Steps to Higher Rankings and Traffic
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There are a number of things you can do to rank more highly on the search engine results pages. In this article we cover keywords in title, internal anchor text, the inverted pyramid concept and introduce you to conversion rate optimization basics.
Target More Than 1 Keyword Per Page Title
SEO is about all numbers - links, rankings, pages, algorithms. Each page can target at least two phrases. Instead of shooting for one keyword, shoot for two or more. For example, if the primary keyword is "golf club sets," then do more keyword research with this phrase and add broader keyword combinations:
The headline can look like this: "Complete Men Golf Club Sets," while anchor text distribution will be:
golf club sets - 55%
mens golf club sets - 15%
complete golf club sets - 15%
another 2 - 4 sets of keywords - 15%
In the example above, 15% of link anchor text is reserved for other keywords, not the ones you're targeting. It's important to vary the anchor text of incoming links, since Google punishes an unnatural-looking distribution.
Anchor Text in Internal Links
In order to classify the theme of your pages, search engines look at both the internal and external link anchor text of your pages. The easiest way to tell search engines what you want to rank for is to use descriptive anchor text in internal links. Instead of "click here," use "mens golf club sets," and instead of "home page," use "golf club sets".
Copy Summaries - Inverted Pyramid
Newspapers and press releases summarize the story in a couple of sentences in the beginning of paragraph, providing the most important points and enticing the user to read more. This approach is called the "inverted pyramid." Instead of building up to the sweetest spot, let it out at the beginning. Read Wired.com, CNN.com, the Wall Street Journal and other professional publications to learn from the best.
Example: http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/12/cyber-crook-ple.html
A 28-year-old man caught in the act of using hacked ATM codes to loot Citibank accounts last May pleaded guilty this week to a single count of access device fraud, bringing to five the number of defendants who've entered guilty pleas in connection with an intrusion into an ATM processing server that led to at least $2 million in fraudulent withdrawals this year.
The headline is also part of the inverted pyramid. Use the headline to both summarize content and plug in keywords for search engine rankings. For instance, check the headline from the Wired story above:
The headline clearly describes the content of the article. To give you a better feel, compare it with:
Google Sandbox
Google can delay the rankings of a site for a few months, especially new ones. It makes sense, because the site has little history and there is no reason for Google to trust it. When, after a few months, Google decides to "trust" the website, the process is called "getting out of the sandbox."
On the other hand, trusted sites can get "sandboxed" and can be removed from search results due to a "violation" of trust through shady practices. Once the site is in the sandbox, the only way to get out is to remove whatever it is you were getting penalized for and apply for inclusion.
Next: Conversion Rate Optimization >>
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