Thursday, January 10, 2008

Top 5 SEO Factors to Increase Search Ranking

Search engine ranking is arguably the number one most important goal of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). You want to get a high search engine ranking so that people will view your article and visit your site.

The most efficient way to increase your search engine ranking is by knowing which SEO factors actually matter, and which don't.

Here's our list of the Top 5 most important SEO factors that will increase your search engine rankings:

1. Keywords in the Title. This is so important and powerful that while a good title tag can help your ranking very much, a bad title tag can hurt your ranking just as well. Be very careful with your choice of title tags for SEO. And yes, don't forget to include excellent keywords in your title.

2. Keywords in the Text Body. This needs care because if it is overdone, it may actually lower your ranking instead of raise it. Also, search engines are beginning to analyze topics as well as keywords, to determine if the page is really suitable for the topic being searched. However, keywords in the text is still a very helpful SEO tool when used in ways that make sensible sentences.

3. Relevance of Text Body to Keywords. As previously mentioned, search engines are beginning to analyze topics as well as keywords, so it's important that the content of your page shows a strong relationship with the SEO keywords you are using.

4. Keywords in the Domain. If your domain name matches your keywords exactly, that another SEO point for you, and will definitely increase your ranking. Be careful to avoid too many hyphens: More than two hyphens may actually decrease your ranking, but one hyphen is even better than none at all.

5. Keywords in the URL. This SEO tip is best for search engines like Yahoo, but even with search engines like Google, it will also help by increasing your page's relevance, and as a result, your page's ranking. Unlike keywords in your domain, it helps to have more than one hyphen in your URL.

You may have noticed by now that, inevitably, it still all boils down to keywords, basically. However, it's no longer JUST keywords, but keywords used in a way that makes sense.

As search engines become more sophisticated, the quality of an article increasingly becomes more influential in SEO rankings. Senselessly sprinkling keywords all over a page no longer works. So use your keywords generously but properly and skillfully, and watch your search engine rankings go up.

Monday, January 7, 2008

Search Engine Optimization - Basics

Most of us have heard that search engine optimization, popularly known as SEO is one of the best ways to drive website traffic. But most of us surprisingly still do not know what SEO means exactly. Let us know these basics of search engine optimization before you would want your website optimized for different search engines.

SEO or search engine optimization is a means by which one can increase the number of people visiting your website. This is done where the different search engines show your website among the search (query) results generated for a specific keyword that the user or the searcher enters.

Search engines normally include algorithms and these algorithms are devised specifically to generate results based on the frequency of appearance of a particular keyword. The search engine crawlers or spiders move through the worldwide web, fishing out for the different websites that satisfy the keyword search and if your website has a generous sprinkling of the required keyword/(s), then your website is said to be 'search engine friendly' or 'search engine optimized' with respect to the keyword.

So one need to make ones respective websites search engine optimized by studying about keywords, the mostly used keywords and need to make sure that the website content (the different web pages) include the hot and the performing keywords. For instance this could be in the headings, in the articles present in a website or even in the links as well. Use the keywords that are relevant for the content whether in the web pages or in the articles and never sprinkle or search engines sake alone.

Additionally, for the website to be indexed in the best search engines, it is always better if your website has a professionally looking design, with of course read worthy and informative content. Spam does not help you at all. Of course, the search engine might show your web site for a while but as soon as your spam gets discovered, the website will be removed from their indexing.

Choose appropriate SEO techniques. White hat technique is always better because it is going to give a website long lasting results than the black hat SEO techniques. A black hat SEO technique is like trapping and cheating a search engine crawler without the website having the credentials.

SEO does have its own drawbacks. It cannot assure you of targeted Traffic although it can help your website get many number of visitors in general.

Also, several of the Internet marketing consultants try and follow deceptive tactics and you need to know these.

You, as a Webmaster, need to know the advantages as well as limitations of SEO and then decide how to use the SEO depending upon your website objectives. Additionally, remember that search engine optimization is not one-stop solution to all drive traffic to your website. It is in fact the website design as well as content that will convert your visitors into sales.

Saturday, January 5, 2008

Most Famous SEO Tricks

SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is really a vital way to direct traffic to your site, so it is critically important that you understand the tricks involved in getting higher search results.

Some of the most famous and ethical SEO tricks are listed below:

• The title tag is the most powerful SEO trick, but it must be used creatively. You should only place one thing in the title tag and that is the exact keyword you used for the web page that you are trying to optimize.

• One of the most famous SEO trick is link popularity. It is because of the fact that most search engines don't consider web sites that do not have links pointing to the web site. So, it is really important to link to other resources that are related to your website's niche. This will increase traffic, provide good ranking and add value to your website.

• It is very important to use a different title on each web page with its own primary keywords at the beginning of the page title.

• Always remember, keyword density is very important in SEO and should be properly researched. The keywords should be used once in the title tag, heading tag, and in the body text while keeping the keyword density between 5% to 20%

• Another important SEO trick is to get your keywords in much of the anchor text in both internal and external links.

• It is wise to build a website that is rich in theme because search engines are now more interested in the themes.

• You should build content related to your niche with around 250 words per page because the speed of your web page is very important to your visitors and the search engines.

• Always remember to add fresh and unique content on regular basis which attracts the visitor to come back to your website.

• Don't forget to add a site map. It will help structure your site for spiders.

• Submitting articles with links to your web site to directories is yet another famous SEO trick that can really boost the amount of traffic you generate while also giving click through traffic, too.

• Also, don't forget to submit articles with your web site link to the publishers. Do not hope that they will pick your article up from a directory. It is better to submit directly to the publishers themselves.

• Another SEO trick is to seek forums related to your niche, join them and advertise your web site there.

• And, last but not the least. Another famous SEO trick is to submit your web site to the directories "including" the PR0 directories.

Okay, so it was some of the most famous SEO tricks that can really help you to optimize your search engine results and put you on the path toward higher search engine rankings. But for that, it is really IMPORTANT that you follow them correctly.