Improve Rankings and Web Site Traffic with These Do-It-Yourself SEO Tips
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of taking steps to assure that your site is placed higher in search engine results than your competitors’ Web sites. Google, MSN and Yahoo have a hold on the vast majority of daily searches performed on the Internet.
Two Types of Search Results
There are two basic types of search results – organic or natural, and paid. Getting listed on the first page of results is pretty much critical as most people who search the Web won’t bother to look any farther than the first page of search engine results to find you.You can pay for such high placement through Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising campaigns, such as Google AdWords or Yahoo Sponsored Search or Microsoft’s adCenter. If you outbid your competitors your Web site can get placed on the first page of search results.
Organic search results are where your Web site ranks on its own – without ad payments. Getting your Web site placed in the top 10 search results for your targeted keywords can result in increased traffic to your Web site and consequently, increased sales for your home business.
Organic SEO is Both an Art and a Science
Organic optimization of your Web site for search results is both an art and a science, but it’s not rocket science. The science part of SEO lies largely in understanding the algorithms, or formulas used by the search engines to determine where sites rank and making decisions on which keywords – terms or phrases people use to conduct a search – to target. The “art” portion of SEO is how you go about implementing techniques for search engines to find you.
Unfortunately, search engine algorithms change constantly and the search engines do what they can to keep their algorithms and techniques secret. While understanding the factors that are used for search rankings is akin to cracking a code, there is a wealth of information available on the Web – some of it reliable and some of it not-so-reliable.
Keyword research is the process of understanding what search terms or phrases your targeted site visitors might use to find you, and then selecting the right balance between keyword popularity – the number of times the word or phrase is used in a search – and competitiveness – the number of other Web sites that are trying to rank highly for those keywords. Finding frequently used keywords that relatively few sites are using. Striking a good balance between frequency and competitiveness can be a challenge.
Do-it-Yourself or Hire an SEO Pro?
There’s no question that an ethical, or “white hat” search engine optimization firm can work wonders for your Web site traffic. However, depending on your comfort level with HTML – the computer language used to create most Web site pages – there are a number of things you can do to optimize your site for search and get more traffic.
Taking your own steps to improve your site’s search engine rankings will save you money. While you may not be able to do all the things an SEO professional could do, if you have a limited budget you’ll want to do what you can to boost your site’s traffic.
10 DIY Quick Tips for SEO
Here are ten basic SEO techniques you might consider doing yourself to get better search rankings and increased site traffic:
- DIY SEO Tip 1 – Select the right keywords
- DIY SEO Tip 2 – Select the right domain name
- DIY SEO Tip 3 – Use keywords in file names and folders
- DIY SEO Tip 4 – Use your keywords in your page titles
- DIY SEO Tip 5 – Use keyword text in your navigation
- DIY SEO Tip 6 – Create useful keyword content – repeat often
- DIY SEO Tip 7 – Make keywords part of your META Description
- DIY SEO Tip 8 – Secure high quality incoming links
- DIY SEO Tip 9 – Use keyword text (not “click here”) in your links
- DIY SEO Tip 10 – Create a site map
While there are other techniques an ethical SEO professional will use to boost your rankings, these 10 DIY SEO tips will get you on the right track, even with a severely limited budget. Even eCommerce sites, which are especially challenging because file names are often arbitrarily created by product ID, can benefit by following these suggestions. And, if your keywords are highly competitive (you see 4 billion results when you use your keyword in a search), you may not be able to rank in the top 10 search results, but you will move up in the rankings and you should find traffic to your site on the rise.
Patience and Persistence are SEO Virtues
Keep in mind that SEO takes time. You won’t see improvements overnight, so don’t discouraged if your traffic doesn’t jump through the roof right away. And, don’t expect to take these steps once and then forget about them. Make it a practice to follow these tips whenever you update your Web site.
Remember that content is king – no matter how often search engines change their algorithms it always will be, so keep adding keyword related content whenever you can, and make your content useful to your site visitors so they’ll tell others and keep coming back.
