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5 SEO Tips You Should Know
Sep 23, 2010
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It can be easy to feel lost when it comes to the world of SEO. Search engine optimization is the best way to get your site ranking high and attracting new business. For most though, SEO is a hard road to navigate. If you are just starting out then you probably need some guidance. Here are 5 things you should know about SEO that will help get you on your way to a ranking website.
Content is Everything
Content is probably the most important thing for your site in terms of SEO. Having multiple pages full of good content will attract not only people who are interested in your expertise, but search engines as well. Content is what is used by search engines when they index your site. Having professional, relevant content is the best thing you can do for your site. Try to add to it regularly and keep it fresh, both for the search engines and for your users.
On the bright side, content is probably one of the easiest things for many to do. You know your business, all you have to do is put your thoughts, experiences, and advice down in words. The best part about this is that your users will love you for it too. For really great results however, you will need to do a little extra work, which leads us to our next point…
Keywords Get You Ranking
Keywords are the best way to reach the audience you want. Think of the words and short phrases that best describe what you are all about. The key here is to have a decent range of words all of which are truly relevant to what you offer and what users are coming to you for. Here is where your research skills come into play. You don’t just want to pick keywords at random and hope they do the job. Look at how many people are searching for the phrases you want to rank for, and see if it’s actually worth implementing them. Some words and phrases are just not what people are looking for even if they seem relevant to you. Use a site such as Google AdWords to research the phrases you are considering. Once you have a selection, start writing content that is rich in keywords (though not too rich, you still want your content to be useful and relevant), and using them in titles and links.
Keep in mind that keyword research is an ongoing process. Just because something is popular (or not) right now doesn’t mean it will stay that way. Try to set some time aside regularly to keep track of keyword trends in your industry.
Links Are SEO’s Best Friend
Don’t underestimate the power of link building (or overestimate it for that matter). Links, when used properly, can really propel your site’s ranking. Try to pursue links on websites that are relevant to yours in some way. Don’t be afraid to ask for links from other sites in your industry. You can do this in a few ways. You can ask them to link to your site if they already have a links page. You can ask them to review a product or service of yours, which will not only get you a link but some publicity as well. Use your site to convince people to link to you – if your content is good enough and relevant enough people will want to link to your articles. The best links are those that have relevant keywords as the text. When you start a link building campaign it is important to remember that what you want is quality rather than quantity. Poor links can actually damage your reputation with the search engines, so be wise when you choose sites.
Don’t Take Shortcuts
As I just mentioned, it is possible to damage your site’s reputation. A good rule of thumb for SEO is that if it’s easy, it’s probably not worth it. You want to try your hardest to avoid questionable tactics and companies. Don’t trade links just for the sake of getting more links. When your site is linked from random websites with no relevance to your own odds are the search engines will notice. Don’t try to trick the search engines, just do what you think will most benefit a real user and you will generally be just fine. Once you start trying to manipulate the system you put your site and your reputation at risk. Getting banned by the search engines can destroy everything you have worked for.
SEO Takes Time and Patience
The last and most important thing which ties all of this together: SEO takes time. SEO will not have immediate returns for your effort; it usually takes a few months before you start seeing any kind of tangible results. You are competing against other similar sites, and it takes search engines some time to find and index your site. As with any investment you just need to have some patience and keep at it. SEO is an ongoing process, so even once you start ranking, you need to set aside time to research your keywords, add content and maintain your site optimization so you remain relevant to the search engines and to your customers.
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