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On-Page Optimization Tips

In the world of search engine rankings, your ultimate goal is to land the first spot in search results using a targeted keyword. One way to do that is on-page optimization.

On-page optimization refers to the improvement of both content and structure of the website so you can have better chances of improving your page rank. There are numerous techniques available, but it does not mean that everything is actually applicable. Black hat strategies are frowned upon. Thus, if you do not want to hurt your rank and even your reputation, here are some excellent techniques in on-page optimization.

1. Keep relevancy in your content.

One of the major reasons why webmaster would want to link to you and you are receiving massive traffic is because of your content. With your articles, you may be using a number of high-ranking keywords. Their purpose is to allow your article to show up once Internet users utilize your keywords in searching for information.

When writing articles and playing with keywords, keep in mind that they should be relevant to the articles that you are writing about. As much as possible, your content should appear natural. Place your keywords at the right places. Most of all, do not overstuff them. Not only does it make your copies sound incomprehensible, but you will likely get punished by search engines because of such technique.

2. Validate your HTML.

There are a number of disadvantages when you do not double-check your HTML code. One of these is you will never rank well in search engine results. What’s more, your website appears disoriented in some of the Internet browsers.

To validate your HTML, you can utilize a W3C HTML validator. All you need to do is to place your URL and allow the application to analyze your HTML codes and your HTML structure. In the end, it can give you a list of errors that you may have done in your webpages. You can then come up with the best solution to your problems.

3. Settle for bold in your heading tags.

One of the most effective ways to rank well with a particular keyword is to place it in your heading. This is because search engine spiders “read” your content from top to bottom. However, to further increase your chances, set it in bold. Spiders will view your keyword as highly relevant to the theme of your website.

How To Safely Outsource SEO Services

Search engine optimization is a complicated process itself. That’s why it’s not surprising that you’re going to spend a considerable amount of time implementing the different SEO techniques that you have actually learned. However, you’re not blessed with more than 24 hours a day. There are moments when you have to set aside SEO to focus on more important matters.

When you don’t know how to perform SEO or you simply don’t have the time, the best option is to look for companies or even individuals that offer SEO services. Nevertheless, just so you can always get your money’s worth and obtain your desired results, here are some tips in searching for the best SEO company:

1. Look for those that offer reliability.

Search engine optimization is an ongoing process. Keep in mind that new competitive websites come out almost every day, and they do have the potential of ranking no. 1. That’s why it’s very important that your chosen SEO company will be able to perform the job regularly. They should be able to be updated with the newest trends and techniques that are being utilized by other veteran webmasters. Also, they must have the efficient tools for analyzing your position in search engines and for assessing competition.

2. It should be a legal entity.

Don’t be afraid to ask for some legal requirements when you’re going to deal with an SEO company. Today there are numerous scammers in the World Wide Web, and you shouldn’t fall into one. Otherwise, you’re simply wasting your funds and efforts. If it’s possible, ask for some references from them and do take time calling or e-mailing each one of them just for confirmation. Most of all, search for a portfolio. Normally, an organization offering SEO services have at least a test website that you can check out on. They also need to prove their worth to their potential customers.

3. Your selected company or individual should be affordable.

Don’t feel threatened when you’re in the process of outsourcing your SEO services. There are hundreds of them who can give you the same kind of service at much lower amount. It also means that you shouldn’t be rash with your decisions. Remember that you’re trying to obtain the best possible service given your budget. Since these SEO companies have their own websites where you can check their prices for their services, it will be very convenient for you to make a good comparison.

How to Do Keyword Research

Keywords are really important in a business website. Why? These are actually the words that are being utilized by Internet users to search for information in Google, Yahoo, MSN, and AOL, among others. By instinct, users would click on the first website that comes out as first in the search engine results.

If you want to ensure that you can let your targeted customers know of your existence, you have to show up in results pages of search engines. Most of all, if you like to build massive traffic and a higher sales conversion rate for your business, you must rank no. 1.

But how do you exactly do a keyword research? Here are a number of techniques for you:

1. Evaluate your business.

You can’t simply make use of any keyword that comes into your mind. What you’re looking for is a high-ranking targeted keyword. By this we mean that the keyphrase or word that you’re going to pick is related to your business and what you can offer to your intended customers and is being utilized frequently by them. You will never know what keyword to utilize then if you aren’t really sure what your business is all about.

If you are having difficulty with this one, you can always opt to look for a keyword research professional who can help you out. Surely, with many of them all over the World Wide Web, you can find one that’s very affordable and can do a very good job.

2. Use keyword suggestion tools.

When you already have some keywords in your hand or perhaps in your mind, you can now make use of keyword suggestion tools. These are downloadable programs or web-based applications that will help you in determining which of them will be ideal for your website. There are others that are for free, such as those from Google Adwords and Yahoo! Overture. If you want to know more of these types of programs, you can simply search for them in search engines by typing in “free keyword research tools.”

The more reputable and effective ones are those that you have to pay in order to use their services. One of the best is the WordTracker. Nevertheless, if you still don’t have any budget for membership, you can try their free trial version. They also have an updated list of top-ranking keywords. You can take a look at it and search for the ones that you can possibly use for your site.

4 SEO Strategies To Avoid

If you want to gain excellent rankings in various search engines and you like to obtain high amount of traffic to your website, you must perform search engine optimization techniques.

The only problem is not all strategies that you will probably learn are right, simply because they have been practiced. Some of them are considered to be unethical not only by celebrated webmasters but, most of all, by search engines. On the other hand, they may not work since they’re already outdated.

Here are a couple of things that you should not do:

1. Copying somebody else’s content.

Content plays a very vital role in search engine optimization. It can give you the inbound links that you want and send droves of people checking on your website. However, it doesn’t mean that you plagiarize other people’s work—copying everything to a T. Plagiarism may also imply paraphrasing paragraphs and sentences: different words but exactly the same thought.

This doesn’t bode well to the original writer, to Internet users, and to search engines. For one, Google is very adamant in killing websites that are simply copying other people’s content. Secondly, you will only damage your credibility if you’re going to use it. Nevertheless, if you’re truly pressed for time and you need some great content badly, you can check out article directories and republish articles. Don’t forget to include the resource box and don’t alter anything.

2. Applying the same keywords and meta tags in all of your pages.

All of your pages should be considered unique if you want to gain the approval of search engines. That only means that each of your webpage should have a completely different subject but related to the overall theme of your website. Make use of other keywords and meta descriptions.

3. Stuffing keywords.

There’s definitely a good reason why many say you have to at least limit your keyword density to 3 to 5 percent. This is to ensure that you don’t end up stuffing your articles with the same keywords. Whether you like it or not, it’s very annoying, and besides, search engines consider this technique as unethical.

4. Using too much flash.

Flash can make your website look very attractive, but it doesn’t help you in your quest for better search engine ranking. Instead, it can work against you. Search engine spiders will find it very difficult to index your pages. Second, these automated applications are programmed to read text only, not images and even flash.

#1 Off-Page Optimization Practice

There are numerous webmasters who focus on on-page search engine optimization. After all, this technique is considered as their first “bait” for their targeted Internet users. However, you should realize that your on-page optimization efforts will never be enough. You need to make sure that even if you are not doing any optimization, you are still boosting your page rank and driving traffic in your website. You need to perform off-page optimization techniques.

When it comes to off-page optimization, there’s one excellent strategy that you need to follow: inbound linking from top quality sites. Here are some tips on how you can generate links going into your website:

1. Go for article marketing.

Content is the sole king in the World Wide Web. After all, the very reason why Internet users visit websites is because they’re looking for quality and fresh information. You can make use of your content to drive traffic into your website and increase your inbound links. A good way is to add text links in your body using your targeted keywords. You can better your chances of appearing in search engine results because of this technique. Of course, you can add them in your resource box found in article directories. You can also submit some articles in ezines. This way, your articles can be picked up by publishers and placed in their webpages—with your website’s links in them, that use your main keywords as link titles.

2. Build a blog.

Weblogs today are gaining notoriety among SEO professionals. For one, they are very easy to update. Second, you don’t have to sound so professional with this tool. Most of all, you can generate excellent inbound links. Blogs are very search engine friendly. This means that they can easily get indexed in search engines. You can link your blog into your website, and you can watch your page rank increase. If you’re doing well with your blogs, you can also find numerous requests from other bloggers to link to you. As long as your links are found in their blogs, you will still be generating traffic and excellent PR without having to do much on your on-page efforts.

3. Participate in forums.

Forums provide you a good avenue to talk with other webmasters and exchange links. What’s more, you can generate inbound links from message boards. You may simply add a link of your homepage in your profile, or you can add a URL in your signature file.

The Importance of Quality Resource Boxes and How to Write Them

If you thought that your job as a copywriter ends when you have written the last word of your article, you’re dead wrong. When you’re trying to attract people into your website through the use of articles you submit to article directories, it’s never enough that you leave links in your body. Oftentimes they are not clicked at all. The best way to generate leads is to develop the most compelling resource box.

What’s a resource box? It comes in different names, such as Author Bio or Author Box. It’s found right after every article. This is a portion where you can freely promote yourself, your business, and capture their attention without having to fear of getting disapproved by the article directory because it sounds like a press release. You can make use of the resource box to add at most 3 links to different pages of your website. You can further establish your credibility as you can describe your professional background and your experience related to your chosen topic.

Writing a resource box, however, is a challenge. Like developing your own article, you need to come up with something that’s interesting and informative using such limited characters. To fully maximize your resource box, here are some important items that you shouldn’t do without:

1. Write your name and title.

Though your name may be stated even before the article, it should still be added in your resource box. It will give your reader time to relate your title to the overall gist of your article. They can associate the copy to a particular person.

2. Develop your sales pitch.

This is usually a one-liner or 3 sentences that encompass the unique features and benefits of your products and services. You can very well give your readers all of the reasons why they need to visit your website.

3. Add the URL of your website.

You may already have text links in your body, but just to be sure, add the complete URL of your homepage in your resource box. Don’t be scared of not getting clicked. As long as you can provide a very impressive sales pitch, your readers are still going to click on your link.

4. Know what kind of response you want from your readers.

Do you want them to visit your website? Perhaps you have some ebooks that you want them to download? Are you asking them to fill out a form? In the end, you should be perfectly clear of what you want your readers do to your resource box.

Before you develop your resource box, make sure you have already read the guidelines of the article directory. This is the safest way of getting their approval and getting published in the World Wide Web.

How to Write Quality Articles Fast

To write articles as a hobby is one thing; to develop marketing copy for your business is another. Perhaps you know how powerful articles can be when it comes to not only generating leads for your business but also increasing your inbound links and, hopefully, your ranking in the search engines.

However, writing articles can take some time. If you are considering massive website campaign through article submission, you may end up spending all your day just producing articles. How do you speed up the process? Here are some of the fabulous ways:

1. Select your topic.

This shouldn’t take long. In fact, 30 seconds is already enough. After all, you don’t have to look far for inspiration. You simply have to look at subjects related to your chosen niche. You can talk about some pressing issues, newest technology available, another trend coming up, or even share your personal insights. The most important thing is you can back everything with facts.

2. Do the enumeration.

Whether you like it or not, lists are always better. Readers, on the other hand, love this technique. All you have to do is to develop top 10 advantages of your products, 5 excellent features of your business, or 3 best ways to become successful, to name a few.

3. Create an outline.

An outline goes a long way especially if you’re pressed for time. It basically gives you a guide on the overall structure and content of your article. Just so you don’t have to spend so much time on this one, you can perhaps develop a general outline during your spare time. You can simply customize it so it will fit the theme and goal of your article.

4. Discuss each of your important points briefly.

You don’t have to spend too much time on each of your main points. You can perhaps write two or three sentences about it, provide an example or a quote, and you’re done.

5. Keep your important online tools within “reach.”

Browsing through the Internet to do research can take up a lot of time, more so when you have to actually open them. When you’re writing, ensure that all of your needed websites have already been opened. This way, all you have to do is to type in your search keywords.

In the end, you shouldn’t sacrifice speed with quality. If it will take you hours to stress a very important point, so be it. You can simply make up for the extended time later.

Report Writing In 5 Easy Steps

One of the greatest challenges among Internet marketers is how they can come up with reports that are related to their chosen niche. They can come in the form of ebooks or online guides. Either way, they try to solve a particular problem that’s pressing in the industry or is causing so much confusion and concern among their targeted customers.

Writing a report is a very effective means of attracting your customer base. You can give them away for free, and they would surely grab it as it’s always timely and solution-driven. But how do you exactly come up with what to write? Most of all, how can you produce the most well-received report? Heed to these tips now:

1. Pick your niche.

Before you even write a report, make sure you already have a clear idea about your topic. Your subject will tell you where to look for information, what kind of data you will put in your report, your manner of presentation, and, most of all, the people who will be interested in reading it.

2. Look for common problems people face.

Once you’ve already identified your niche, it’s high time that you look for an issue or a problem that you would like to tackle and perhaps even solve. Fortunately, you have variety of sources. The World Wide Web is filled with message boards, newsgroups, and blogs, to name a few, that will give you an idea of questions individuals usually ask about your niche.

3. List the questions.

Why do you need to list down the question? You can actually place them all in your head, if this technique doesn’t overwhelm you. However, you must realize that relying on your memory may not do you good, as there’s always the possibility that you will forget about it. Your list will make it sure for you that you won’t definitely lose such a fabulous idea.

4. Select the best question.

When you already have the list of the common questions of your target market, it’s time to choose the best question to answer. You will know which of them is by simply taking note how many are actually asking about it.

5. Write your report.

Since you’ve already gathered all the required info, it’s high time that you proceed to writing your report. Keep one thing in mind: don’t lose that question. Every point that you make should deal with it. You should be able to provide workable answers in your report. Thankfully, you have many sources too for your answers. You can go back to the reference materials you utilized in gathering the questions. You may also read other people’s reports about the subject. Just so you don’t bore your readers, keep everything short, simple, and accurate.

How to Write Visitor-friendly Copy

The most gifted writer is not the person who can produce the most eloquent article to his intended readers. The best ones are those who can produce magic out of simple words.

Here are some of the best techniques on how to write the most compelling and visitor-friendly copy for your online business:

1. Imagine that you’re talking to a friend.

Assume as if your targeted readers are sitting in front of you, waiting for what you’re going to tell them. This way, you’ll be able to come up with a copy with informal tones. Being conversational in your article will also allow your readers to relate to you and, of course, to the message embedded in your article.

2. Write shorter paragraphs and sentences.

Long sentences and paragraphs are very annoying. They’re also painful to the eyes. Permit them to find relaxation and peace while arousing their interest through your articles. Don’t forget to utilize line breaks or creating white spaces between paragraphs. This will allow their eyes to rest before proceeding to the rest of your copy.

3. Use subheadings.

Internet readers basically don’t have all the time in the world to read everything you have said in your article. What’s important is they can obtain the information they are looking for in your copy. Bullets come in handy at this point. Not only do they provide a good means of presenting your article, in which it doesn’t appear too crowded with words, readers can easily find some interesting facts in an instant.

4. Utilize the power of bullets and lists.

You can blabber all you want, but the most important thing is you can stress the most important points of your article. These will provide reasons for your readers to check on your website or read more of your articles. Most of all, they will let them know that they’re not actually wasting their time reading your copy.

5. Proofread your articles.

It may sound so petty to you; but misspelling, grammatical errors, and wrong punctuation may make your article sound incomprehensible and sometimes outrageously funny. Make sure that you can send your message across the clearest way possible to all of your targeted readers.

6. Get rid of too much keywords.

If you’re writing for your audience, then write naturally. Don’t force keywords into your articles, more so when they no longer relate to your overall topic.

Can a Guy with a Wife and Family Start a Business?

Is starting a business impossible when you've got a wife and kids?  Escape from Cubicle Nation asks the question and has some thoughts and suggestions for people trying to do it...

Agree with the advice.  And I can't speak from experience on this issue, but I'm going to chime in on the discussion anyway.

I'm a single guy.  I'm 35 and has had my own company since 1995.  I worked odd jobs for the first 2-3 years, including stints as a phone psychic, a UPS guy, the orderly at a mental institution, and various sales jobs.  I'd work a job, save up a few bucks, quit, try to do it on my own, and eventually have to go back to the job world, when I ran out of money.

I was miserable and this made it very difficult for me to be in a relationship.  In fact, the fact that I was so unhappy and difficult to deal with during this time was one of the main factors in killing off a relationship I'd been in for six years.

Eventually, it became time for me to make the move and do it for real.  My resume was a synonym for trouble.  People didn't want to hire me, because they knew I had no interest in sticking with them for any length of time.  So I walked out of my final job, knowing that I didn't have the option of going to get another.

I don't know that I would have been able to do it with a wife and family...especially in a situation where they were expecting me to bring in all the money.

And I don't know that I would have put other people into the situation that I was in.  Any of you who have started a business know that the very beginning, especially on your first business, isn't always the best of times when it comes to income, time, and relaxation. 

Can you really take the risks needed to start a successful business when you have others to worry about?  I'm interested in hearing your stories about your situation when you started things.

Now for something which I'm sure will piss a few people off...

I definitely wouldn't have been able to do what I did had I been married to somebody who expected me to bring in all the money, but didn't want to help me do it.

I know a lot of male entrepreneurs and am always amazed at the number of them which have stay-at-home wives that don't get that working for yourself if a two-sided coin and refuse to help with anything that is business related.  Yes, you can vacation any time of the year.  Yes, you have opportunities those with a job working for somebody else don't have.  But, unless you want to go broke, you've got to put in the effort when it's time to work.

This means answering the phone, fulfilling orders, creating products, doing marketing, etc. 

I see my friends, who feel stuck in their relationships, not wanting to choose between the work they love and the women they married.

is this a way to live? 

These guys are having trouble keeping an existing business going.  Can you imagine starting up something in a situation like this?

Things would be much improved, for both parties, if they'd work together.  Even somebody who doesn't "get" the business can answer phones to take messages or help with local deliveries, such as taking things to the post office.

The smallest things like this would cause a ripple effect, leading to more money and time for the husband...which I'm sure would come back to the family.

Again, curious to know how you started your business and what your situation was like.  And I'd like to know what your situation is like now.  How are you balancing work and home responsibilities?  Feel free to share below.