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Essential Search Engine Optimization Tips For Every Web Site

Steve Comrie | Mar 01

Search engine optimization, or SEO, is an important aspect of any web site, particularly when a site is just starting out. It's essential that any new (or existing) web site take advantage of these 3 tactics.

Using these tactics together will lead to increased search engine traffic, and despite what you may have heard, some of the most effective SEO tactics cost next to nothing.

Here are 3 essential tips for launching an effective SEO campaign.

 

#1 – Spend time researching your keywords

 

Nothing will stop your SEO campaign in it's tracks faster than poor keyword selection. Having content that contains the keywords people will use to find your site is the single most important part of optimizing your site for search engine find-ability.

 

There are a number of tools (free and paid) available to help you find the words people are using to search for content like yours. Your two best options are likely to be: Google Adwords Keyword Tool (Free) and WordTracker.com (Paid).

 

Look for variations of words that you are already using, look at what words your competitors are using and keep an eye out for long tail phrases that could help direct specifically interested readers directly to the parts of your site that you want them to find.

 

 

#2 – Create an abundance of quality content

 

When it comes to creating a budget-friendly search engine optimization strategy, you can't go wrong with good quality content. Write your own blog posts, articles and reports on topics you are knowledgeable about. Hire a copy-writer or ghost writer to work based on your drafts or outlines. Use private label content (PLC) from third party sources and tweak it to meet your needs. Do whatever you can (short or plagiarism) to produce content that your visitors will want to read.

 

Make sure you follow the two golden rules of posting content on your site:

 

1. Only post content that is relevant to your readers
   Nothing will send potential repeat-visitors away faster then a web site full of content that they aren't interested in. Keep an eye on your analytics and read other similar blogs and industry publications to find relevant and interesting topics to write about.
    
   

2. Don't forget to include your keywords
   There's little point in creating great new content if it's not going to get found in the search engines by your target audience. Make sure that whoever is writing your content keeps a list of your most valuable keywords next to them as they write.

 

3 – Get the word out

 

Links from other sites to your site generate traffic and boost SEO. Links from popular, heavily trafficked sites boost SEO even more. There are a number of ways to increase the number of links pointing to you site:

• Participate on social networking sites and market your website and your content. Include a link to your website in your profiles and link to new content in your posts.
• Write press releases and submit them to online press release websites, which will create incoming links and media attention.
• Submit your site to as many business and aggregate directories as you can. Business directories create relevant, high-quality links to your website. You can start with Yahoo Business Directory and DMOZ.
• Partner with other business owners in your industry to link to each other, guest blog or article swap. Partnering with others is a great way to get exposure and increase your SEO for next to nothing.

Follow these steps and constantly strive to improve your keyword research, content creation and inbound link building. Before you know it, your web site will be generating more search engine traffic than you know what to do with.

Tagged with: Link Building  Content  Keywords  Research  Web Site Planning  Seo  

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