If you’ve been working on the internet for a long time and still feel unclear about Search Engine Optimization (there ya go, that’s what SEO is!) this is a must read for you.  This article will explore SEO,  how you can use it appropriately, and what you must do to be sure you don’t get penalized.

(Before I dive right in, Goole Conquest Authority is a training program that will go over SEO in full detail, but for now, you can start off here.)

As stated in the above paragraph, SEO stands for search engine optimization. The hardest question new internet marketers have is what is a search engine? I know this is extremely basic, but this is where you must start.  Once you learn the very basics, when you start to explore more on the topic of SEO, you will have a complete understanding of exactly what SEO is.

All a search engine is, is a place you go when you are looking for a particular subject online. For example, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc. These are all search engines. When you are looking for an answer online, you visit a search engine, type in the information you are looking for, and presto! The search engine “searches” the internet for you and brings up a list of all the websites that pertain to your query.

You know what a search engine is and you know what SEO is.  Now let me explain to you how you can optimize your site for it.

The most important thing you should do before any optimization, is you must determine your desired targeted keywords for your site. To be more specific, finding the terms you want your site ranked for with the search engines. An example of this would be:

Let’s say you have a website loaded with repairing computers. People who are searching for information on fixing their computers may search for these phrases: how can I get my computer fixed, why does my computer have a blue screen, or where can I get my computer fixed. These would all be considered long tail keywords, and those are what you would want to aim for, because they are the actual terms that people search the search engines for.

Make sure when picking your keywords or key phrases, they are real phrases that get searched for, otherwise you will get no traffic. (Another tip is to be sure you pick keywords that don’t have a lot websites targeting them. You may still never get traffic if there is too many sites competing.) I highly recommend using a keyword research tool to help you find some excellent ones. You can use Google’s free keyword tool, or Wordtracker’s free tool if money is an issue. They are excellent starter tools, and they do the job just fine. Once you start making some money, I do recommend you get a paid tool because they are so much more effective, and you can really find some good keywords you would never have thought of.

Here you can read more about finding good keywords here.

Alright, so now that you have your keywords chosen, the next step is to make sure your site is optimized for those keywords. So how do you do this? It’s really simple, actually.

The first rule is always title your page or post with your keywords. This will be known as your title tag. Title tags have a significant influence on the search engines when they go to your site, so whatever your title is, the search engines will assume it is a keyword and you want to rank for it. This holds true for your domain name as well. Your page/post title and your website title (domain name) are incredibly important factors in the SEO world.

aAfter you have bought your domain (known as the URL), and you have chosen your targeted key phrases or words, the next phase is to add content to your website or blog. Write an article that is at least 400-500 words, and make sure you include your targeted keywords or phrases at least 2-3 times in the body. Do NOT go overboard with this, or you may get penalized. Make sure the keyword density is not over 7% (amount of keywords vs. actual words on page). Staying below 6-7% is much better. If you go over this recommended safety net, the search engines may see you as “keyword stuffing”. Keyword stuffing means using your keywords too many times in one page, and your site will pay for it if you do that, I promise.

The more content you have on your page, the better chance you have of being able to get all your keywords in and not make it look like you are keyword stuffing. In other words, keep your posts and pages long, and you can put all your keywords in. Search engines like long text articles and unique content.

Do not fret about getting every keyword phrase in your article multiple times, because the search engines are smart, and if you have a quality site, Google will rank you for keywords you never even tried to rank for. The most important goal is making sure your main phrase in 2-3 times, and the others at least one time.

That’s SEO in a very brief overview. Learn as much as you can about the matter, because it really will benefit you in the end.  To learn SEO takes some patience, but you will be a pro in no time.

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