| tive webmasters and online marketers are | | | | most important search terms (keywords) you |
| constantly searching for ways to improve their | | | | are ready to start building pages. Give each |
| search engine rankings. | | | | search term its own page, and remember to |
| The simple fact is that most websites get the | | | | focus, focus, focus. Be sure to put the keyword |
| majority of their traffic from search engines. So it | | | | for each page in the page title (what shows up in |
| is important to give the search engines what they | | | | the title bar), in the description metatag, and in |
| are looking for. If you do, your site will do well in | | | | the major headline. Then repeat it several times |
| searches and the search engines will drive traffic | | | | throughout the page, with an emphasis on |
| to your site. | | | | repetition near the top of the page. |
| There have been many changes over the last | | | | 4. Include outbound links to "authoritative" sites in |
| two or three years to the way search engines | | | | the subject area you are emphasizing. For |
| evaluate the importance of websites. Many of | | | | instance, if your page is about "Golf Travel" a link |
| these changes have been spurred on by Google. | | | | to a couple large established golf or golf travel |
| But other engines such as Yahoo and MSN have | | | | sites will help establish the subject matter of your |
| followed suit. | | | | own page. |
| There is a general consensus among search | | | | 5. Create content that is unique and that focuses |
| engine optimization experts on many of the | | | | on your subject matter. To carry on with the |
| techniques and practices that enhance your | | | | previous example, if your site is about Golf |
| website in the eyes of the search engines. Here | | | | Travel, you will want to focus on several different |
| are some of them. | | | | areas -- for example Scotland Golf Travel, Ireland |
| 1. Give your site a clearly focused theme - Your | | | | Golf Travel, Florida Golf Travel, and so on -- and |
| site should have a clearly focused theme which | | | | make the content on each of these pages |
| can be defined in terms of search phrases (or | | | | relevant to the theme of the page. Yes, this |
| "keywords"). If your site has no clear theme, the | | | | seems obvious, but so many websites do not |
| search engines will not be of much help to you. | | | | have this kind of obvious focus. |
| Ask yourself if there is a small set of search | | | | 6. Keep your content current and update it |
| phrases that people can use to find your site. If | | | | regularly. Search engine experts refer to this as |
| not, then go back to the drawing board and | | | | "fresh" content. One way to keep adding fresh |
| redefine your site. | | | | content is to place an RSS feed from a relevant |
| 2. Evaluate your keywords - Now let's assume | | | | reputable source on each page. Feeds are often |
| you have decided on a theme, and you have | | | | from news sources or blogs, and are often |
| defined it in terms of five or six primary search | | | | updated on a daily basis. Generally speaking, the |
| phrases (keywords.) It is time to analyze these | | | | more often your content is updated, the more |
| search phrases and determine if anybody actually | | | | often it will get spidered, and the better it will rank |
| searches for them. There is no point in having a | | | | in searches. |
| focused theme that no one is looking for. | | | | 7. Get inbound links - Now it is time to get inbound |
| There are excellent free tools and services | | | | links pointing to your site. This is perhaps the |
| available to help you do this analysis. One of the | | | | most difficult part of the project, and the one |
| easiest to use is at - the Keyword Selector Tool | | | | that takes the most time. |
| built into Yahoo Search Marketing (formerly | | | | The search engines consider inbound links an |
| Overture.) Just enter a keyword and the tool will | | | | indicator of the importance and relevance of your |
| tell you how many searches have been done for | | | | site. "Relevant" links are the most valuable. These |
| that term in a recent period. It will also give you | | | | are the ones that come from other sites (or |
| searches for related terms. | | | | pages) that are closely related to yours. |
| 3. Start creating pages - Once you decide on your | | | | |