The SEO God

If you have been working online for some time and still feel unsure 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 ensure you don’t get penalized.

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

As said above, SEO means search engine optimization. The hardest question new internet marketers wonder is what is a search engine? I know this is extremely basic, but this is where you need to start.  Once you learn the absolute basics, when you start to explore more on the topic of SEO, you will have a complete understanding of exactly what it is.

All a search engine is, is a place you go when you are looking for a particular subject online. In example, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc. Those sites are all search engines. When you are looking for an answer on the internet, you go to a search engine, put in the keywords you are looking for, and presto! The search engine “searches” the internet for you and brings up a list of all the websites on the internet that pertain to your keywords.

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 search phrases you want your site to rank for with the search engines. An example of this would be:

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

Be certain when picking your keywords or key phrases, they are real terms that get searched for, if not, you won’t get any traffic to your site. (Another tip is to be sure you pick keywords that don’t have lots of other 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 really find some hidden ones. You can use Google’s free keyword tool, or Wordtracker’s free tool if money is an issue. They are fantastic 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 can read more on keyword research and finding good keywords here.

Alright, so now that you know what keywords you will use, the next step is to make sure your website is optimized for your keywords. How is this done? It’s really simple, actually.

The first rule of thumb is always make the title of your page or post (if it’s a blog) isthe exact key phrase or word you are targeting. This is known as your title tag. Title tags have a very big influence on the search engines when they go to your site, so whatever your title is, the search engines will consider it a keyword and you are trying to rank for it. This holds true for your domain name as well. Your page/post title and your website title (domain name) are very big factors in the SEO world.

aAfter you have bought your domain (your URl), and you have picked your targeted key phrases or words, the next step 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 content. Do NOT go overboard with this, or you can get penalized. Make sure the keyword density is not over 7% (amount of keywords vs. actual words on page). Staying under 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 over and over again, 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 will 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 smile upon 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 thought to rank for. The biggest goal is making sure your main phrase in 2-3 times, and the others at least one time.

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