Overcoming Search Engine Paralysis - Low-Cost Keyword Reports
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Low-cost keyword research reports are available from SEO Research Labs, and you can find any number of competing services by looking up “keyword research” on your favorite search engine.
Step 2: Search Engine Optimization
"Optimizing" simply means putting the keywords you’ve selected onto your web pages in the right places, with the right formatting. That’s all there is to it. There’s a great deal of misinformation about this subject, so let me set the record straight: optimizing is the easiest part of this process.
How easy is it? Well, I can tell you 90% of what you need to know in just a few lines, and there’s a good chance that you’ll never need to learn the rest. Once you see what you can accomplish, though, you’ll probably want to learn more.
The first thing to understand is that you should only use 1-2 search terms to optimize each page. Once you’ve selected a page to optimize, and the search terms you’re going to use, all you have to do is put those words in the right places, and you’re done.
Where the search terms go:
- Your page’s <title> </title> tag
- Your “keywords” and “description” META tags
- In a heading tag (<h1>, <h2>, or <h3>) near the top of the page
- In the first paragraph of body text, and repeated 1-2 more times on the page
- In the text of any links that point to the page
That’s 90% of search engine optimization right there. The most important of these are #1, #3, and #4. Just try it, it works. My “Inside Out Marketing” site uses no META tags at all, and it gets traffic for hundreds of search terms every month.
Step 3: Link Building & Link Popularity
“Link building” simply means getting other websites to link to yours. If you aren’t already working on this, you need to start. Even if you don’t care about search engines, those links will bring in traffic on their own, and help you establish a credible reputation for your website.
Link building is an important part of search engine positioning, because search engines look at these links as a “vote” for your website, and they will boost your rankings accordingly when other sites link to you.
[Editor’s Note For tips on link exchanging tips and detailed explanations on the science behind them, be sure to read Google PageRank Primer by Wayne Hurlbert.]
Next: Three Simple Improvements >>
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