We have talked about content and links as being very important and this time we are going to talk about the third leg of the stool, key words. If you really want to get free search engine traffic to your web site (and who doesn’t) then key words are the third key. This is because pages that rank higher on the Search Engine result pages for specific keywords or phrases get more search engine traffic compared to lower ranked pages for the same keyword. The majority of web users when searching for information on the web use a search engine like Google. When they do a search, most click on one of the top 5 results on the first page. As a result, the ultimate goal of any web page owner when doing Search Engine Optimization is to gain one of those coveted top spots, with the number one ranking being the primary objective in order to get more traffic.
The first thing you need to do is Keyword research in order to find out what exactly it is that people are searching for in the area that you are interested in. Then you need to pick the key words that relate the topic on your web site, and that people are really searching for. Try using keyword research services to help you investigate word and phrase variations. Services like Wordtracker, and the Google AdWords suggestion tool or software like Keyword Elite which will generate 1000s Of Keywords In Seconds, are good starting points. There is simply no substitute for doing your keyword research.
What you are looking for in your research is:
*Single word keywords are very difficult to get high rankings for, so I use three and four word phrases most of the time.
*Obviously keywords that are the most appropriate keywords for your pages, and for your business.
*Words that are highly targeted are easier to get good ranking for as they are not so competitive that you will never be able to beat the big boys whose pages are well optimized with good content and a lot of links. Targeted keywords on the other hand generate targeted visitors, that are more likely to be active while on the pages of your website.
*Stay away from generic or very general keywords even though they may have the highest number of searches they are very competitive. They are tougher to rank for and a great portion of the traffic from these words will be irrelevant and typically the least productive.
This Keyword research helps you to identify keywords that are relevant, targeted, and less competitive. After finding out what people are looking for, and what keywords they are using to find that information, you can optimize your pages with these keywords that you have discovered are best for your site and will bring significant traffic to it.
Now that we have our keyword list and we are ready to optimize our pages where do we put those keywords? That is the topic for next time.
“Targeted keywords generate traffic”
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
Optimizing your web site for Better results with quality links
The next component in your site search engine optimization strategy is getting quality links. Search engines have found measuring the quantity and quality of links pointed at a site a legitimate way to measure the importance of that site and they give high importance to links pointing to your website from sites that relate to yours and frown on those that are un-related. Thus exchanging links with relevant websites will increase your link popularity and in part, it will improve your search engine optimization.
Google expresses the quality and quantity of these back links or inbound links as Page Rank or PR. Thus the most common tactic in obtaining a good page rank is obtaining quality back links to your site from relevant websites. When your site is ranked well for different search engines then obviously you'll get more traffic from them and that is your goal isn’t it? Therefore initiating and maintaining linking strategies is a core factor to getting your site to move up in Google’s search results.
So let’s look at some ways to get these quality inbound links:
Start by getting inbound links from related web sites that sell products related to yours or that are associated to yours in exchange for you linking to their site. Find these related sites and send them a note requesting the exchange and giving them the info they need to link to your site and a little information on what your site is about. It is best if these links are not directly reciprocal though that isn’t all bad. If you have two web sites though try having them link to one and you link to them from the other in a sort of triangle. Thus each site gets one inbound link which is better then a reciprocal link.
You may want to consider writing relevant articles and then submitting them to article directories like ezinearticles.com. Ezines are online magazines and they provide some great benefits like, you are allowed to include “a” link to your website with every article submission. They also provide you with a chance to show how knowledgeable you are in your area. This is a free way to get a quality link, though you must be able to write a well written article that offers something to their users and on a topic related to your site. Be sure to consult the guidelines of the ezine site in which you decide to submit articles though for acceptable and best practices.
Related Forums provide another opportunity to get visitors to your site without having to pay for it. Again, it does take some time as you must first find forums that talk about questions related to your products and then make comments on them. The trick here is when entering a discussion you must provide quality information first so that it opens up the opportunity to link to your site. NOTE: You must include quality content here as most forums are not keen on sales pitches.
Blogging also provides another free way to link to your site. All of these take some effort and blogging is no exception. Since with blogging you own your own space you may think I can do what I want, but here again if there is no content and it is only one big advert then people aren’t going to stay long or come back. So quality content related to your site is essential and presenting your site as a solution to the problem you’re talking about along with a link to your site works best.
Building links to your web site is seen by many as an art so to help out, look at how others in articles, forums and blogs are presenting their links. This will give you some ideas.
Finally it is important who is linking to you as some links may even harm your sites rank. Sites that promote linking as a primary activity or with inappropriate content are never a safe bet.
Quality links from well ranked sites is what we are looking for and we are looking for the quality of the links not the amount of links.
That’s a lot to think about and work on but it is well worth the effort and will pay rewards. Link building takes time, so the sooner you start the better and as you do it, do it right.
“links build ranks which brings visitors”
Google expresses the quality and quantity of these back links or inbound links as Page Rank or PR. Thus the most common tactic in obtaining a good page rank is obtaining quality back links to your site from relevant websites. When your site is ranked well for different search engines then obviously you'll get more traffic from them and that is your goal isn’t it? Therefore initiating and maintaining linking strategies is a core factor to getting your site to move up in Google’s search results.
So let’s look at some ways to get these quality inbound links:
Start by getting inbound links from related web sites that sell products related to yours or that are associated to yours in exchange for you linking to their site. Find these related sites and send them a note requesting the exchange and giving them the info they need to link to your site and a little information on what your site is about. It is best if these links are not directly reciprocal though that isn’t all bad. If you have two web sites though try having them link to one and you link to them from the other in a sort of triangle. Thus each site gets one inbound link which is better then a reciprocal link.
You may want to consider writing relevant articles and then submitting them to article directories like ezinearticles.com. Ezines are online magazines and they provide some great benefits like, you are allowed to include “a” link to your website with every article submission. They also provide you with a chance to show how knowledgeable you are in your area. This is a free way to get a quality link, though you must be able to write a well written article that offers something to their users and on a topic related to your site. Be sure to consult the guidelines of the ezine site in which you decide to submit articles though for acceptable and best practices.
Related Forums provide another opportunity to get visitors to your site without having to pay for it. Again, it does take some time as you must first find forums that talk about questions related to your products and then make comments on them. The trick here is when entering a discussion you must provide quality information first so that it opens up the opportunity to link to your site. NOTE: You must include quality content here as most forums are not keen on sales pitches.
Blogging also provides another free way to link to your site. All of these take some effort and blogging is no exception. Since with blogging you own your own space you may think I can do what I want, but here again if there is no content and it is only one big advert then people aren’t going to stay long or come back. So quality content related to your site is essential and presenting your site as a solution to the problem you’re talking about along with a link to your site works best.
Building links to your web site is seen by many as an art so to help out, look at how others in articles, forums and blogs are presenting their links. This will give you some ideas.
Finally it is important who is linking to you as some links may even harm your sites rank. Sites that promote linking as a primary activity or with inappropriate content are never a safe bet.
Quality links from well ranked sites is what we are looking for and we are looking for the quality of the links not the amount of links.
That’s a lot to think about and work on but it is well worth the effort and will pay rewards. Link building takes time, so the sooner you start the better and as you do it, do it right.
“links build ranks which brings visitors”
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Is good content the key to more website traffic?
The simple answer to that question is if there's any secret to getting more visitors, its content. Good content is at least as important, if not more important, than your site's design and is one of the most important factors in a successful website. Information is what drives the World Wide Web, and being able to meet this need will assure your website gets a generous volume of traffic.
Good content on a web site is content that is worthwhile to read and tells its visitors something they don't already know and is packed with details. It’s informative, easy to scan and digest, and grabs a reader's attention, and along with compelling images and videos will help draw people to your site over a competitor's. It is at the heart of any web site and is essential for giving your audience a worthwhile experience, conveying your message correctly, and encouraging visitors to return to your web site.
If your site has unique content it will give it an edge over your competitors. Because of this you need to be willing to invest time, effort and money into planning your site's content and making it the best it can be. Creating your own content does take up a lot of time, but it can be worth the effort. If you write the contents on your own, it becomes extremely accurate and directed to the audience that you would like to attract but the ability to write well isn’t something anyone can do without some training and practice, and therefore can mean a lack of quality and this is not a good trade off.
Good content simply is well written information which communicates to your visitors exactly what you want to communicate, with no ambiguity, while it also offers info to the search engines so our site is categorized properly within their database. Search engines like Google rank pages for quality and these rankings are affected by the amount and quality of content on your site. Creating multiple pages of content that link back to your homepage is very important because each of those pages adds to your overall link popularity and therefore your page rank. Furthermore, an abundance of good content gives your site credibility both in your visitor’s eyes and also to the search engines.
Creating new and relevant content that gives users a reason to visit your site first and then keeping the content fresh so visitors will want to return again and again is what brings increasing amounts of traffic to your site. This quality content can also be a very valuable asset, which can be syndicated to different media distribution channels, making you money.
To conclude good content is going to help you get found and will make your site "sticky" once it is found. Therefore good content is key to an effective website which has tons of traffic coming to it and if you are selling something it will be making you lots of money and that’s the bottom line isn’t it?
Next time we will talk about links and how they fit into Search Engine Optimization.
For now “Content is King”
Good content on a web site is content that is worthwhile to read and tells its visitors something they don't already know and is packed with details. It’s informative, easy to scan and digest, and grabs a reader's attention, and along with compelling images and videos will help draw people to your site over a competitor's. It is at the heart of any web site and is essential for giving your audience a worthwhile experience, conveying your message correctly, and encouraging visitors to return to your web site.
If your site has unique content it will give it an edge over your competitors. Because of this you need to be willing to invest time, effort and money into planning your site's content and making it the best it can be. Creating your own content does take up a lot of time, but it can be worth the effort. If you write the contents on your own, it becomes extremely accurate and directed to the audience that you would like to attract but the ability to write well isn’t something anyone can do without some training and practice, and therefore can mean a lack of quality and this is not a good trade off.
Good content simply is well written information which communicates to your visitors exactly what you want to communicate, with no ambiguity, while it also offers info to the search engines so our site is categorized properly within their database. Search engines like Google rank pages for quality and these rankings are affected by the amount and quality of content on your site. Creating multiple pages of content that link back to your homepage is very important because each of those pages adds to your overall link popularity and therefore your page rank. Furthermore, an abundance of good content gives your site credibility both in your visitor’s eyes and also to the search engines.
Creating new and relevant content that gives users a reason to visit your site first and then keeping the content fresh so visitors will want to return again and again is what brings increasing amounts of traffic to your site. This quality content can also be a very valuable asset, which can be syndicated to different media distribution channels, making you money.
To conclude good content is going to help you get found and will make your site "sticky" once it is found. Therefore good content is key to an effective website which has tons of traffic coming to it and if you are selling something it will be making you lots of money and that’s the bottom line isn’t it?
Next time we will talk about links and how they fit into Search Engine Optimization.
For now “Content is King”
Sunday, April 6, 2008
How to Optimize your web site for Better results.
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is something that anyone trying to sell anything on the internet knows is important but knowing how to do it well that is a different story.
SEO is about optimizing a site so that it gets higher rankings in a search engine - no matter what factors the search engine uses to determine your page rank. Good SEO will figure out how to make a sites ranking higher and therefore get found easier by people looking for your information.
We know that there are a few things that are important when it comes to SEO, good content, having quality links to our web sites and good key words are all very important. When done right we know it helps us get higher ‘page rank’ so visitors can find our site easier so we get more sales and that is what we all want.
What we don’t like about SEO is that it is a process rather than an action. This is where some of us loose it. We want a step by step fool proof method for our web site. Well it just isn’t that way. SEO is, in my view, a moving target and hitting that target is what we want to do, what we try to do but it keeps moving.
Search engine optimization is built around 3 basic concepts - organic (the way a search engine places us naturally), optimizing for PPC (pay per click) campaigns and a sites content and functionality. All three areas must work together to succeed. Search engine positioning is hard work and takes hours of work on an ongoing basis.
Over the next few weeks we are going to talk about the different aspects of search engine optimization. Can we do it ourselves or do we need to hire a professional? Can we do some aspects ourselves? Is good SEO possible? How do we do it? Seems like I have a lot of questions, doesn’t it? Well I am not a professional SEO Guru so I am only going to try and communicate what I know. Even if we don’t want to do it ourselves we should know what it’s all about or we could get snowed by the people we hire. I hired a company to do some for me and it was money out the window. Am I any smarter? I’m working on it.
Next time we will talk about content not just any content but good content.
“Good SEO helps make sales”
SEO is about optimizing a site so that it gets higher rankings in a search engine - no matter what factors the search engine uses to determine your page rank. Good SEO will figure out how to make a sites ranking higher and therefore get found easier by people looking for your information.
We know that there are a few things that are important when it comes to SEO, good content, having quality links to our web sites and good key words are all very important. When done right we know it helps us get higher ‘page rank’ so visitors can find our site easier so we get more sales and that is what we all want.
What we don’t like about SEO is that it is a process rather than an action. This is where some of us loose it. We want a step by step fool proof method for our web site. Well it just isn’t that way. SEO is, in my view, a moving target and hitting that target is what we want to do, what we try to do but it keeps moving.
Search engine optimization is built around 3 basic concepts - organic (the way a search engine places us naturally), optimizing for PPC (pay per click) campaigns and a sites content and functionality. All three areas must work together to succeed. Search engine positioning is hard work and takes hours of work on an ongoing basis.
Over the next few weeks we are going to talk about the different aspects of search engine optimization. Can we do it ourselves or do we need to hire a professional? Can we do some aspects ourselves? Is good SEO possible? How do we do it? Seems like I have a lot of questions, doesn’t it? Well I am not a professional SEO Guru so I am only going to try and communicate what I know. Even if we don’t want to do it ourselves we should know what it’s all about or we could get snowed by the people we hire. I hired a company to do some for me and it was money out the window. Am I any smarter? I’m working on it.
Next time we will talk about content not just any content but good content.
“Good SEO helps make sales”
Sunday, March 30, 2008
I want help! I need help!
I want help I need help in knowing how to sell my product/s.
Last time we were talking about the problem of finding someone you can trust who really wants to help you gain the knowledge you need to make your business grow.
I shared with you a little about Inetekk's Veretekk last time and I personally think their training is absolutely great. I have not found a better or more thorough system yet. The only problem for me is that it is so good, so complete, that it takes a lot of work and training to really understand and put into practice especially if you are a beginner or only can work at it part time.
I recently came across a different approach and it is really good as well especially for beginners because it breaks things down so completely. It’s called “Guru University” . This is a completely different kind of training than with Veretekk.
Stan Stuchinski is the head of Guru University and He is not trying to sell you something or get you to understand his program. He is teaching people to use and understand how to market their own web site and products by getting traffic to it through many different methods already on the internet. Like traffic exchanges and places to advertise etc. none of which he owns or has an interest in but which he has found very beneficial for reaching that goal.
Some may think that because the lessons and information are broken down to such a simple level that a beginner can easily follow it that must mean therefore it is not that good. But this is far from the truth. Each lesson is taught in a step by step way so that beginners can benefit from the teaching but if you are more advanced you can go through it quicker. Don’t get ahead of yourself though because one of the reasons we don’t get the results we want is because we have missed an important step and by following his training that will not happen.
One of the things that Stan does is each week you receive a new one of Stan’s “top picks” to try out. Stan Stuchinski says “As a member and student of Guru U, every week (48 times a year) you'll receive our Guru University Bulletin by email. A "Top Pick" is a single program, product, or service that, after thorough analysis, has proven itself to produce genuine GUARANTEED website visitors. Each of our weekly "Top Picks" consists SOLELY and EXCLUSIVELY of those rare companies and products that can provide our students with the following benefits...” Traffic that is GUARANTEED, AFFORDABLE, requires NO ON-GOING COMMITMENT, is “NEWBIE-PROOF” and can start TODAY.
So if you are after some great information and training on how to get traffic to your web site I think Stan is one of the people who really does want to help and I highly recommend you check out “Guru University” .
“No more excuses. Get the training you are looking for.”
Last time we were talking about the problem of finding someone you can trust who really wants to help you gain the knowledge you need to make your business grow.
I shared with you a little about Inetekk's Veretekk last time and I personally think their training is absolutely great. I have not found a better or more thorough system yet. The only problem for me is that it is so good, so complete, that it takes a lot of work and training to really understand and put into practice especially if you are a beginner or only can work at it part time.
I recently came across a different approach and it is really good as well especially for beginners because it breaks things down so completely. It’s called “Guru University” . This is a completely different kind of training than with Veretekk.
Stan Stuchinski is the head of Guru University and He is not trying to sell you something or get you to understand his program. He is teaching people to use and understand how to market their own web site and products by getting traffic to it through many different methods already on the internet. Like traffic exchanges and places to advertise etc. none of which he owns or has an interest in but which he has found very beneficial for reaching that goal.
Some may think that because the lessons and information are broken down to such a simple level that a beginner can easily follow it that must mean therefore it is not that good. But this is far from the truth. Each lesson is taught in a step by step way so that beginners can benefit from the teaching but if you are more advanced you can go through it quicker. Don’t get ahead of yourself though because one of the reasons we don’t get the results we want is because we have missed an important step and by following his training that will not happen.
One of the things that Stan does is each week you receive a new one of Stan’s “top picks” to try out. Stan Stuchinski says “As a member and student of Guru U, every week (48 times a year) you'll receive our Guru University Bulletin by email. A "Top Pick" is a single program, product, or service that, after thorough analysis, has proven itself to produce genuine GUARANTEED website visitors. Each of our weekly "Top Picks" consists SOLELY and EXCLUSIVELY of those rare companies and products that can provide our students with the following benefits...” Traffic that is GUARANTEED, AFFORDABLE, requires NO ON-GOING COMMITMENT, is “NEWBIE-PROOF” and can start TODAY.
So if you are after some great information and training on how to get traffic to your web site I think Stan is one of the people who really does want to help and I highly recommend you check out “Guru University” .
“No more excuses. Get the training you are looking for.”
Friday, March 21, 2008
What is holding you back?
Often the answer is I don’t know how. I have said this myself on many occasions, not because I was making an excuse for not doing something but because I wasn’t getting to where I wanted to go.
When it comes to internet marketing there is a lot to learn (in some people’s opinions), or it is quite simple in others. My answer to those who think its simple is, “sure it is simple to someone who knows what they are doing”. I find that if I can learn what I want to know I can learn to do just about anything. The problem is often where do I find that source of learning? Again when it comes to internet marketing there are a lot of people out there presenting themselves as experts. I have tried to get some service out of a couple of those experts and I got very little help out of them but they got a lot from me.
One problem for me is they all talk in very general terms. I understand that because they are trying to help (those that aren’t just after your money) many people from every background trying to make money from just about any angle you can think of and then a ton more. So how can they speak to your individual, personal situation? They can’t. So my problem is trying to figure out how to apply it to my situation. For those who buy into a specific program to sell someone else’s book or product it may be different but I want help in how to sell my product.
The next problem is finding some one or company who really want to help you. I am talking about an honest business person interested in helping you, not just after your money. I know if they are in business they have to make money and I know that if I want real help I need to be willing to spend some money (life isn’t free) but I also want value for that money. With the number of emails we get in our inbox every day doesn’t it seem like everyone out there knows what they are doing except you?
How do you know who to trust? I am still working through this. For me some of it is trial and error. Sometimes it is through taking advice from someone I have learned to trust.
If you are looking for a source of training and you don’t have a lot of money I want to recommend you check into Veretekk.
You can sign up for free and stay with them forever free if you want though you can’t take advantage of everything they have to offer for free. The great thing is they have a Veretraining area where you can get online live training classes and some recorded classes all for free. I am talking about quality classes teaching you how to do things not just giving you a pep talk. I strongly encourage you to check it out and sign up for free at Inetekk's Veretekk
When it comes to internet marketing there is a lot to learn (in some people’s opinions), or it is quite simple in others. My answer to those who think its simple is, “sure it is simple to someone who knows what they are doing”. I find that if I can learn what I want to know I can learn to do just about anything. The problem is often where do I find that source of learning? Again when it comes to internet marketing there are a lot of people out there presenting themselves as experts. I have tried to get some service out of a couple of those experts and I got very little help out of them but they got a lot from me.
One problem for me is they all talk in very general terms. I understand that because they are trying to help (those that aren’t just after your money) many people from every background trying to make money from just about any angle you can think of and then a ton more. So how can they speak to your individual, personal situation? They can’t. So my problem is trying to figure out how to apply it to my situation. For those who buy into a specific program to sell someone else’s book or product it may be different but I want help in how to sell my product.
The next problem is finding some one or company who really want to help you. I am talking about an honest business person interested in helping you, not just after your money. I know if they are in business they have to make money and I know that if I want real help I need to be willing to spend some money (life isn’t free) but I also want value for that money. With the number of emails we get in our inbox every day doesn’t it seem like everyone out there knows what they are doing except you?
How do you know who to trust? I am still working through this. For me some of it is trial and error. Sometimes it is through taking advice from someone I have learned to trust.
If you are looking for a source of training and you don’t have a lot of money I want to recommend you check into Veretekk.
You can sign up for free and stay with them forever free if you want though you can’t take advantage of everything they have to offer for free. The great thing is they have a Veretraining area where you can get online live training classes and some recorded classes all for free. I am talking about quality classes teaching you how to do things not just giving you a pep talk. I strongly encourage you to check it out and sign up for free at Inetekk's Veretekk
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Sometimes a break from Marketing is exactly what we need.
Have you ever got in a funk? Well I’m sure you have. You get off track and it’s hard to get going again. It is just as true as riding a horse or riding a bike. If you fall off you need to get right back on and try again and the longer it takes to get back on and try again the harder it is to do it, right?
Well I have been sort of in a funk when it comes to my marketing lately. I do have an excuse, at least for what got me off track, but the getting back at it well that is, well just been my problem.
The middle of February my wife and I took a trip to Ecuador. We went with a group to help a couple of Churches there. We were there for two weeks and during that time we only had limited access to the internet, a couple of times a week at the most. I almost went into withdrawal. Not only that but my days were very full and so I really had no way of keeping up with things so I said to myself relax it will still be there when you get back, so I took a break. Someone said (my wife) I deserved a break. I am not sure I would go that far but I took it anyway.
Then when I came back I found that for the first week I was far too tired to get into it. Then I just wasn’t inspired. That is when you know you’ve got a problem. Maybe I was having a little pity party for myself I don’t know but any way that is what happened.
So now where am I at? I’m back and ready to go. Sometimes a break is exactly what we need. Sometimes it all gets a bit stale and we need a break to clear our minds and get geared up for a new push. One of the things I have done is look at what I was doing to see if it was working or not. I have cleaned the cupboards a bit and hopefully I will be more productive with what I am going to carry on with. Back a couple of month ago I said I was going to try and be more focused, well I am still working on that one.
Next time I am going to have something I have been working on to share with you.
“Building relationships builds Business”
Well I have been sort of in a funk when it comes to my marketing lately. I do have an excuse, at least for what got me off track, but the getting back at it well that is, well just been my problem.
The middle of February my wife and I took a trip to Ecuador. We went with a group to help a couple of Churches there. We were there for two weeks and during that time we only had limited access to the internet, a couple of times a week at the most. I almost went into withdrawal. Not only that but my days were very full and so I really had no way of keeping up with things so I said to myself relax it will still be there when you get back, so I took a break. Someone said (my wife) I deserved a break. I am not sure I would go that far but I took it anyway.
Then when I came back I found that for the first week I was far too tired to get into it. Then I just wasn’t inspired. That is when you know you’ve got a problem. Maybe I was having a little pity party for myself I don’t know but any way that is what happened.
So now where am I at? I’m back and ready to go. Sometimes a break is exactly what we need. Sometimes it all gets a bit stale and we need a break to clear our minds and get geared up for a new push. One of the things I have done is look at what I was doing to see if it was working or not. I have cleaned the cupboards a bit and hopefully I will be more productive with what I am going to carry on with. Back a couple of month ago I said I was going to try and be more focused, well I am still working on that one.
Next time I am going to have something I have been working on to share with you.
“Building relationships builds Business”
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