various web directories and you can also visit regularly to see new directories added to the list. You just tick the appropriate submission boxes when you submitted your website. It’s very easy to use it.

4) http://www.123promotion.co.uk/ppc/index.php – This is a very powerful tool. It displays, based on the Overture and Wordtracker keyword search tools, similar data, including search figures from the previous month. It also adds statistics for average searches per hour, day, week, projected figures for the next 12 months and then also a figure to see how searches may look in 3 years from now.

5) http://www.seochat.com/seo-tools/keyword-density – This keyword density tool is useful for helping webmasters/SEO’s achieve their optimum keyword density for a set of key terms/keywords. This tool will analyze your chosen URL and return a table of keyword density values for one, two, or three word key terms.

6) http://www.mcdar.net/KeywordTool/keyWait.asp – This is another Excellent Resource. When you enter the appropriate URL and keyword, it will display Pagerank and Back links pages for the Top 10 websites.

7)http://www.123promotion.co.uk/tools/robotstxtgenerator.php You can create a free robots.txt file with this resource. So, you will be able to direct the search engines to follow the pages structure of your website and also direct the search engines not to follow and crawl specific web pages of your website you don’t want to be crawled.
All you have to do is filling the fields and when the robots.txt file is created you upload it to your root of your web server.

http://www.nichebot.com . This website displays keyword data using Wordtracker and Google search results. You just enter the keyword and press the button.

9) http://www.webconfs.com/domain-stats.php . You Enter the domain and get: domain age, number of pages indexed, and number of backlinks. The statistics include Alexa Taffic Rank, Age of the domains, Yahoo WebRank, Dmoz listings, count of backlinks and number of pages indexed in Search Engines like Google, Yahoo, Msn etc.
It will help you figure out why some of your competitors are ranking better than you.

10) http://comparesearchengines.dogpile.com . Shows top results from 3 search engines. This tool helps you get all kind of statistics of your competitor’s domains.

11) http://www.marketleap.com/verify/default.htm . This verification tool checks to see if your site is in the top three pages of a search engine result for a specific keyword. You enter your URL/Keyword and it displays top 30 for 11 Search Engines.

12) http://www.related-pages.com/adWordsKeywords.aspx. This tool generates a list of possible keyword combinations based on lists of keywords that you provide.
You enter a list of terms, one per line or separated by commas. This is very effective for Google Adwords and Overture.

Christos Varsamis is Internet & Affiliate Marketing Specialist. Get your Free Reports “Internet Marketing Myths Exposed” & “How to Generate Revenue from Your Sites”
http://www.fastprofitbiz.com/Reports/Report.html

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It is more than a year now since I concluded that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) was, or was soon going to become, a waste of time. I had already, 6 months before then, said farewell to spending an hour a day working on getting reciprocal links.

What led, at the time, to what many would have said were very rash moves? After all, reciprocal linking was still being expounded, by all and sundry, as an essential way to get a good ranking, and the software tools were being actively marketed still. Search engine positioning software was still being heavily marketed and is still today; keyword density was a buzz term being branded around as if it were an essential science to be practised by all good SEO conscious webmasters.

What I did was to go back to marketing basics. I had received my marketing training back in the 1980’s and had practical marketing experience with my own business from the mid 1990’s. I was not born into internet marketing alone, so could still see outside the blinkers and the hype.

A very basic but important aspect of marketing is to know your market place. When it comes to search engine rankings, then clearly a major part of that market was the major search engines, Google, Yahoo and MSN, with Google being the clear leader then, and a year later today.

I started to think 18 months ago that as far as reciprocal linking went, it was becoming a spammers’ zone. Surely, I argued with myself, Google did not really want to rank a web site highly just because the web master had the tools and the time to chase around getting reciprocal links? It just did not make sense. And the same was true of buying links. Why should a web site rank highly because they have splashed out on buying links?

What Google, and the others, really wanted was to rank the best web sites for a particular search term, and it seemed only a matter of time before they sniffed out and extinguished the abuses such as blatantly artificial link building, Blog spam, scraping and extreme SEO’ing.

A year ago, I started two new web sites without any real thought of SEO. As a writer, I was happy to try to provide what search engines wanted: original content on what people were searching for. While I did provide title and description tags, everything else was just written on a go with the flow basis. The keyword phrase for any page would come out in the natural flow. I could just write to my heart’s content without using any tools checking keyword density.

The first of those new web sites 13 months ago was in the self improvement niche, which is highly competitive. I was expecting to be “Sandboxed” by Google because of that, and so it proved. But I just kept plugging away, sticking to my no-SEO principle. Of course, none of us outside Google knows for sure if there is such a thing as a sandbox, but there is undoubtedly a waiting time before a new site is thrown fully into the ranking melting pot.

In the self improvement case, the last Google update saw my site emerge from the sandbox after about 12 months. So, at last, I was able see whether my no SEO approach was to yield any positive results. Thankfully, a few high rankings were immediately apparent, including a few #1 positions. On one of those terms, Yahoo followed a few weeks later to the #1 position, while the site was #2 (now 1) at MSN.

Now, this is early days for that particular site, and there is much to do to get more high rankings. However, I am confident that SEO is infinitely more simple than some experts, especially those selling ranking tools, tend to have you believe.

Since I started that particular site, I have only made one major change, and that is convert all my web sites to CSS. Providing a content rich site that is easy to crawl for search engine robots is the most important aspect of the new, simplified SEO. In fact, following Google’s advice to webmasters is about all you need to do, and that is free.

Of course, those with software products to peddle will argue that I could do even better with their software. But if Google decides to blacklist that software as a manipulating tool, then all my hard work could be undone. So I will leave the others to chase shadows with ranking software, and just enjoy writing content. After all, that is what basic marketing told me to do.

About the Author :

Learn and earn your way to success at online university.

This article is distributed by: www.iSnare.com

Categories : SEO // Add Comment »

Always make sure that the following aspects are avoided to make your site search engine friendly.

* Broken links

* Broken images

* Bad colour schemes

* Flashing text or images

* Obscured text

* Typos

* Under construction signs

* No unique content

* Very little content

* Affiliate link farm

* Frames

* Bad navigation

About the author:

Ben wilson is a designer and editor of http://www.actmedia.net. Actmedia is a outsourcing web design company in india with satisfied customers around the globe.

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From the very beginning of the Internet, the number one challenge which all of us have faced is how to attract qualified visitors to our websites. Throughout the boom years, one of the most popular solutions was to get massive funding, relatively easy to get in those days, and “buy” traffic, by various means.
As an iconoclastic young developer, with ambitions of beating the “big boys” at their own game, more time than money or the connections to get it, I sought a less capital intensive methodology to achieve the same results. Years of study and rapt attention to the pertinent forums, trying everything that even seemed to make sense (making many mistakes along the way, and learning much from each one), then carefully monitoring the results, has lead to many highly workable tools in our SEO bag of tricks. The outcome of these trial and error methods, (lots of both) lays the foundation of our SEO services and the basis for the ongoing growth of traffic to your website and ours.
The simple fact of the matter is this: Expertise in any other form of writing in no way qualifies one for the type of writing required to optimize a website for the Internet. There are many sites which have less than correct punctuation, grammar, and even spelling which rank #1 in their optimized search phrases. This is not to say that I don’t think these things are important, only that to be found in the search engines, they are not the most important consideration.
The flip side of this argument is equally true. Just because someone knows all the ins and outs of all of the search engines, can write algorithms in their sleep, has lunches with Dr. Eric Schmidt and is on a first name basis with Larry Page and Sergey Brin, does not, in any way, make them a writer. All of the writing on this site was done as a collaborative venture between Susan K. Thompson, a professional writer with strong academic credentials and real world experience, in both business and marketing, and myself. Was there a lot of editing and re-write? Yes. Were there disagreements? You bet! Was it worth it? Look at the record.
Emerald Coast Entrepreneur was launched on May 1, 2005 with most site optimization in place and submission to the directories just beginning. With a total monetary investment of less than $100.00, and a time investment, I’d rather not think about, but which approached 300 hours, the site was given a PR5 ranking by Google on it’s first update, less than 2 months after our launch.
Studies show that over 90% of all online users use search engines to find what they are looking for, whether products/services, or just plain old information.
The following twelve points will, I hope, summarize a philosophy, approach and methodology to the SEO question which is both sound and effective, along with giving some helpful insight into the industry itself.
1. Content. Content. Content.
Effective, professional, optimized Copywriting is the single, most important factor in any SEO campaign. Search engines index websites based on the content found on each page of the site. With a thorough understanding of the language and grammatical conventions combined with intensive research, to find and exploit the market focus, one can move a website to the upper echelon of the “SERP’s” (Search Engine Results Page) in a methodical as well as ethical manner.
2. Analyze Web Logs.
Measure everything, at least twice, and then check again. While I would be the first to say that many of the procedures that make up website optimization are more art than science, one needs to take a very scientific approach to the results of the effort. This is done by methodically keeping a record of, and making an analysis of the sites web logs. There are a number of specialized software which make the job easier but at the bare minimum, one needs to keep a close eye on the site visitors and their activity while on the site. No matter how well planned the strategy, it is largely theoretical until proven by the results, which can only be measured by the logs, and a thorough analysis of their content.
3. No one can guarantee a #1 ranking on Google, or any other search engine.
Those who promise such feats will either optimize for such vague search term phrases (such as, “green stunted widgets with purple Polka-dots and icing”) that no one will ever likely look for, or they are making a false claim, which they have no intention of keeping, or they have an inside edge at Google, something which they will loose, quickly, when the honest folks at Google find out about it. The other option, that they will take the money and run, is worth mentioning here but I’ll be polite.
4. Some things are just plain silly.
You don’t need to submit your site to 50,000 search engines. Businesses which offer this service are suspect, at best. 85% of the search results on the Internet come from one search engine, which, if you have one link from an established website, or better yet, a directory, will find your site just fine, on it’s own. Four (4) search engines account for over 90% of the traffic on the web. As for any supposed benefit which may accrue from being listed in an obscure search engine in Botswana which specializes in safaris to the Kalahari Desert and receives 7 hits per day; well, you figure it out.
5. SEO is not Pay-per-Click.
While no one would argue the effectiveness of getting increased traffic and sales, through a well planned, pay-per-click campaign, the fact remains that the conversion rates are generally low and they cease the moment the “pay” stops. With a well planned and executed SEO campaign, while results may take a bit longer, they continue to produce, and in fact grow, long after the work is done and paid for. Quite often we have found that after a thorough optimization of a site, only minor adjustments are needed on an ongoing basis, primarily related to new content and/or new items of sale or service.
6. SEO is not witchcraft, Druidism, shamanism.
Neither does it require any special chants, ceremonial fires, or vestments, though some of us do like to howl at the full moon, on occasion. There are no “Top Secret” practices which a reputable SEO can not tell a client, a judge, or his mother, for that matter. The very nature of the Internet has always been cooperative and there is nothing about SEO that can’t be learned, with a heavy dose of time and money. A reputable SEO firm will give you an item per item breakdown of just where the money goes. Be wary if you sense a secretive atmosphere or any unwillingness to answer questions. While there are technical points which might take some background to fully understand, if one has a solid overview of the entire situation, a simple explanation should be easy enough to come up with.
7. Do-it-yourself SEO.
Yes, you can execute your own SEO campaign and find a reputable SEO firm to help plan and organize it for you. About one half of my own clientele do some part of the actual work themselves, or have their in-house dedicated personnel do it, after discussion of the goals and aims of the business/website, a thorough website analysis, comprehensive search phrase research, and focused instruction on the ways and means of achieving high SERPs. These preliminaries are followed up with a detailed program of suggestions and methods which the client can then implement themselves or hire others to perform. Average savings; 30-40%.
8. Phased Implementation.
While many companies spend thousands of dollars per month on Search Engine Optimization, an alternative is available which will pay dividends to you in increased sales and leads without the high initial investment. The most important consideration is to have a reputable firm handle the initial evaluation and suggested optimization planning first. The trial and error method will cost much more, in the long run, with or without the desired result. After studying the plan and establishing a workable budget you may implement the plan as finances allow.
9. Remember the old saying, “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Never was this more true than in the realm of SEO. While concrete and measurable gains will always come from a well thought out and executed optimization strategy, the Internet is a competitive media and we all want to be number one. Accept that a steady upward movement, over time, will place you worlds ahead of a flash followed by a crash.
10. A thought to ponder.
At stake, in the race for the top, is the very existence of your website, your business, and quite possibly your reputation. Beware of any “shortcuts” or less than ethical schemes that anyone might suggest to further your business goals. When it’s all said and done it is you, the business owner, who bears the responsibility for any company or individual you hire. Insist on knowing exactly what the strategy is and what steps are being performed to implement it. If it seems, in the least, suspicious, ask for and get an explanation. In this case, not only is Ignorance not bliss, it could very well be the beginning of the end for your business.
11. All incoming links are not created equal.
Both the relevance to your line of business and website subject matter and the PR value of the incoming link determine how valuable they are to your own PR ranking. With Google starting the trend, nothing new there, and most of the others following close behind, the days of grabbing all the inbound links, in any way possible, are gone. Not only will low ranked and/or irrelevant inbound links not help, they will, in fact, cause a penalty. Link farms, free-for-all link schemes, automated link accumulation software, or any other fad that doesn’t carefully screen the links and websites they are coming from will, in the long run, do more harm than good.
12. It’s more than just facts and figures.
The relationship between an online business and SEO is, perhaps, one of the closest of business relationships. In order to be effective, a SEO must know not only the facts and figures pertaining to the endeavor, but s/he must know something of the dreams and aspirations of the business principals. Things which don’t normally come out in a prospectus are often invaluable information when searching for the “right fit” into the complex world of the Internet. My own clients sometimes ask, due to the frequency of my calls and email in the early phases, “Am I your only client?” I usually laugh and say something to the effect that until I know your business almost as well as you do, yes, you are the only one that counts.

About The Author

James ‘Doc’ Lewis spends much of his professional time as SEO for http://www.EmeraldCoastEntrepreneur.com. Doc started practicing his magic long before the term SEO was even coined and continues to study and perfect methods of workable and cost effective SEO and SEM, devising unique solutions to diverse marketing challenges.
Should you find this article to be of interest to your website visitors, you are welcome to publish it, in it’s entirety (no editing), including this footer.
Copyright © 2005 Emerald Coast Entrepreneur
SEO@emeraldcoastentrepreneur.com

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Did you know that you can dramatically increase the number of visitors that come to your site on a daily basis from Google? And it’s not constantly improving your position in Google search engine result pages(SERPs) for your competitive keywords which can take some time after working on your search engine marketing campaigns.
I take this example from Google because I’ve experienced it some time back now. Apart concentrating on getting and maintaining a top 10 ranking in Google, there are lots of easy traffic sources that you haven’t exploited yet. We are still talking about search engine traffic here.
What’s that strategy you ask? The answer might surprise you but it’s a technique that works and is pretty legitimate. It’s not creating stand alone or doorway pages with practically no content, overly optimized with keywords and a link back to the homepage. Doorway pages work but only if you know how to do it well. And this article will talk a bit about this topic as well.
The strategy is to search for overlooked keyword phrases which are not too competitive and create effective doorway pages related to these keyword phrases. These pages can be promoting a product for instance.
Just by adding a few effective doorway pages, I managed to make 9 sales in just a few short weeks and earned $364.59.
Imagine you come up with several keyword phrases that generate a few monthly searches, you now have several pages. So each page targeting a specific keyword phrase is worth traffic and not any type of traffic but it will be targeted.
So if you have one page which brings you only 1 visitor per day and you have 50 pages, you can easily receive 50 visitors per day for free. You see the potential now.
Keywords that have about 1000 searches on Yahoo! Search Marketing Solutions previously known as Overture at http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion are valuable keywords with lower competition.
If you are using Wordtracker at http://www.wordtracker.com, a keyword with only 10 searches per day can get you a good ranking and bring you traffic.
If you have already a website which is generating traffic, you can dramatically increase your numbers, simply by adding relevant doorway pages targeting a specific keyword. These pages have content and have your optimized navigation menu on it with their specific keyword phrases. These pages are just an entry to your site nothing more nothing less.
They should not be overly optimized with keywords but they must have some optimized content which is readable by your visitors and friendly for the search engines as well.
If you have a good website which is crawled by Google’s robot called “Googlebot” often, your new pages will get spidered and indexed fast and will start bringing you small loads of targeted traffic.
But be careful when adding pages, don’t go in a frenzy with this and add hundreds or even thousands of pages all of a sudden. For eg if your site has 50 pages already indexed in Google and ranking well and you add 100 new pages at once, your indexed pages might suffer a temporary drop in rankings. The key here is to add pages on a regular basis say 1 or 2 pages daily until you reach the total number of pages to be added.
Why not capitalize on this free source of traffic? The key is to research your keywords well first, work on your content and create these pages afterwards.
Your website will grow bigger and bigger with time and it will attract loads of targeted traffic from multiple keyword phrases.
Good luck and happy research and optimizing.

About The Author

Jean Lam is the author of the highly acclaimed eBook “Top Search Engine Ranking Secrets in Google Revealed”, a concise, step-by-step guide to high search engine ranking for the beginner to intermediate level webmaster – available now at http://www.top-ranking-strategies.com.

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