SEO or search engine optimization is simply developing an effective system to bring targeted traffic to your website. Don't shy away from SEO just because you struggle with technical things. SEO isn't that technical, it simply involves knowing your keywords, creating informative keyword rich content for your website, posting on blogs and forums, writing articles, and getting links from other websites.
Traffic is the lifeblood of your website. And there is no better way to generate traffic to your website than to rank on the first page of search results. You don't need to be a techie to get your site on the first page of Google, it helps, but there are many things you can do to get your site ranked highly that need little technical skill. Here are some of them:
Know your keywords
It helps to know what words and phrases people type into search engines when looking for a business like yours. Don't skip keyword research or guess at keywords. Basic keyword research doesn't involve any technical skill at all. Simply write down all the words and phrases you can think of that relate to your business, product, or service, then use a keyword research tool to find out how many people search using those keywords and how much competition there is so that you'll know which keywords you will have more success with. Keyword research tools will also help you to discover related keyword phrases.
Write and submit articles
Write informative how to articles, submit them to article directories and include an author's resource box with links back to your website. Make sure that your anchor text - the words that people click on to go to your site - includes your keywords. They need to be the keywords people will use when looking for what you offer.
Search engines look at the anchor text used in links when deciding what keywords to rank your site for. When you use keywords as your anchor text rather than your website address it helps your site to climb in the search engines for those words and phrases.
Submit your site to directories
Links from website directories probably won't increase your website traffic but they will help to increase your page rank. Links from high Page Rank sites are very valuable and can help to increase both your page rank and your site's authority.
Start a blog
Having a blog can raise your visibility and introduce you to new customers. It's easy to add content to a blog each day, and search engines love fresh content. It's an easy way of creating links to your other content, and the more relevant links you have the better. If you are blogging about your niche, and including your keywords where the search engines like to find them, you will start to rank for relevant search terms and more people will find you.
Taking these simple steps will cause your site to rise in the search engine rankings and you will start too see an increase in traffic - without having to do anything techie!
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynne_Lee
SEO and Keywords - Do you want shorttail or longtail?
Selecting the right keywords for your SEO campaign is vital to the amount of visitors and customers you receive through your SEO efforts.
If you target keywords with too much competition it could be a waste of your time and money as you may never get a high listing for these keywords. Similarly if you choose keywords which are too specific they may never be searched for.
A short tail keywords is basically a very broad search term eg. New Cars. If you searched for this term you would be presented with millions and millions of results. So this search term has a lot of competition for the sought after 1st page slots and you would probably never be able to get high up the search engines for this extremely popular term
A long tail keyword is a string of keywords which are much more specific eg. New Ford Convertible Cars. These will have far less competition and it will be a lot more likely to get a 1st page listing for one of these. You can make long tail keywords by including the local area you are marketing to or the brand name of the product you are selling.
Because long tail keywords are so specific there will obviously be less people searching for them. However, the people that arrive at your site after searching these long tail keywords will be more highly qualified as you are specifically offering what they have searched for.
If you can get a balance between short and long tail keywords in your SEO campaign it will bring in the best traffic from both sources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leonardo_Wood
If you target keywords with too much competition it could be a waste of your time and money as you may never get a high listing for these keywords. Similarly if you choose keywords which are too specific they may never be searched for.
A short tail keywords is basically a very broad search term eg. New Cars. If you searched for this term you would be presented with millions and millions of results. So this search term has a lot of competition for the sought after 1st page slots and you would probably never be able to get high up the search engines for this extremely popular term
A long tail keyword is a string of keywords which are much more specific eg. New Ford Convertible Cars. These will have far less competition and it will be a lot more likely to get a 1st page listing for one of these. You can make long tail keywords by including the local area you are marketing to or the brand name of the product you are selling.
Because long tail keywords are so specific there will obviously be less people searching for them. However, the people that arrive at your site after searching these long tail keywords will be more highly qualified as you are specifically offering what they have searched for.
If you can get a balance between short and long tail keywords in your SEO campaign it will bring in the best traffic from both sources.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leonardo_Wood
Ten Easy Seo Tricks for a New Website / Blog
I do a lot of non-profit work. So much so that my husband thinks I should register my own business as a charity. I work with many single moms and women struggling to get back on their feet or trying to start a new business. Their business concepts are sound and their ideas good. I started out just taking a quick look at their sites to give the odd suggestion or tip and then after looking at these sites knew that with just a few small changes there would be a big impact on their traffic and ranking. I have limited time so I try and go for the fixes that will have the most impact and are usually the easiest to fix. If you are an experienced SEO professional than this article is not for you. If you are a site owner overwhelmed by the whole concept of SEO or just getting your feet wet and don’t know where to start- then read on- there will probably be a useful tip or two.
#1. Bad Title and Meta Tags
My number one pet peeve. A good title for your page is in my opinion the single most important factor when it comes to in-page optimization. The title of your page should not just be "name of your company". You should have a keyword phrase in the title. For example, if you have a site that sells hand made candles and the name of your company is “ Luminosity” Your home page title should NOT be “ Luminosity”, this is a mistake that 90% of all sites I see make. Title should contain keyword phrase like “Handmade Candles by Luminocity”. Or better ““Handmade Scented Candles and Natural Soy Candles-Luminocity”. Every page on your site should have unique Meta data (title, description and if you feel like it keywords). Your description should weave in the keyword phrase you used in your title and use less than 80 characters in description. . Keywords are virtually meaningless but if you must add them go ahead. If I do use them- I use my top 5 or 6 keywords and I don’t put comma’s in between- I prefer to let search engines figure out the different combos.
Take the time to do this step. If you can only do one thing on this list then do this.
#2. Using Graphics Instead of Viewable Text
I still do come across this. A site this has bulk of its text- embedded into graphics. Having a logo with your name or product description embedded into the graphic instead of using actual text. Spiders and bots cannot “see” images and the words embedded into pictures have no meaning. So have your mission statement embedded into fancy graphic may look great but will not index in any search engine. When using images on your site you should always use ALT tags to describe your image i.e. “blue soy candle” not only for non-sighted users but these are recognized by spiders.
#3. No Standard Navigational Links
These are the links that are on pretty much every page of your site. You will see them most often at the bottom of a page and it will feature links that say things like “Home” and “Site Map”. More and more I am seeing menus and navigational bars that use java script. These are nice but not crawl-able. Make sure you have things links in html format somewhere on you pages- most will sit these in footer or bottom of the page. This is also a good chance to use keywords. Try “Scented Candles” rather than “Our Products”.
#4. Large Image Files
Hard to believe- but this still happening. Potential buyers and clients will abandon their site if it takes too long to load. Most people are still using dial-up and can’t wait for multiple and bulky images to download. Some easy tips- make sure you images are set to 72 pixel resolution. Resolution set higher than that it a waste and unnecessarily large. Most photo editors will allow you to set compression rate. Test different compression rates- you can reduce file size by more than have with no visible difference. If you really need the large images then consider using thumbnails that lead to a separate page. (This has added benefit of creating another page and more text that spiders and bots crave).
#5. Lack of Content
Pages that have little or no text. A photo can always use a description and product can always be more than a name. When you have a bunch of pages that have little or no text sitting on same domain they can look the same to spiders and may get dumped as supplemental results. Go through your site and see if there are opportunities to add content. Elevate your SEO expertise and try using keywords in you copy. There are many excellent articles and resources for keyword research.
Consider adding content that has substance and offers related and valuable information to you products or services. Put up a page that describes all your different scents. List your most popular colours and styles. Tell your readers what candles are best for a dinner party and which are the most hypo-allergenic. Get in the habit of creating content for your site. Commit to writing one new page a week or month. Think in terms of building your site wider rather than digging downwards.
#6. Duplicate Content
Do not cut and paste and pass off other people’s work as your own. It’s not just unethical and illegal- most likely it will be picked up as duplicate content and dumped in supplemental results. This means that the search engines disregard any information on the page and your page may as well not exist. Keep this in mind if you plan on doing something like putting up another site with a different domain and different name and just copy your original web site. I have seen this done by many site owners thinking they have stumbled on the secret weapon to higher rankings. The results can be disastrous. I could write another article on all the bad things that can happen if you do this. Just don’t do it.
#7 No Back Links
By links I mean other sites linking to you. These are called inbound links or backlinks. I have worked on sites that have been up for months and are not indexed anywhere. Your site has to be linked somewhere- anywhere- on the internet to “exist” otherwise it is just a deserted island. Not having any inbound links is like opening up a flower shop in Antarctica and wondering where all the walk-by traffic is. If you have not done so suggest your site to DMOZ. Then look for other relevant directories. Almost every business or service will have niche directories where you can submit your site- most times for free. Visit other sites that are related to your and ask them to link to you. Try and think in terms of traffic and avoid the page rank trap. If a link will bring your site traffic then go for it.
If you are in a highly competitive market, than I take exception and you should learn how to build quality links or seriously consider hiring some one to do it for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LJ_Stewart
#1. Bad Title and Meta Tags
My number one pet peeve. A good title for your page is in my opinion the single most important factor when it comes to in-page optimization. The title of your page should not just be "name of your company". You should have a keyword phrase in the title. For example, if you have a site that sells hand made candles and the name of your company is “ Luminosity” Your home page title should NOT be “ Luminosity”, this is a mistake that 90% of all sites I see make. Title should contain keyword phrase like “Handmade Candles by Luminocity”. Or better ““Handmade Scented Candles and Natural Soy Candles-Luminocity”. Every page on your site should have unique Meta data (title, description and if you feel like it keywords). Your description should weave in the keyword phrase you used in your title and use less than 80 characters in description. . Keywords are virtually meaningless but if you must add them go ahead. If I do use them- I use my top 5 or 6 keywords and I don’t put comma’s in between- I prefer to let search engines figure out the different combos.
Take the time to do this step. If you can only do one thing on this list then do this.
#2. Using Graphics Instead of Viewable Text
I still do come across this. A site this has bulk of its text- embedded into graphics. Having a logo with your name or product description embedded into the graphic instead of using actual text. Spiders and bots cannot “see” images and the words embedded into pictures have no meaning. So have your mission statement embedded into fancy graphic may look great but will not index in any search engine. When using images on your site you should always use ALT tags to describe your image i.e. “blue soy candle” not only for non-sighted users but these are recognized by spiders.
#3. No Standard Navigational Links
These are the links that are on pretty much every page of your site. You will see them most often at the bottom of a page and it will feature links that say things like “Home” and “Site Map”. More and more I am seeing menus and navigational bars that use java script. These are nice but not crawl-able. Make sure you have things links in html format somewhere on you pages- most will sit these in footer or bottom of the page. This is also a good chance to use keywords. Try “Scented Candles” rather than “Our Products”.
#4. Large Image Files
Hard to believe- but this still happening. Potential buyers and clients will abandon their site if it takes too long to load. Most people are still using dial-up and can’t wait for multiple and bulky images to download. Some easy tips- make sure you images are set to 72 pixel resolution. Resolution set higher than that it a waste and unnecessarily large. Most photo editors will allow you to set compression rate. Test different compression rates- you can reduce file size by more than have with no visible difference. If you really need the large images then consider using thumbnails that lead to a separate page. (This has added benefit of creating another page and more text that spiders and bots crave).
#5. Lack of Content
Pages that have little or no text. A photo can always use a description and product can always be more than a name. When you have a bunch of pages that have little or no text sitting on same domain they can look the same to spiders and may get dumped as supplemental results. Go through your site and see if there are opportunities to add content. Elevate your SEO expertise and try using keywords in you copy. There are many excellent articles and resources for keyword research.
Consider adding content that has substance and offers related and valuable information to you products or services. Put up a page that describes all your different scents. List your most popular colours and styles. Tell your readers what candles are best for a dinner party and which are the most hypo-allergenic. Get in the habit of creating content for your site. Commit to writing one new page a week or month. Think in terms of building your site wider rather than digging downwards.
#6. Duplicate Content
Do not cut and paste and pass off other people’s work as your own. It’s not just unethical and illegal- most likely it will be picked up as duplicate content and dumped in supplemental results. This means that the search engines disregard any information on the page and your page may as well not exist. Keep this in mind if you plan on doing something like putting up another site with a different domain and different name and just copy your original web site. I have seen this done by many site owners thinking they have stumbled on the secret weapon to higher rankings. The results can be disastrous. I could write another article on all the bad things that can happen if you do this. Just don’t do it.
#7 No Back Links
By links I mean other sites linking to you. These are called inbound links or backlinks. I have worked on sites that have been up for months and are not indexed anywhere. Your site has to be linked somewhere- anywhere- on the internet to “exist” otherwise it is just a deserted island. Not having any inbound links is like opening up a flower shop in Antarctica and wondering where all the walk-by traffic is. If you have not done so suggest your site to DMOZ. Then look for other relevant directories. Almost every business or service will have niche directories where you can submit your site- most times for free. Visit other sites that are related to your and ask them to link to you. Try and think in terms of traffic and avoid the page rank trap. If a link will bring your site traffic then go for it.
If you are in a highly competitive market, than I take exception and you should learn how to build quality links or seriously consider hiring some one to do it for you.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=LJ_Stewart
Ezine Articles
Great tool for getting to know how to use Ezine articles!
http://barringb.marketingk.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=EZINEA
http://barringb.marketingk.hop.clickbank.net/?tid=EZINEA
Make Money Online with Less than 50 Bucks
The first step to being an Internet Marketer, is having a website or blog. Without traffic you are nothing, and what's even better than traffic is targeted traffic.
So step one - Find a niche. Using Google's keyword tool to find a niche that doesn't have much competition but is still getting a solid amount of page views per month.
Step two - Set up a blog. Wordpress or Blogger are good choices, and seem to get indexed easily. Also, if you can afford it buy a domain name so your blog looks more legit, usually about ten bucks.
Step three - Content. You need content for your website to strive. I would suggest writing at least ten articles with long tail keywords to start with. Make sure the keywords have something in common with your niche. The title of these articles are what the search engines are going to list, so make the title something you would search for in Google, yahoo, etc...
Step four - SEO. This is the hardest part. There are so many different ways to get traffic. First off, if you post on your blog at least once a day for a month, you WILL get decent rankings just because the spiders sense that you are active and giving quality content. Write a few articles on EzineArticles and in your author link put your website. After each post to your blog, go to digg.com and submit them. Comment with useful information on other peoples blogs of your niche and leave your website at the end of the comment. Theses are all solid ways that you can get content, but remember, the number one thing is that content is king.
So step one - Find a niche. Using Google's keyword tool to find a niche that doesn't have much competition but is still getting a solid amount of page views per month.
Step two - Set up a blog. Wordpress or Blogger are good choices, and seem to get indexed easily. Also, if you can afford it buy a domain name so your blog looks more legit, usually about ten bucks.
Step three - Content. You need content for your website to strive. I would suggest writing at least ten articles with long tail keywords to start with. Make sure the keywords have something in common with your niche. The title of these articles are what the search engines are going to list, so make the title something you would search for in Google, yahoo, etc...
Step four - SEO. This is the hardest part. There are so many different ways to get traffic. First off, if you post on your blog at least once a day for a month, you WILL get decent rankings just because the spiders sense that you are active and giving quality content. Write a few articles on EzineArticles and in your author link put your website. After each post to your blog, go to digg.com and submit them. Comment with useful information on other peoples blogs of your niche and leave your website at the end of the comment. Theses are all solid ways that you can get content, but remember, the number one thing is that content is king.
Internet Marketing Tips - Building Traffic to your Website or New Blog
So you've got your own website for your business or personal page. That's the first step. However, just putting together a site isn't the only thing you need to do. After all, the Internet is a huge place, and a single site can get lost pretty quickly. You need to generate traffic for your site if you want visitors to come and check out what you have to offer!
To do that, you need to do a little marketing. This is optional for personal sites, but a must if you operate a business website. This is a simple fact. Unfortunately, most people don't know how to get this traffic when they're first starting out. Here's a short tutorial on how to increase your website's targeted traffic and get the visitors you need.
There are two basic ways to get the traffic you've been looking for. One is to pay for it. However, most beginners don't have the money to do that. If you're in that boat, you do have another option. However, you'll need to put in a lot of work - traffic doesn't come easy.
Any business wants customers to eventually make it to the sales page. This final destination is where visitors ultimately need to be pointed. However, not every method has to send your visitors there right away, and doing so can be a big mistake. There are steps in between finding a possible customer and asking them to buy. Think about it - how would you feel if a stranger walked up to you and demanded money for a product?
One of the simplest methods you can use to build traffic is by using original articles. You need to create a strong article on the subject and submit it to a site, such as an article directory. Then, add a resource box pointing people to your blog (you have one, right?) The blog will include a review of the product you're hoping people will buy from you. The sales page link doesn't come in until the end of the review, and will direct people to purchase. This is a simple, but effective way to build strong traffic to your site.
Another effective method uses an article, but the resource box points not to a blog, but to a lens on Squidoo. Lenses offer features that blogs don't, including the ability to include polls, questionaires, videos and many other interactive options. You'll need a link or two to the sales page on the lens as well. Your reader needs to see real, solid content if they're going to trust you about buying.
Another article driven method for building traffic directs prospective customers to your squeeze page. A squeeze page is is a webpage that's there to get information from customers. It has no outside hyperlinks. On this page, they submit some contact information to sign up for a free newsletter or related report about the industry or something else related to the product. You send the newsletter (make it full of quality information) and links to your sales page are included. This is an excellent method of traffic generation, since it rewards the viewer with something they want.
To do that, you need to do a little marketing. This is optional for personal sites, but a must if you operate a business website. This is a simple fact. Unfortunately, most people don't know how to get this traffic when they're first starting out. Here's a short tutorial on how to increase your website's targeted traffic and get the visitors you need.
There are two basic ways to get the traffic you've been looking for. One is to pay for it. However, most beginners don't have the money to do that. If you're in that boat, you do have another option. However, you'll need to put in a lot of work - traffic doesn't come easy.
Any business wants customers to eventually make it to the sales page. This final destination is where visitors ultimately need to be pointed. However, not every method has to send your visitors there right away, and doing so can be a big mistake. There are steps in between finding a possible customer and asking them to buy. Think about it - how would you feel if a stranger walked up to you and demanded money for a product?
One of the simplest methods you can use to build traffic is by using original articles. You need to create a strong article on the subject and submit it to a site, such as an article directory. Then, add a resource box pointing people to your blog (you have one, right?) The blog will include a review of the product you're hoping people will buy from you. The sales page link doesn't come in until the end of the review, and will direct people to purchase. This is a simple, but effective way to build strong traffic to your site.
Another effective method uses an article, but the resource box points not to a blog, but to a lens on Squidoo. Lenses offer features that blogs don't, including the ability to include polls, questionaires, videos and many other interactive options. You'll need a link or two to the sales page on the lens as well. Your reader needs to see real, solid content if they're going to trust you about buying.
Another article driven method for building traffic directs prospective customers to your squeeze page. A squeeze page is is a webpage that's there to get information from customers. It has no outside hyperlinks. On this page, they submit some contact information to sign up for a free newsletter or related report about the industry or something else related to the product. You send the newsletter (make it full of quality information) and links to your sales page are included. This is an excellent method of traffic generation, since it rewards the viewer with something they want.
5 Alternatives to Google Adsense
Many people seem to be getting banned from Google adsense for unknown and undisclosed reasons. If you are one of the ones who got the ban stick, well, don't take it too hard, there are other alternatives.
1. Adbrite - Adbrite is actually pretty good, they are what I have been using and the payout seems to be on par with adsense. You can set your own payment release amount. They also have inline ads so that is a plus.
2. Clicksor - I havn't used them much but they are not bad from what I have read.
3. Bidvertiser
4. Chitika
5. Fastclick
So don't be bummed out if your google account got disabled, happens to a lot of people!
1. Adbrite - Adbrite is actually pretty good, they are what I have been using and the payout seems to be on par with adsense. You can set your own payment release amount. They also have inline ads so that is a plus.
2. Clicksor - I havn't used them much but they are not bad from what I have read.
3. Bidvertiser
4. Chitika
5. Fastclick
So don't be bummed out if your google account got disabled, happens to a lot of people!
