Search Engine Optimization Secrets - Making the Most of Keywords

Do you want to learn how I build a list and make money online? I've just finished writing a brand new FREE ebook called '7 Steps to Profits and List Building with Article Marketing'. Download it FREE here: Article Marketing Profits http://www.mrarticlemarketer.com

Get More Backlinks With a Little Known Google Tool

It is a fantastic little free service from Google. I should not really be writing about it as it can give you a real competitive edge in the race for getting backlinks and publicity for your website.

It is called "Google Alert". Do a search for it...on Google of course!

Basically, you enter a keyword and your email address. Every time Google indexes anything containing that keyword it notifies you via email with hyperlinked content.

Great, but so what?

Well, consider that you need to build more backlinks all the time. You need to seek out new sources of similar content to interact with. Sites that might link to you, relevant blogs you can comment on, breaking news items of relevance that you could do a trackback to from your own blog. The list goes on and on.

Google alerts will serve you up, on a big fat silver platter, any new content relevant to your keyword that appears anywhere on the internet! That means you can react instantly and make the most of any opportunity that arises that allows you to publicize your own website or blog, or gain one way backlinks to it.

It is also a great tool for keeping up to date with the very latest breaking news and content related to your niche. Use several alerts if you need to, and get yourself a totally free, Google-wide real-time feed of information and opportunities directly related to your niche.

So if you are looking to get a constant stream of real time information from Google as it updates its index, then you really should check it out. For building backlinks and spotting opportunities to market your site, it really is a very cool and little known addition to your toolbox.

IBL Builder is a linkbuilding directory, where you can build genuine, relevant one way backlinks to your site. Free to join and try.

Keywords Can Make Or Break Your Web Site Page Rank

A keyword is a word or phrase, usually about one to four words, that represents what a site is about. When you use them correctly, web crawlers will be able to properly index your web page. Your site's success or failure hinges on how well you select and place keywords on the page.

At the top of the page in the head section, "meta tags" can be found. They will provide the crawlers with some idea of the contents of your page. A meta tag will only have a small amount of space (50-100 characters is about the max). Therefore, don't include articles like "a", "an", "the", conjunctions (and, but...), or other irrelevant words in keyword phrases. Whenever possible, use only nouns, verbs, adjectives, and maybe adverbs.

The Keyword Meta tag: Most meta tags are designed as a place to insert keywords and other information to index your site properly. People, however, abused this by "keyword stuffing" (inserting a lot of repetitive, irrelevant keywords into meta tags so a search spider would rank their site close to the top). Your site will be penalized for keyword stuffing as search engines have learned about this method. Rumor has it that Google no longer utilizes keyword meta tags. It doesn't hurt for you to have a good keyword meta tag, just in case, especially since Google is just one of many search engines.

The Title Tag: should contain keywords. A "bot" (search engine crawler or "spider") places a lot of weight on keywords that are placed into the title. Just like the other meta tags, the title tag should be found/ placed in the head section. Be brief; leave the keywords near the front, and maintain a natural language. Just like the keyword tag, don't attempt to artificially cram keywords into your title.

Description Tags: Place a description tag in the head section of your web page. Include appropriate keywords in your description, but maintain good but concise grammar and simple language structure.

The H1 and H2 tags: Search engine spiders put special importance on these. These are not in the head section. they are used in the body of the text to delineate main themes. (Like titles, but not to be confused with the title tag.)

Comments in Images: Images cannot be seen by spiders, but the "alt" text that is placed in the image tag can be seen by them. This is an excellent space to insert keywords.

The Body of the Page: Lastly, the page should make sense. You want your keywords, H1 tags, H2 tags, description tags, and the text body to be applicable and in harmony. The most important keywords should be featured in the first two-thirds of the content. Keep in mind that if your keywords are stuffed in artificially, even in the basic content of the page, your page rank may suffer as well as your reputation.

Stephen Grisham, Sr. is a copy writer for InfoServe Media, LLC. InfoServe Media is a Houston website design and web hosting company. If your site is already designed and you just need a few changes or additions, InfoServe Media also performs expert website maintenance.

Blending Keywords & Quality Content in Your Website Projects

Having the perfect customized website won't do you much good if no one can find it. Optimizing the ideal keyword phrases of your business for search engines is an integral part of developing your website as well as your business.

It's commonly known that including keyword phrase targets in the text of your website helps improve searchability, but implementing the keywords can be a tricky process and can do more harm than good if done improperly. For example, if you sell backyard play sets, you'd want customers to be able to find your website when searching not only for play sets, but also terms like swing set, gym set, and playhouse - terms that customers might substitute for play sets when searching for your products. By thoughtfully placing play sets as well as any relevant substitute throughout the text of your site, you'll improve the searchability of your website. However, when selecting keywords, it's important to remember that you probably won't be able to get results on any phrase you desire. Select phrases that are too vague and you'll be competing with every company in your industry. Choose phrases that are too specific and they might get searched only a handful of times per year. Once the right phrases have been selected, inserting them into the text of your website must be done carefully. The insertion of keyword phrases can be detrimental to your business as a whole if the keywords interrupt the natural flow of the text of your website. If keyword phrases are awkwardly placed throughout your website, they'll most likely serve as a distraction to visitors, thus negating all the work you've done to improve your searchability.

Keywords mean nothing if they're embedded in sub-par content. Content that's poorly written or organized, that's salesy or full of typos, that's been pulled from a print publication and slapped into your site without being webified will be distracting not only to the visitors of your website but also to the actual search engines.

Here's a few tips for creating keyword-friendly content in your website projects:

Unless you're a professional writer yourself, hire one. And not just any writer - one with experience writing sites optimized for web readability and web searchability.

Write for your customers. Yes, your website should tell your story. But think first about your customers' story. Who are they? Why are they visiting your site? What information do they need? If your content consistently addresses your customers' questions and interests, you can bring them back to your site again and again.

Remember that size matters. To optimize search results and get Google visiting regularly, you need lots of content - and you need to update it regularly. How much content do you need? Start with at least as much as your competitors have, and go from there.

Don't write for search engines. Yes, keywords are important but if you overload your copy with keywords, you'll lose credibility with your readers. Plus, Google and other search engines know how to identify quality content..

Most people are unaware that keywords should be included in the structure of your website as well as in the text. When Google "reads" your site, it doesn't start with the text. Instead, it starts the same way you would - with the title of the site, the navigational structure, and the names of the pages. If your keywords aren't included in those elements, Google won't understand and classify your site as well as it could. Consequently, your search results won't be as good as they should be. A quality web developer should work with their clients before planning or building their site to decide on the right keywords. Business owners would do well to seek a web building service that utilizes the following four-step process:

1.The client brainstorms several keywords for their site

2.The developer does research on those terms to find out if customers are actually using them in searches or if they are using alternatives or derivatives of those terms

3.The client and developer select the keyword phrase targets together

4.Once the keywords are decided upon, the developer should build the site structure around those keywords, embedding them in important elements like the title tags and heading tags.

It's the content of your site that matters most. Great content helps establish you as an expert in your field. It gives customers a reason to visit your site. And it helps Google understand your site and classify it properly in search results.

The ideal web building service should be able to create for you not only a visually stunning website that conforms to the highest standards of usability, but also a site that will get viewed by the right people, and as a result, drive business.

Atomic Interactive is proud of the success that their Ohio web design studio has seen.