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The Best Traffic Generation Tool Is Free
By Diane Hughes Copyright © 2004
Although search engines have been around since the beginning of the Web, many businesses (large and small) are just now waking up to the gigantic benefit search engines provide. What other medium gives you - at
absolutely no cost whatsoever - a way to drive unlimited traffic to your site?
None. That's why, once people understand search engine optimization (SEO),
they
get hooked!
I want to give you some basics to follow in order to help get
your site ranked at the top of popular search engines like Yahoo! and Google. I
also want to provide you with some exceptional resources so you can further your
SEO education in the future.
What Is Search Engine
Optimization?
SEO is the process of creating a Web site that fosters
the design, coding, copy, and link-building elements search engines most like
to see. Through the process of SEO, you can develop a site (or alter an existing
site) so that the engines will move you up to the top of the search results.
That means people who are actually looking to find what you have to sell will
click to your site before your competition's.
How Does SEO
Work?
There are three fundamental parts to the SEO equation: coding,
copywriting, and link popularity.
Coding is the manipulation of your HTML
code so that it is clean, uncluttered, positioned correctly, and easily
accessible to the search engine spiders and bots. You want to be sure the most
important information to the spiders is located up top where they can quickly
and easily find it. You also want to ensure that java scripts and other such
coding are moved out of the spiders' way.
Copywriting relates to the text
on your site. Search engine copywriting pertains to being able to write in
such a way that you include your primary keyphrases in strategic places so
that you
get the most "points" from the engines.
Link popularity deals with how
many sites have links that point back to your site (and vice versa). The theory
is, that if others think highly enough of your site to link to it, your site
must be of good quality.
When you have a good combination of all three
primary elements, you stand a much better chance of ranking high with the
engines.
Doesn't SEO Depend On META Tags?
It used to... a
long, LONG time ago. When the 'Net was first founded, just about all you had
to do to get high rankings was to shove a bunch of keyphrases into your keyword
tag. Now, however, the engines are smarter. They pay no attention to the keyword
tags and very little attention to the description tag. The only tag that carries
much weight anymore is the title tag. It is extremely important.
Isn't
SEO Copywriting Just Using Keyphrases As Many Times As You Can?
No!
Not only does that put you at risk of spamming the search engines, it makes
your copy sound horrible to your human site visitors. What good are high search
engine rankings if your copy doesn't convert those visitors into paying
customers?
You need to find creative and strategic places to use
keyphrases so that you maintain the balance between natural language and
keyphrase use.
How do you learn all you need to know about SEO? From the
pros! Here are several resources you can use to improve your
education:
It's not hype. I can tell you from seeing it
firsthand. It's well worth the time to learn SEO.
With a little effort,
you can quickly have your site pulling in plenty of targeted
traffic at no cost to you whatsoever.
About the Author:
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