SEO is the process and art of getting high rankings on Google, Yahoo and MSN. After years of formulaic approaches, it is now a simplified process. Here are some nuggets of advice that may help your efforts.
1. Optimize All Pages – To the extent possible, try to optimize all pages of your site, not just the home page. Your goal is to push all the pages up in the rankings to draw traffic, not just the home page.
2. Linking Language – When generating links to your site, try to mix up the language you use for the incoming links. The search engines, particularly Google, like to see a mix of language.
3. Efficient Meta Titles – When putting your meta title together for the pages on your site, don’t just slap keyword phrases together. The title is what people will see in search results, so make sure it makes sense.
4. Keyword Density Analysis - You need to include the keyword phrase you are focusing on in the text of the page in question. The number of times you should include it is known as the keyword density. Personally, I stick to once every 50 words or so.
5. SEO Goals - The key to seo is setting your goals and sticking to them. It can take a while to get rankings, particularly if your site is new. If you get discouraged, just try to think how great it will be when you pop into the top 3 on your keywords.
6. Dreaded Google Eleven - Google can be wickedly cruel. For some reason, rankings will often pop up to the number eleven position and then sit for a few months. Don't change your tactics. Just keep doing what you are doing and you will move up.
7. Keyword Research Common Sense – When doing keyword research, don’t leave your common sense at the door. Think about what phrases you would use to search for something and make sure to incorporate them in your site.
8. Finding Online Buyers – People on the web tend to browse a lot, which is why programs like Internet Explorer are called browsers. Focus on “buy” keywords to get better results. A person that types buy widgets is ready to part with their money.
9. Timing Search Engine Optimization – Time is on your side with search engine optimization. With Google and Yahoo, time is a factor in rankings. The longer you are indexed, the higher you rank.
10. Keywords Article Titles – Many people mistakenly use their keyword phrase in articles submitted to directories. If you do this, the article directory may outrank you!
When playing with your optimization efforts, remember to factor in time. Simply put, you need to give the changes time to be digested by the search engines. Making weekly changes isn’t going to tell you anything.
A great introduction.
ReplyDeleteI would add that for number 3 you should also make use of META DESCRIPTION and H tags.
Ideally all three should contain your keywords in a slightly different order. But remember not to keyword stuff, just use one example, and make all three human-friendly and readable.
Great article!