| What is search engine optimization? Well, just | | | | is wrong. If you sell toothpaste and the word |
| what it sounds like, it's the process of optimizing | | | | toothpaste doesn't appear on your website, |
| your website for search engines. There are | | | | someting is wrong. Again, you don't need an SEO |
| thousands of companies out there that "specialize" | | | | company to tell you this. |
| in SEO. For a fee (usually a LOT) they will | | | | STEP 3: Get Linked |
| optimize your website for you. If you're paying | | | | This part is different depending on if you have a |
| one of these companies, you're throwing away | | | | content site or a commercial site. For content |
| money! Don't believe me? Go to your favorite | | | | sites you want to find similar websites. Websites |
| search engine and search for "firefighter". Why | | | | that target the same people that you do. Don't |
| firefighter? Because that is the one keyword that | | | | think of them as competition, think of them as |
| we feel is most important to this website, Go | | | | partners...link partners. Arrange link exchanges with |
| ahead, search. Here, we'll make it easy for you: | | | | these websites. Place a link to them, and in return |
| Click here to search Google for "firefighter". | | | | ask them to place a link to your site. Most search |
| Click here to search Yahoo for "firefighter". | | | | engines use spiders to crawl the web, so the |
| Click here to search MSN for "firefighter". | | | | more similar sites they find that link to yours, the |
| Click here to search Lycos for "firefighter". | | | | better. |
| Click here to search HotBot for "firefighter". | | | | For commercial websites link exchanges aren't |
| (we'd link to Overture, but you'd have to scroll | | | | always the best idea. Any other websites |
| through 30 something "sponsored listings" before | | | | targeting the same visitors, ARE your competition. |
| you get anywhere!) | | | | You don't really want to send your visitors to |
| What do you think of our search rankings? We | | | | your competition. One idea is to arrange link |
| think they're pretty good. How much did we pay | | | | exchanges with content sites. We have links to |
| to get these listings? NOTHING! Wondering how | | | | many commercial websites on that we have |
| we do it? The SEO companies don't want you to | | | | posted in exchange for those sites placing links to |
| know, but it's SO SIMPLE we just have to tell | | | | our site. The second option is to advertise. Find |
| you! | | | | large scale content websites to advertise with. |
| STEP 1: CHOOSE your keyword(s) | | | | This part can be a little tricky. Many content |
| Seems obvious, but a lot of people seem to | | | | websites are so saturated with advertisements, |
| overlook this. Choose keywords that are most | | | | and their prices are so high it hardly seems worth |
| relevant to your website. If your website is a | | | | it. If you can't find a good content site to |
| content site, target keywords that relate to your | | | | advertise on, we recommend Google AdWords: |
| targeted audience. This website targets | | | | Not only will your ad be shown on the biggest and |
| firefighters, so firefighter was a logical keyword | | | | best search engine on the web, but you can also |
| to target. If your target visitors are bus drivers, | | | | have your ad shown on thousands of AdSense |
| then bus driver would be a good keyword? Get | | | | publisher websites, content websites that show |
| it? If your site is commercial in nature, then your | | | | contextual text ads served up by Google. |
| keywords should match what you are selling. If | | | | STEP 4: Don't Cheat! |
| you sell toothpaste, toothpaste would be a good | | | | Using doorway pages, hidden links, dynamically |
| keyword. You don't need an SEO company to tell | | | | generated pages full of garbage, or any other |
| you this. | | | | sneaky tactic won't help, in fact it will usually hurt |
| STEP 2: USE your keyword(s) | | | | your websites success. Many search engines will |
| Our keyword is firefighter, and the word | | | | ban your website if they find such tactics, and |
| firefighter is used many times on virtually every | | | | when a visitor sees such tactics, they will lose all |
| page of this website (even this one!). If your | | | | faith in your website. A website with no visitors |
| keywords are bus drivers, and bus drivers is | | | | isn't much of a website. |
| nowhere to be seen on your website, something | | | | |
