Tips For Getting Listed in DMOZ and Other Directories

A directory is a site that lists other sites. DMOZ is one of the largest, but there others, such as Yahoo's directory, as well as other more specialized directories. The advantage to having your site listed in a directory is that potential customers can find your site easier, and search engines can crawl your site and list it. Here are some basic tips for getting your site in the directory.

1) Submit your site.
Most directories have a means your to submit your site; take advantage of it. This is the easiest and most effective way to get your site listed, and it allows you the most control over how your site is easiest. Just be advised that it may take some time before your site is listed; some directories take up to two months.

2) Have fans.
If people like your site, then they submit the site to directories that they use. This is great as there are a lot of directories that you will never hear about, and your fans will be more than glad to list your site for you. You don't have any control over how your site is listed, but it will get listed.

3) Belong to a group.
There are two general types of groups: rings and drop-downs. Both are people that have decided to ally together in order to better publicize their sites, and automatically enter their members in their directories. Drop-downs have a piece of code that allows you to go to any members' site, and a ring sends you to the next member, the last member, or a random; there is otherwise no real difference between them.

4) Host your site in a place that features a directory.
Some Web hosting companies and marketing sites (such as CafePress) put everyone that they host in a directory. This is a great way to market your site, especially as it may bring customers you didn't even consider to your site.

There are some other ways to join a directories, but these the best ways to join a directory. There are some directories that actively seek out new members, but, due to the randomness of which these work, these are not effective ways to join a directory.

It should be noted that joining a directory is advantageous to your site. As directories are used as ways to see if a site would work for the person looking for something. Because directories are increasingly being used, using a directory could be a major advantage to your site.

Get expert answers and more information on Search Engine Optimization services as well as other expert advice the latest Internet Marketing topics at Marketing-Helpers.com . Marketing-Helpers.com is a resource for business owners, managers, and marketers find the answers and services they need to operate a highly successful Web site. Get advice from experts like Bryan Hornung and we'll show you how the best way for you to connect with a search engine optimization specialist or search engine optimization company to increase web site traffic with a managed search engine marketing services.

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Web Directories - Performance, Purpose, Problems - A General Guide to Web Directories

The path to building a successful web directory is far from a simple task. It requires a certain amount of devotion to take a web directory script and transform it into a heavily used directory. Web directories contain more complexities than meets the eye, and I have learned first hand that the development of a quality web directory is no walk in the park. But a good web directory is worth its weight in gold, for both webmasters & internet surfers alike. Let us enter the world of web directories.

A web directory acts much like a search engine, but on a much smaller scale. Web directories are essentially a categorized index of websites that have been submitted by website owners. Directories normally have search features, allowing users to search through the entire index, just like a search engine. The main differences between a directory and a search engine is that very few directories contain the amount of links that a search engine does. Search engines also collect data from websites, which is used to categorize and rank them. Directories lack the ability to "crawl", or exam websites as search engines due, therefore the only information a directory contains on a particular website is the information that was submitted by the website owner. Most directories use meta tags and keywords to search for websites, where as search engines use complex algorithms that take into consideration much more than meta tags (the value of meta tags in search engines has actually declined). Web directories are not the most popular internet search tools because huge search engines like Google and Yahoo are much more convenient to use and contain a vast amount of resources available to be searched. The largest and most popular web directory is the Open Directory Project (DMOZ), whose links are indexed by Google, Yahoo, and the majority of other search engines. Google and Yahoo both have their own web directories as well. Though independently owned web directories may not be so popular for internet searchers, they do have their benefits for webmasters & surfers alike.

Web directories can have several purposes, it all depends on what the administration's intended goals are. Some web directories are purely advertising hot spots, while others focus on driving targeted traffic to the directory. Some directories are free, some paid, others both. Directories can have broad topics, or specific topics. Lets start with the different types of web directories.

First, we have what is commonly referred to as a "niche" directory. Niche directories have a specific topic, or niche, and the links found within the directory reflect that. Examples of a niche would be automotive directories, sports directories, shopping directories, web promotion directories, etc. Niche directories are most beneficial to internet *searchers; they have a specific topic and therefore *surfers and *searchers have a better chance of finding what they want. In a human edited niche directory, you are very unlikely to find spam sites as well.

We will label the next kind of web directory as a "Free for All" directory. Free for all directories have no specific topic. They are very broad in their category selection and links are usually hidden behind several sub-categories. Free for all websites can benefit webmasters so long as the "no follow" tag is not applied (page rank increase), however it is in your best interest to avoid free for all directories for several reasons. Using a free for all directory to search for a website is more likely than not going to require you to sort through heaps of spam. A lot of free for all directories are not human edited due to the massive amount of link requests they receive, and websites are not carefully examined before being approved into the directory. The link quality of some free for all directories is extremely poor. Also, a lot of free for all directories extract data from other directories; how original. No sense in supporting the lack of creativity or devotion in such web directories. Despite a flood of low quality free for all directories, there are some very good ones available. A well organized, human edited (human edited = higher quality links) free for all directory is a great place to search for websites. It also serves webmasters with increased website exposure and if they are lucky, the directory is indexed by Google and other search engines, therefore improving its ranking on search engine result pages.

The final type of web directories that will be examined are the poorest quality ones. Often referred to as "link farms" these directories are not human edited, due to contain high quality links, lack organization and unique features, and more often than not they become blacklisted from the major search engines. Searching these type of web directories is useless, and it's highly recommended that you do not support such sites. Furthermore, if you are a webmaster, submitting your website to link farms will substantially decrease your popularity amongst search engines. These directories due more harm then good, and consequently give other directories a bad name.

Whether you are submitting a website or searching for one, you will achieve the best results with a high quality niche directory. Webmasters, here are the common submission options for most web directories: Free submission: Submit your website to the directory for free. Simply fill out the form and wait for approval. A "no follow" tag is often placed on free submissions. Regular Submission: A small fee is usually necessary for regular submissions. Regular submissions can sometimes use the "no follow" tag. The main benefit is that submission approval times are significantly faster for regular submissions. Reciprocal Submissions: Free submissions that require a reciprocal link of the web directory to be placed onto the website you are submitting. Reciprocal submissions sometimes use "no follow' tags, but often do not. Cost is free with reciprocal submissions. Featured Submissions: Paid submissions that grant you premium listing (websites listed in special section of category, generally above regular links), fast submission approval, and paid submissions do not place "no follow" tags on your links, meaning you gain a back link for search engine ranking benefits. Featured and regular submission fees are generally charged per year, and prices vary depending on the directory and the traffic it receives.

Web directories have benefits for both webmasters and internet users. For webmasters, web directories main benefit is website exposure. Webmasters submit their websites to directories to increase their exposure. Not only can they receive traffic from people using the directory, but they can also benefit from a back link; a link to their website indexed by Google. Google ranks pages in several ways, but back links is one of the most important. A quality back link to your website increases your Google page rank. Enough quality directory back links, and your on your way to the top spot in Google search results. Bottom line: Web directories can increase your websites exposure by sending targeted traffic your way. For people using web directories as a search tool, web directories can offer you a big advantage over search engines. Search engine indexing is a big contest between website owners and therefore a lot of high quality content gets left out of the search engine result pages. Top results often go to corporations, big business, or highly devoted marketers. What about the little enthusiast and personal websites that contain valuable knowledge otherwise unavailable on the web?

Well, a lot of these quality content websites can be found in web directories. If you are having trouble finding what your looking for in search engines, try searching for a niche directory and I bet you will find what your looking for. Furthermore, using web directories supports smaller businesses and helps the little guy out. Not everyone has the time or money to spend on internet marketing or website promotion, and web directories are a great way for these small websites to gain some exposure. Big search engines have monopolized the internet search market, and it makes the relationship between big search engines and website owners way to critical. Google doesn't like you, and your sales drop 75 %. Now that does not seem right, does it? If more people frequented web directories, directory owners would gain a larger slice of the search engine market.

There is a large number of web directories on the internet today that have been blacklisted by Google. It is best to avoid these directories at all costs; having your link listed there will most likely negatively affect your search engine rankings. But how do you know which directories to submit your URL to and which ones to avoid? These guidelines in rating web directories may help:

1. Organization

- Web Directories should be well organized and categorized.

- Categories should be, neither, too broad nor too narrow. Category organization is important, but a directories search feature holds more value for finding links.

- Links should be easily accessible.

- Links should be posted into the correct category. If they are not, this is a sign of automated link approval, which should never be used in a directory. (Even the largest, most powerful of web directories are human edited).

- Poor quality and spam links should not be accepted into any decent web directory.

2. Advertisements

- A quality directory should contain a free submission option, so it is necessary for directories to offer sponsored listings and sale advertisement space. However, the page should not be cluttered with ads. This is a sign that the directory administration is too focused on making a quick buck than enhancing the internet experience.

- If the directory has a specific topic, or niche, than the advertisements should pertain to that topic. Off topic and irrelevant ads do not belong on niche directories.

3. Page Rank (PR)

- Rumor has it that it's possible to fake some page rank indicators. Make sure your page rank comes from a reliable source when examining the PR of a web directory.

- Page rank is important factor in website popularity. However, directories that boast high page ranks, or have their page rank in the directory name or slogan typically use the page rank factor to compensate for their downfalls. It's like bragging...and you want a modest web directory. Find a directory that shares and uses their page rank to the benefit of directory users, not a directory that clearly lacks in features but boasts a high PR.

- Directories that display website links within a category in descending order of PR are less desirable than those that display links based on popularity (unique hits). Most desirable first, not highest PR; very beneficial to new websites attempting to build initial PR.

4. No Follow Tag

- A web directory that uses "no follow" tags on all links is useless.

- "no follow" tags are acceptable on free submissions. Reciprocal & featured submissions should not be tagged as "no follow" links. This gives value and meaning to featured (sponsored) & reciprocal links, while controlling the amount of links indexed by search engines to a reasonable number.

- In a quality directory, do not fear a "no follow" on your free submission. A good directory brings in targeted traffic, and though you may be missing out on that back link, there is still a lot of potential for increasing traffic.

5. Reviews, Marketing, & Promotion

- Search around for reviews and recommendations on web directories. There are some really good resources when it comes to choosing quality directories.

- A web directory should be marketed to both webmasters & internet surfers. If a directory only attracts webmasters, what kind of web traffic is it likely to bring? Look into how the web directory is promoted and marketed.
These 5 guidelines can help you distinguish between low quality link farms and high quality, effective web directories. I hope this information helps you in your website's marketing and promotion campaign, in terms of website directory submission.

Teal Reid, SYC Automotive Directory Administrator

http://www.sycdirectory.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Teal_List

How to Start Your Own Web Directory

Have you ever run across one of the thousands of home-brewed internet directories and wondered how they came to be? You know, directories in the mold of Yahoo or DMOZ, but run by individuals or small businesses? And, perhaps such directories operate in a niche, such as Home and Garden, or for a particular geographical area like a City Directory. All three of these directories run on the same script...PHP Link Directory, also known as PHPLD. You Can Run Your Own Directory You can run your own directory--it's very easy--by installing one of many ready-made directory scripts. I run a few of my own, and I'll explain here how to get started. Most Popular Script: PHP Link Directory The most popular script for DIY web directories is PHP Link Directory, also called PHPLD. You can Google the phrase "PHPLD" to learn more. PHPLD costs $25 for version 3.3 (most current as of January 2009) if you display a link to PHPLD on all the pages of your directory, or $75 if you want to remove all links to PHPLD. Also, there is a free version (2.2) of PHPLD, but it's older, and quite feature-barren. To get the script, visit the PHPLD website and make payment arrangements there. You may also wish to join the support forums (sorry, but it's another $10 to join the support forums).

Installing the Directory The next step is (gulp!) to install the directory script. You'll need ftp access to your server. Generally speaking, the process involves:

• Copying the script files to your hosting account. You'll need mySQL database services with your hosting account (99.5% of hosting accounts offer this)
• Then, setting file permissions (this is pretty easy to do with any ftp program) for a few files after you upload them.
• You'll need to create a mySQL database on your server.
• Then, simply run the phpLD installation file.

Finding a Theme for Your Directory

If you followed the links above to the directories that I operate, you'll notice that each directory has a different look, or theme. This is done through a special theme or template that you install. There are paid themes and free themes--plenty of the free themes are quite good looking. We have made a few free themes, which you can find at the PHPLD website. Or you can simply Google the phrase "free PHPLD theme", and you can probably find a dozen or so without too much trouble.

How to Install the PHPLD Theme/Template And so, here's how to install the template: Download your free template and unzip it so that you have all the template files (about 30 files, depending on the template) in a single folder. In the case of the Strawberry Fields template, you should have a folder called "strawberry_fields" with all the template files in there. Then, ftp your folder and place it into the folder on your web server where you installed PHPLD within the folder called "templates". See the image just below to see the folder where you should drop your template folder. PHPLD Folders

Activate Your Template Now that you have uploaded your template files, to activate the template, simply log in to the admin section of PHPLD. You log in by going to [http://www.YourDirectory.com/admin] and typing in your log in and password. Then browse to the section SYSTEM, then TEMPLATE MANAGER to select your template.

Promoting Your Directory First, Create Categories For Your PHPLD Installation First, you'll want to create your categories. To create categories the slow way, log in to your admin section and browse to DIRECTORY then CATEGORIES. Once there, hit the button "New Category". You can enter your categories one at a time. The "fast" way to create categories is to find a category dump--a pre-loaded file of hundreds or thousands of categories created specifically to be installed into a PHPLD installation. To find a category dump, you'll need to hunt around Google (use the search phrase "PHPLD category dump"). Once you have the dump, you'll need some fairly good mySQL skills to enter the category dump into your system. If you don't know how to do that, you might ask for some help on the PHPLD forums at the PHPLD main site. How to Promote Your Directory Now, how to promote your directory? You'll want to get the word out so that visitors will come to your site and submit their sites. Well here are some ideas:

• List your directory with the "directory of directories" sites such as vilesilencer.com and directorycritic.com. Both sites offer free basic listings. There are many similar sites, but those two are the biggest.
• For a local directory, put an ad on Craigslist offering free listings to local businesses and sites.
• If you are a forum poster, put a note in your posting signature that you offer free listings in your directory.
• Add some links by yourself--the best directories are chock full of useful sites. Feel free to add your favorite sites to your directory to get it jump-started.

Good luck, and have fun! Here are some examples of web directories that I run in PHPLD: The first is my general directory at . But, PHPLD is quite versatile; for example it can be used for a local City directory, like our Austin Local Business Directory.

The preceding is written by Michael Spada at Medical Website Design Pros, a Medical Website Design firm.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Spada

Difference Between Organic SEO and Search Engine Optimization

Organic SEO is the process of optimizing a website to increase its rankings in unpaid search engine listings. The aims of organic SEO strategies and techniques are to improve company's brand visibility, attract larger and better targeted volumes of search engine users and finally to expand market share. In other words, it refers to manual page optimization which is opposite to automatic submittal and page alteration. It is completely different from the general Search Engine Optimization which is an automated way of optimizing the ranking of the particular website.

Both organic SEO and the general search engine optimization have their importance. They are simultaneously used these days. The general search engine optimization basically follows the concept of pay per click advertisement. It is known to all that organic search listings and general search listings are mostly used by search engine browsers. Many search engine optimization companies prefer organic SEO and are using paid searchers more regularly for various businesses.

While planning a website for organic SEO can take months, however it is crucial to work hard as well as try to make the website to be unique from others. Many good and successful organic listings consist of key words or phrases which are unlikely to find on the other sites. The most important technique is to arrange the words carefully and in a planned manner. Just framing a long list of ineffective words would only move consumers away. The words should be used in a meaningful and subtle manner from the point of view of a great content writer.

Organic SEO is also known as natural organic SEO. SEO experts advise online companies to carry the work of advertisements through this procedure. It saves a lot of money in comparison to pay per click advertisements. The general search engine optimization is completely based on the company's advertising budget, however organic search engine optimization [http://www.rupizmedia.com/seo-services] places the website in the search engines on the basis of relevancy of subject matter given by the client. As the online advertising cost is increasing upwards, we often find remorseful debates happening between the pay per click advertising agencies and the online companies.

Naman Jain is an Internet marketing [http://www.rupizmedia.com/] professional, presently working with Rupiz Media, one of the leading online marketing company offering expert SEO services, pay per click, affiliate marketing services, UK web development services and website designing solutions over the globe.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Naman_Jain

The Benefits of Organic SEO (Search Engine Optimization)

If you're going to sell any type of product or service online, you're eventually going to have to optimize your Web site for the Search Engines, in order to boost traffic and sales.

Many years ago, it was quite easy to draw effective traffic, as a good content-driven site, with good products, was enough to get a Web site ranked highly in the Search Engines. The competition has increased one thousand times over since then, with billions of Web sites existing online now, making for some very stiff competition in the area of Search Engine placement and rankings.

This increase in competition has given rise to many different styles, and many different methods of Web site optimization. Optimization is simply the method of making a Web site "Search Engine friendly", by using methods of enhancement that will increase rankings and placement by placing the Web site higher in the SERPS (Search Engine Results Pages).

Everything from software to increase rankings and placement, to Search Engine Management and Marketing Firms exist, with many online merchants becoming confused about what or "whom" to use and how to effectively use the various services to increase rankings and placement.

The real battle seems to exist between those that favor "Organic SEO" as opposed to those that prefer "Non-Organic SEO". The term organic itself is defined by Webster's Dictionary as: instrumental; acting as instruments of nature or of art to a certain destined function or end (Webster's: 1913: 3).

Organic SEO, also called Natural SEO, is the most time consuming, and the most tedious method of optimization for placement and rankings. However, it is prone to longevity of results, as it has a focus on content, meta-tag enhancement using proper descriptions, keyword enhanced copy within the appropriate specified densities of the Search Engines, and link exchanges. In addition, keyword dense reports, articles, and other content materials are usually added in a routine fashion to a site to maintain the densities necessary and increase rankings and placement.

Organic SEO, if done properly in a step-by-step approach, can literally promote increased traffic and rankings for years. It can also contain overall marketing costs, as the use of PPC (Pay Per Click), is not needed as much with this method. The main drawbacks with this type of SEO, however, are the length of time it takes to properly implement all the steps necessary, and the length of time it takes the Search Engines to thoroughly spider and index a site that has implemented Organic SEO.

Non-Organic SEO, also called Artificial SEO, can take many forms, and can use some Organic SEO coupled with other techniques. These techniques can include software generated keyword enhanced pages, some methods of re-directs, whereby traffic is shunted off from other sites, with their permissions, and software generated doorway pages and meta-tag descriptions. There are many different techniques that can be employed including rather controversial ones such as hidden text loaded with keywords, and tiny text.

Overall, Non-Organic SEO methods are quite popular, as it is a much quicker means to rankings and placement. Links might be purchased from "link farms" which are simply services that specialize in the promotion of links to others.

Although Non-Organic SEO can speed up rankings and placement initially, care needs to be given when using any of these methods. If keyword dense pages are automatically generated en masse, the Search Engines might view large sites, with large numbers of such pages as "Search Engine Spammers" and a risk of being banned does exist. In addition, pages may initially place very high, only to drop lower rather quickly, as the Search Engines still place a great emphasis on good content, which is not usually the focus of the Non-Organic type of SEO.

All in all, it really depends upon the overall purpose of a site, and the longevity of results desired by a Web master/site owner. It also depends upon how quickly results and sales are needed. For some seasonal sites, such as holiday-theme sites that only remain up for a few weeks or months, then the quicker method of Non-Organic SEO can be quite effective. On the other hand, if a Web master/site owner promotes a product or service to which they are committed for years, or perhaps a lifetime, then Organic SEO would definitely be the better choice of optimization method.

No matter which type of SEO methods are chosen or implemented, an ongoing campaign of optimization does need to exist, as the parameters that are used for the rankings and placement by the Search Engines, change frequently, and research into current methods needs to be done routinely.

As the old saying goes, "Different strokes for different folks", really applies to Search Engine Optimization and rankings and placement. The whole Search Engine Optimization process is really more art than science, and continues to change daily.

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Vishal P. Rao is the owner of Work at Home Forum, an online community of people who work from home.
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vishal_P._Rao

The Essentials of Organic SEO

Organic SEO is an ethically search engine optimization campaign that does not involve any paid placement program. Using organic SEO, you can bring in traffic to your website through three essential ways - well written content, solid linking structure and strategies, and interactivity among your visitors.

In organic SEO, there will be no paid search listings. You can use money perhaps to improve other aspects of your marketing program, such as website redesign and perhaps to get content (since you will most likely need the help of experienced content writers).

If you are just starting up a company or are still beginning to market your products or services online, organic SEO is your best option. Although it might take some time to feel its results, in time you will be able to feel the growth as you move closer to your SEO goals.

While using organic SEO techniques are free, there are a few things that need to be clarified. For instance, if you are thinking that heading the organic SEO route will bring your overwhelming success overnight, you are terribly wrong.

Some online marketers readily assume that a large SEO goal such as reaching the highest rank for a keyword on Google's SERPs can be achieved in a matter of days. The most that you can do in the fastest possible site is to promote an unknown website using fresh content within a month at the very least.

Feeding your website with fresh and unique content on a regular basis will improve slowly (but surely) your rank in the search engine results. You just have to make sure that your keywords are unique and are seamlessly placed in your content.

Although organic search engine optimization is very effective and is highly adaptable, it takes a lot of hard work to yield anything within a month. You have to remember that high rankings on SERPs take a longer time to accomplish given the constantly changing algorithms of search engines.

Naturally optimizing your website is a product of different efforts working together the moment an internet user looks for a particular topic. The user lands on your website directly from the SERPs page without paying anything for that exposure.

In reality, more internet users give a huge trust value to websites using natural search engine optimization techniques. Users appreciate sites that show up in SERPs more than sites who are not.

If you use organic SEO, you will be able to draw much more traffic compared to aggressive advertising. Having fresh, relevant content and organic optimization techniques will give your website overwhelming benefits.

Organic SEO lets you take advantage of the trust factor that users give you and your website. Users are keen to inorganic SEO and they immediately know that it is paid advertising, making it harder for them to trust such websites.

What if you can't get more website traffic? Here's a "secret snowball traffic system" that has generated over 1,175,000 visitors for my tiny websites. Click Here Now to get this free video that will show you how to make it happen for your sites. http://www.jasonnyback.com/ezine

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Organic SEO And Link Building

Organic SEO or search engine optimization is a slow and steady process. Achieving top rankings takes time and link building is a big part of that effort. If you are to have a successful web site and obtain high search engine rankings you will need quality relevant web sites linking to your web site. The amount and quality of links you need will depend on the competitiveness of the keyword phrases for which you are optimizing. More web masters are focusing on quantity and getting several links fast. This is bad because it can be seen as manipulating the search engines. Check the guidelines for the search engine you are trying to optimize for, this will give you a good idea of what and what not to do.

When obtaining links from other sites focus on the quality of the link. Is the page on topic and relevant to your site? What is the position of the link? Is it off to the side with a bunch of other sites? Does it look natural and like it belongs there? What is the anchor text of the link? These are the questions you need to ask yourself when optimizing off site links. Reciprocal links have some value, but with software that automates the process it seems to have gotten out of hand. Plus do you really want a link on these low quality directory pages? How much value do they add by linking to you?

There are some easy ways to get permanent one way links. Directories are the best first step and may be all you need if your key word term is not competitive. They can also be a good source of relevant traffic. Directories are a human edited trusted link source, look for directories that have a good reputation and are well established. If you can, get listed in a niche directory to increase your relevance.

Companies whose products you use or sell are a good source of links if you can get them. The company whose shopping cart I use has a link to me and all I had to do was ask. Maybe offer a testimonial in exchange for a link back to your web site.

Writing articles is another good way to get incoming links, plus you will gain traffic. There are several free web sites that you can submit articles to. The links are valuable on article pages because there are usually very few links on the page, plus the article will be relevant to your product or service offering.

Write a press release to announce your business, new service offerings, or any news that is important. You may end up getting several links, plus press releases are usually available for a long time on the internet.

Do you want to know the best way to obtain inbound links to your web site? Build a web page this is so great, people will just want to link to it. Sounds easy, we all wish it were that simple. Frequently asked questions or tips pages are good candidates for natural links, if they are useful. Giving useful information is probably the best way to obtain organic links. Don't be afraid to give away some information. We created a common SEO mistakes page to provide useful tips, information and help potential
clients. When your potential client has enough information to make an informed decision they will be ready buy your product or service. Other web sites want to link to good information; that is why it is call the World Wide Web. Don't be a dead end, if you know of a great site let others know about it.

Keep your link building slow, steady and from a variety of sources and keep repeating those steps.

John Tourloukis is the founder of Fast PC Networks an internet consulting and organic SEO company.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=John_Tourloukis

Organic Search Engine Optimization - Organic SEO Integration And Technologies

Most people think that organic search engine optimization (organic SEO) is about meta tags, keyword stuffing and internal links. While those efforts do help improve rankings and generate traffic, they're often viewed as the only factors in a search engine optimization campaign.

A newer concept coined "organic search engine optimization" or "organic SEO" has taken on a whole new meaning in recent years and has evolved to include everything from psychology, semantics and site usability to interactive elements like video, instant messaging and video games. Other areas of organic SEO study can include everything from link building and navigation to persuasive copy architecture and social marketing integration.

Today there are many powerful Internet marketing tools available online and vary in price from thousands of dollars to completely free. Click Track (no affiliation) makes an excellent product that uses the correlation between hand/mouse and eye movement to track everything a searcher does on any page of your website. It then makes a digital "heatmap" that shows how people are viewing and navigating your website and reveals tons about your page's design, content and usability. One recent study of an affiliate website promoting Nike's showed that a high percentage of searchers were repeatedly clicking on their banner graphic. It revealed that searcher's thought the banner was a link to a new Nike running shoe but got frustrated and left after several attempts at clicking the image. So they changed the banner to an image link and found their bounce rate for that page decrease by almost fifty percent and it was all based on this unique data. This is just one example of the many advanced tools that are used today that provides unique insight into search behavior, but it's usually for a hefty price.

Budget constraints aside, many companies miss golden opportunities when it comes to Internet marketing and forget to focus on the basics like great content, clear communication and clean design. I've recently heard this mindset referred to as "functionalism" and to me it is an integral part of organic SEO and is one of the most accessible and budget friendly. This article for instance, is an example of organic SEO and was designed to hopefully spark your imagination, promote my services and contribute something of value to the web.

The proliferation of this mindset of organic SEO is gaining momentum, especially as search engines like Google continue to try and improve their algorithms that encourage higher standards for website design, development and classification. A most recent and very noticeable example of this would be the new Google quality scores that are currently wreaking havoc for certain people industry wide. The benefits of an organic search engine optimization strategy have a tendency to resist changes to algorithms and continue to evolve on many different levels and encompass a broad range of technology, analytics and methodologies. So next time you're thinking about your Internet marketing mojo, think organically.

Kevin Szprychel - Searchoneweb Is A Chicago Based Organic Search Engine Optimization (Organic SEO) And Web Site Design Firm. http://www.searchoneweb.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kevin_Szprychel

How Organic SEO Helps Search Engine Ranking

In organic SEO strategy, the question that matters most to businesses is, "Will our target market (in this case, the browsers and internet surfers) find us?" This in turn raises the question of how visible a company or business web site is in the top page rankings. Stated plainly, it is how they are placed in search engine rankings. This top page ranking is doable and achievable through the use of organic SEO (or search engine optimization).

The moment internet users search for something on their favorite browsers, Google, Yahoo or Bing will look for the web pages that will match the topic-and this is where the use of organic SEO methods kick in. The most appropriate and fitting pages in the view of the engine bots will come out first, and those particular web pages will be ranked first. Considering that there are possibly more than a million pages to look into, the it has to go through a step by step process which is known as the algorithm. Each algorithm works in a unique way, but there are rules that govern its use and which is generally adhered to in organic SEO methods.

One of the organic SEO methods used in rankings is about the location and frequency of keywords that can be found on a web page. For this, a top SEO company would utilise an effective tool in its SEO packages: keyword analysis and selection. The right keywords would be generated and embedded in a website content. After using the right organic SEO techniques in optimising a web page, including the web design, it is up to the search engines to do the rest.

Experts in organic SEO would tell their clients that the first thing the engine bots will do is look for the pages containing the keyword, and these pages are considered more relevant than the others. At the same time the engine bots will also look if the keywords that are found at or near the top of a web page. In the same manner, the search engine will consider how often the keywords are mentioned relative to other words. Again, it is assumed that a specific web page that contain many targeted keywords are more relevant that the others. This is where the use of organic SEO boosts a business website's chance of ranking high.

At this point, all three engines, Google, Yahoo and Bing, almost function the same but sometimes the results differ in varying degrees, even with the use of the same organic SEO methods. Some will catalog more pages or with more frequency that others. The end products eventually show different numbers and combinations even with the use of proper organic SEO techniques. A word of caution, engine bots are also configured to disregard or ignore abnormal appearances of keywords on a page.

Lately, the major seo methods are also using the "off the page" ranking measure. This forensic SEO ranking technique, one of the many tools of organic SEO, works through analysis and evaluation of the manner the pages are linked together. The aim is to find out what the pages is all about, and to decide what pages "count" or "matter". The "off the page" feature also monitors the selection results of searches and rearranges the rankings accordingly.

It is important that businesses that want to have a strong online presence should choose the best SEO company. A top SEO company that utilises Organic SEO to meet the needs of its clients is worth its fee, as well as the trust of loyal and satisfied customers.

The author is a search engine optimisation specialist located in Sydney, Australia.

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Getting Started With Organic SEO

Organic search engine optimization (SEO) is a way to draw targeted traffic to your website without investing a lot of money. In fact, you can get started with SEO without investing any money beyond the basic set up of your website and some time.

What Does Organic Mean?

The term "organic SEO" refers to a natural process of getting highly ranked with the search engines so you have a continuous base of targeted traffic. There are a lot of practices that might be used during search engine optimization, but all strategies used in "organic" SEO will be completely natural. They will work over time rather than rending immediate results.

Think of organic farming versus farming that does not earn the use of this term. An organic farm will use completely natural fertilizers and pesticides rather than the chemical-based fertilizers and pesticides used by a non-organic farm. Different feed may also be used for animals on an organic farm.

The same goes for organic SEO. Search engine marketing strategies are used in a completely natural way so they grow with time. This means no black hat tricks to get fast traffic, which would be like the chemical-based fertilizers used to make produce on a farm fatter.

How to Get Started

Learning about keyword research is the best starting place if you want to use organic SEO as one search engine marketing strategy for your website. Keywords are the foundation of SEO and you will never learn how to employ an effective organic SEO campaign without knowledge of how they are used and researched.

You need to know all of this basic information about keywords in order to be successful with any type of SEO strategy:

• What keywords are and how they are used for marketing and traffic building.
• How to research the best keywords for every page of your website.
• How to identify a good keyword from a list of potentially time-wasting keywords.
• How and where to employ keywords on your website and blog for maximum potential.
• How often to use keywords within website content.

Once you understand how keywords are used in your website and know how to find the best keywords for your sites, you can start learning about off-site SEO strategies. On-site SEO is a good start, but you need those off-site strategies to really start reaching your target market.

Do You Need Help?

Most people can learn organic SEO and start applying it rather quickly, but it does take some reading and thinking at first if you don't know anything about it. If you have time for a bit of a learning curve, then there are plenty resources online for learning gradually.

If you don't have time or don't want to wait to start seeing results, then you may opt to hire a professional who already knows all about SEO. They can give your website a big head start while you work on advancing your own knowledge.

The more you know about organic SEO, the faster and easier it is to start seeing results. Just remember that this is not a search engine marketing strategy designed to pay off over night. This is a long term strategy that will gradually build up in terms of results.

You may want to combine organic SEO with other search engine marketing strategies if you need quick results while the long term results are building.

Cheow Yu Yuan is the co-founder of OOm, an online marketing agency providing SEO Singapore service.

Find out more about SEO at OOm Singapore.

Please feel free to republish this article on your website, or distribute it to your friends or clients, as long as you leave the resource box intact.

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Role Of Domain Name In Web Business!

When the business world get global and the technology become hi-tech, internet users are increased and hence internet presence becomes essential for any business. Internet marketing plays an important role to grow any business in the global market. All businessmen give more importance to their trademark and trades instead of domain names in their business. They are more involved in dealing trademarks of their products but the business in internet world deals more with domain names.

A domain name plays a major role in flourishing the business and exposing the products to more and more customers. But still the domain names are neglected by businessman. They still treat the internet role insignificant in their business. They are not aware of the importance of domain name and hence it becomes the minor issue for the business. Special techniques and funds are invested to protect the trade names but no value is given to domain names.

With registration of trademarks, the domain of any business, whether big or small, should also be registered. Neglecting it can be costly in future terms to any business. Some legal companies now recognize this important issue and started advising their customers in this regard. Many smaller businesses do however not realize these facts and should wake up to reality. Many smaller businesses can grow into bigger enterprises over time after giving proper value to their domain names.

Neglecting the domain names a business may end up spending huge amounts on legal costs to protect their interests. Domain name is like a brand in web marketing. Hence the name must be catchy and should represent you and your products appropriately. This is the name through which your business is known over net. This is the word by which your business and your website will be known in the internet marketing. Hence the Key words should be choose from the niche. It should be a unique name. It should be sensible and easy to remember.

These tips will also help you with better search engine placement since a domain name that contains key words related to your product or service will ultimately place better than one that doesn't.

Having an own domain name is the first step to make money online. Your customers will feel more comfortable buying whatever it is that you are selling if you have your own domain name. It makes this will give an image of a trustworthy company rather than with some fly by night operator.

Having a Domain name is the way to success of an online entity. This will create a first impression of your business. You should always aim for the dotcom version of a name, that's what most people will go to after doing a search or after typing something directly into their address bar. You're likely to have more traffic to your website with your own domain name because more people will be returning as they can remember your address and because many search directories such as Yahoo only index websites with their own domain name.

An own domain name means that the address of the web site will be of the form http://www.yourcompany.com. Definitely it sounds more professional and reliable too than hosting some other free sites for the company like

[http://www.somefreewebsite.com/yoursitename]

In short domain names are essential factor to be considered to protect their rights in a world where Internet marketing and web business increase on a daily basis.

REPRINT RIGHTS statement: This article is free for republishing by visitors provided the Author Bio box is retained as usual so that all links are Active/Linkable with no syntax changes.

Author Alok Vats is associated with many SEO activities at AN Info Solutions. They deal with Search Engine Optimization and content management activities.

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Keyword Selection: A Key to Web Success

Keywords are the words search engine users enter into Google's search box. So, if you're looking for baby shower gifts you might type in "baby gifts" and start clicking on links found on page 1 of the search engine results pages (SERPs).

As a web-based business owner, the keywords you select define the topicality of your web site - the products and services you sell and where you sell them. Thanks to localized search, a small boutique on Main Street can target local shoppers and not unqualified prospects in Mozambique.

Your web site should employ a number of keywords because you never know what a search engine user will enter into Yahoo's search box. However, too many keywords, ambiguous keywords and keywords that don't make sense to a search engine spider (also called a bot) will often get a web site slammed, panned and even banned if the search engine "thinks" you're trying to mislead its users.

The objective of any search engine is to deliver the most relevant web sites, ranked according to their relevance. The most relevant site ranks at the top, with sites of decreasing relevance filling up page after page of SERPs. That's why most search engine users never get beyond page 2 or 3 in any SERPs.

If your site doesn't rank in the top tier of SERPs you won't see much organic traffic - visitors who found your site via a search using keywords as part of their query.

Selecting the Right Keywords for Your Web Site

The right keywords deliver more traffic because a link to your web site appears on page 1 of Ask, Bing, Google, Yahoo or any of the other 4,000 search engines crawling the web today. Here's why.

Think of a search engine as an elephantine file cabinet with literally millions of file folders stored in millions of drawers. This is the search engine index - its taxonomy, the way it sorts web sites, blogs and information associated with digital spaces. Your web site will be placed in one of those file folders based on the keywords you use in your HTML code (the code that actually produces the presentation layer of the web site) and the site skin itself.

If you're a certified financial planner, you want to make sure that "certified financial planner" and "CFA" appear in your HTML keyword tag and in the site text itself. Typically, search engine optimizers recommend a keyword density of 2%-3%, though some of these on-line marketers will go as high as 5% meaning that out of every 100 words of site text, five will be keywords.

An overload of keywords should be avoided. It's a practice called keyword stuffing, something search engines frown on.

Start by making a list of intuitive keywords - the keywords that you, the business owner, believe would be entered by search engine users looking for your goods or services. You, better than most, know what your prospects are looking for so start by making a list of 10 to 15 intuitive keywords.

Then do a little research on each one.

The Google Keyword Generator

Use it. It's one of the most valuable tools available to new web site owners:

• The Google Keyword Generator doesn't project results, it delivers actual search terms and phrases entered by Google users in the past 30 days.
• These are real users of the most popular search engine in the world.
• It indicates the number of searches conducted for each keyword or phrase.
• It will expand and refine your list of intuitive keywords.
• It's really simple to use and interpret the data.
• It's Google, for goodness sake.

Enter each of your intuitive keywords and phrases to determine how often these terms were used. Simple changes to your list will make a huge difference in the delivery of visitors to your website through organic search results.

Long-Tail Key Words

Long-tail keywords are typically keyword phrases. The disadvantage to using long-tails is that fewer search engine users enter these keyword phrases. The advantage is that those who DO enter these long-tails see your web site at the top of page one of SERPs.

Example: if you own a bicycle shop that specializes in high-end, Tour de France quality racing bikes, then using "bicycles" as a keyword won't deliver as much traffic as "high quality racing bicycles." Why? EVERY business related to bicycles will use "bicycles" as a search term so your little site may be buried deep in the SERPs, never to be seen be serious biking enthusiasts.

On the other hand, fewer search engine users will enter "high quality racing bicycles" into a search box, but if you use that long-tail, your web site will rank higher. And as a side benefit, you get more qualified buyers - buyers willing to spend a great deal of money on their hobby.

Add a couple of long-tail keywords to your list and track their performance. Your keyword list is always a work in progress with successful keywords added and poorly performing keywords - long-tails or otherwise - dropped.

Local Search Keywords

Local businesses - the ones that line Main Street in your town - are turning to the web more and more thanks to local search.

Local search enables small businesses to target local prospects. A bistro downtown can post that evening's specials for local diners to check out. Search engines offer the option of local search, but you'll help search engines by adding your town's address, including zip code.

If you type in "racing bicycles 78201" you'll see a list of bike shops in that part of San Antonio, Texas. You'll also see a map with "pushpins" providing addresses, telephone numbers and printable directions to the local shops that sell bicycles in zip code 78201.

Be sure to add the name of your community and state, as well. This information should appear as text so it can be read by spiders. If your bike shop's local search information appears in a graphic, it can't be read by search engine bots so it won't do you any good.

Display complete address and other contact information on every page of your site. It increases the likelihood of appear on the top SERPs during a local search and it provides quick information for site visitors who want to pick up the telephone to give you a telephone call.

Think of keywords as the means by which your web site is sorted in that gigantic index called a search engine, whether it's Yahoo, Bing, Google, Ask or any of the other general search engines we all use every day. Choose the right keywords and your site will be placed in the proper "file folder" of the search engine. Choose ambiguous keywords, or conflicting keywords, and search engine bots won't know where to file your site within its index.

With keywords, it's better to be clear than clever so keep it simple, constantly tweak your list, test new keywords against existing keywords and make it a good web business practice to constantly refine the keywords in your HTML code and on site.

Bots aren't bright so explain, exactly, what your web site is about to ensure you're properly indexed. It could well mean the difference between fast growth and business success and a web site with cob webs on the home page.

Which would you rather own?

Ms. Rosendahl has over 19 years experience in systems analysis, hosted applications, and management as well as 13 years experience in web hosting and Internet marketing. Ms. Rosendahl has a Bachelors from Houston Baptist University with a double major in Computer Information Systems and Business Management. Stephanie is the founder and CEO of website hosting firm - GreenHostIt.com green hosting.

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Learn The SEO Basics To Dominate Your Niche

If I'm going to ask you, what are the things that you need for your website to become a success? The answer would be the proper usage of the SEO basics. Why? Because through the search engine optimization techniques that you will be employing, your website will be more visible in the search results. And the higher the ranking, the more visitors it will get.

Now where can you learn the basics? There are a lot of available resources on the web today, and most of them are free. But later on you may want to improve your knowledge and your skills so may become interested in learning the techniques of the top Internet marketing gurus today. There is nothing wrong in paying to learn advanced methods. Sometimes when you are really serious in mastering a craft, you will have to go through the tutelage of people who are better than you, even if just through a bunch of DVDs or ebooks.

But let us go back to learning a few of the SEO basics so you can start using these on your own website. Keep in mind that these are not definitive and that there are other factors that you may want to research more on.

One of the first things that you need to do is keyword research. Keywords are the foundation of a good search engine optimization. Because think about it. How can you optimize your website if you do not know what keywords you should be targeting? Depending on the scope of your website or the niche you are trying to get into, your keyword research may take you longer to accomplish. This is because you need to study the competition for that keyword and whether you stand a good chance of ranking number one for those terms.

The next one would be the use of the keywords for your on-page optimization. What this means is that your keywords should be visible in the web copy of your website. You should put your keywords in the title, the H1 tag, the image alt tag, the meta description and of course, twice or thrice within the body of the text. You must never over stuff a web page with your keywords, otherwise you might risk getting banned by the search engines. Many SEO experts warn about using too much of the keywords on any website or web page.

When you are done optimizing your website, the next important step would be link building. Links are considered the life blood of search engine optimization and it is what the search engine spiders use to find other relevant websites. Basically, the more links that your website gets from authoritative sites, the better your ranking would be. But the problem is it is often not an easy thing to do to get links from such sites. You might ask, can I just pay for those links? The answer is a big no. The search engines hate the selling and buying of links simply because it is not natural and it games their search results. Just stick to more natural linking methods like link baiting, guest posting, commenting, and similar practices.

These are just some of the SEO basics that you can do for your own website. Practice these and you can see great results within the coming months.

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Improve Website SEO - 3 Quick Tips For Boosting Your Website SEO

The website SEO improvement tips I share below are based on my personal experiences as an SEO content writer for more than 7 years. I have mentioned the 3 most important techniques of effective website SEO that I have tried and tested myself, working along with dedicated Search Engine Marketing experts to create websites that Google loves!

3 Quick Tips For Improving Website SEO:

1. Keep Keyword Basics in Mind For Improving Website SEO

Proper keyword research before writing the content of your website is vital for effective website SEO. To maximize the effectiveness of your keyword research, it is recommended website owners utilize all the free web tools that are easily available on the net, like Google AdWords and other similar services, some of which may require you to pay for the more advanced programs.

Don't focus too much on keyword density, which is an outdated concept. Instead, aim for organic SEO, which means ensuring your targeted keywords are naturally integrated in the content of your web pages for increasing website SEO without going overboard with keyword stuffed content that can get your site banned by Google.

If using the Google Keyword Tool, remember to target large number of terms that have a lower level of competition, since these offer fastest results for increasing website SEO.

2. Choose Keyword Rich URLS That Stick In User Memory And Relate To Your Business

Creating great URLs is another effective technique for improving website SEO and is among the first steps to getting the word about your business out on the world wide web. This means, starting with the correct domain name and keeping it short and simple. Short, memorable and catchy URLs are easy to remember and have high re-call value, which is important for any website owner to ensure prospects connect it with your business' most important keyword phrase.

Search engine marketing professionals advise against using hyphens, which though acceptable, can appear spammy or unprofessional, especially if there are more than two hyphens in your business URL.

Choose web page names wisely and try to integrate a relevant keyword on each of these individual pages too. Also, do not use session IDs or dynamic page variables, since doing so will only lengthen your web page URLs.

Finally, if you've already purchased a domain name where you cannot modify web page structure to include keywords in your URLs, you can buy more domains to build mini-sites that will support different segments in your chosen business niche. These mini-sites will work together to increase more traffic to your main domain.

3. Target Long Tail Keywords For Increasing Website SEO

If you want to target buyers, you need to target long tail keywords, which hold the secret to high search engine rankings. In simple terms, Long tail keywords mean relevant key phrases that contain at least three words that are closely related to your niche. This also reduces competition for you, since the traffic your website gets is more effectively targeted, ensuring better website SEO results.

Moreover, you can add long tail keywords to your website URL also, especially if you want to increase your earnings from directing the right website traffic to your site

Hire Deepanjolie Figg, freelance journalist with http://www.ewriterz.com to enhance your business presence.

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SEO Basics 101 - What You Need to Know

Don't be fooled by the so-called "SEO experts" that SEO is in fact some in-depth, highly technical topic. Learning the basics of SEO can get you far, so start today.

You will soon get twice the traffic to your site and laugh at the way you once felt about basic SEO. People also wrongly believe that big companies with enough money to spend on internet and print adverts have a much greater chance of showing up on search engines. This, however, is also a false assumption. Using the SEO basics, even micro and startup enterprises can take a top spot on Google - this is exactly where you want to be, because over eighty percent of Internet searchers never click beyond the first page. The website that attracts the most attention is the website with enough links from other sites and the website with the best quality and most functional content.

Link-building is a very important SEO basic, and involves building the number of incoming links to your site on an ongoing basis. Find other companies and sites that offer related services or products (but not exactly the same) to yours and ask them to add a link to your site on their site in return for their links on your site, creating a "win-win situation" and instant marketing. If you sell used cars, ask a company that sells used motorcycles or even spare parts to link to your site. Blogs and videos are very popular on Google, so link as many of those (related to your product) to your site.

In a social situation, you will say things that will interest the kind of people around you and use certain words and phrases that will draw them to you. This is exactly how basic SEO works: you make use of keywords and phrases that would appeal to your target market, and drive them to your website. Search engines seek out the sites that have the best keyword usage. If your website sells free SEO courses, using the phrase "SEO 101" or "SEO course" many times on your site will lead the search engine straight to you!

A popular SEO strategy is to utilize the power of social media. Set up an account with all of the popular social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, and link to your original website from there. People will find you on these sites if they indicated certain interests on their own profiles and will be lead to more information on what you offer. Create your own blogs, because they are easy (and free) to set up, the search engines love them and people can "subscribe" to your feed and thus see new posts everyday. Another advantage of blogging is that people can comment on your service and you can only grow from what your clients want and need!

As mentioned, search engine optimization, or SEO, is really quite simple. All you need to do is learn the basics and implement them on a consistent basis, and your site will rank well in the search engines.

Learn the SEO basics with this free SEO course by Derek Jansen. It covers everything you need to know in order to get your website ranking in top positions!

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Top Search Engine Optimization - 6 Search Engine Optimizing Tactics to Get You On Page One

The goal of every internet marketer is having their website end up on page one every time someone does a search. This is where top search engine optimization techniques come in. Nobody is going to visit your website if it comes up on page 20. People are not that patient. So, to get better traffic, you have to find ways of making yours stand out. The following is a list of the top search engine optimization methods out there - along with ways on how you can make them work for you.

1. On Page Optimization

Even if it's the oldest, this top search engine optimization technique still produces consistent results. Unfortunately, it only manages to produce 15% of your total search engine ranking and Page Rank. But because of its consistency, at least that 15% is assured if you use it.

This includes optimizing your keywords, images alt tags, deep navigations, creating seo friendly links and title tags.

2. Article Marketing

Another internet marketing strategy that has withstood the test of time is article marketing. Basically, you write articles containing a single keyword focus. This article also contains a link back to your site. You then upload this article to article directories that post them for free. These sites then get the link back to your site in return.

The way this works is that once an article is posted, it provides a back link to your site. Search engines pick these back links up and move you up the results list. Many affiliate marketing sites rely on this tactic to generate most of their traffic. This technique needs to be maintained - in that you need to continually post new articles to maintain the SEO value of your links.

3. Back Linking Through Authoritative Sites

Another top search engine optimization method is using trusted sites to provide back links. Anything that ends in.GOV or.EDU is a trusted site. Other examples are high level directories like DMOZ or Yahoo along with major forums and recognized information resources. Because of their status, authoritative sites offer back links that are worth more than what others provide.

4. Link Baiting

A technique wherein you generate high quality content that attracts attention on its own. Ever heard of the phrase: "Build a better mousetrap and the world will beat a path to your doorstep"? The point of link baiting is producing content so useful that other site owners and forums will link to it as a reference. Being the authority on a certain topic means people will refer to you whenever the topic comes up. Photographer Thom Hogan puts Nikon cameras and lenses through rigorous real-world testing and writes about them extensively. As a result of all his hard work, people looking to buy check out his reviews first.

5. Social Media Marketing

The power of social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn lies in their ability to make people heard. By making your presence felt in these sites, you can reach people who are receptive to your message. Knowing that they can reach you at your Facebook page or that you constantly update people who might follow you on Twitter means extra value that people can appreciate.

6. Going Viral

Viral videos that are the rage in YouTube are the best examples of this. Word-of-mouth can reach a lot more people. Not confined to videos, sending out free reports, building squeeze pages, and giving away free software are also effective ways of making droves of people flock to you.

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You cannot expect to jump from an unknown to "I'm Feeling Lucky" by just using one top search engine optimization method. Search engine optimizing works best by using a combination of different techniques. You have to have a detailed plan that adapts a long-term approach to getting your site to page one. Try out different strategies, test constantly for effectiveness, and tweak when necessary. Only after you have done the work will your efforts pay off.

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The Expert's Guide to Link Baiting

We've all heard of link baiting at one time or another. Some consider it to be pure spam and can hardly say the words without their nose curling up. Others think of link baiting as their favorite secret technique. Whatever side you're on, this guide will explain how link baiting works and how you can use it to improve your traffic and search rankings.

But first, let's define what link baiting is. Most often it is referred to as posting something "viral", outrageous, useful, cool, or shocking that other websites can't help but discuss (thereby giving you a link). The first section of this guide will explain the different types of link bait and how they can be used. The second area will explore how to get other websites to actually take the bait and post a link to you.

Setting Your Bait Given that it's called link "bait" let's use a fishing example. There are two simple steps: first you set the bait and second, you get a bite and reel in the fish. That is exactly what we will be doing with link baiting. So - what types of bait can we use?

Blog Posts - Most often, the bait is a blog post that breaks some type of news, posts some viral media, or says something that is totally outrageous. This is my favorite type of bait to set. It is clearly the easiest to create and it has the biggest likelihood of success. All you have to do is write something that you know will get a rise out of people. Ideas? Break a story that no one else has, post a viral video/picture, talk badly about someone else, or make up some story. (Those last two might get you sued, but then you can talk about your lawsuit and it'll be an even bigger link bait story!

Give Something Away - People like to get things for free. If you create a quiz, blog template, or widget that they can use - they will post it on their site with a link back to you. Spend some time figuring out what people in your industry might want and then make it for them. You can easily get hundreds of links this way.

Be a Nice (or Mean) Guy/Gal - If you donated $1 million to charity, or stole $1 million from someone, you would surely get your website linked from hundreds of sites. When you do something out of the ordinary (whether good or bad), you become a story, you become interesting, you become link worthy. A common example is when someone either gets sued by the big boys or sues one of the big boys themselves. If you have a lawsuit with Google, people will link it up.

Reeling in the Catch Now we need to explain how you will get others to take your bait. The first thing you need to do is, of course, create this bait on your website. If you have a breaking story, write a blog post about it; if you got sued by Yahoo, do a press release and/or blog post; if you made a widget, create a nice download page. Getting to that point is the hard part. The rest (getting the links) is easy by comparison.

At this point, all you want to focus on is getting the ball rolling. You should Tweet your bait, send it to other bloggers in your industry, Digg it, Stumble it, Facebook Like it, etc. etc. - do everything you can to get it in front of as many people as you can. That way, you have more opportunities for Diggs, likes, Retweets, etc. The more people hear about it, the more inclined they are to post it on their own blog.

Now, you are basically done. You can sit back and watch the viral power of the internet work it's magic. Within 2-3 days, you should have dozens of links. And, if your bait was a dud (it happens to the best of us), that's fine, just rework your strategy and try it again with a new piece of bait.

Link baiting can be one of the easiest ways to get a large influx of links and popularity, especially for a newer blog looking to grow. In addition, it is one of the cheapest (you can't beat $0) ways to market your blog, website, or product. If you need more traffic, readers, followers, fans, or customers, follow this guide and give link baiting a try today.

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Effective Link Bait Ideas to Get Webmasters Linking To You Every Time

Being able to create link bait can take care of all of your problems. Link bait is content which is especially attractive to other webmasters, thus encouraging them to link to your from their sites (hence the term "bait").

While link bait is primarily associated with links which obviously build your site's presence in the SERPs, its effective for bringing in traffic and sometimes huge flows of traffic at that because if another webmaster feels that your content is good enough to link to then you can expect a good bit of their traffic will follow that link to your site.

Link Bait Ideas

Now I'll give you some link bait ideas which you can use to create your own content bait to encourage other webmasters to link to you.

Great Content - You knew this one was coming. It may sound like a cop out on my part, but creating great content is the classic form of link bait because other webmasters plain and simple want great content to share with their readers; so anything which is inherently unique, informative, entertaining, or some combination of all of these is the ideal bait.

Trending Topics - Trending topics/current events or anything topical make for great link bait examples because people are interested in things which other people are already talking about. If something is trending online, that means a lot of people are talking about it and already sharing information about it, so you're striking while the iron is hot in this case.

Contests - Contests and competitions are great ways to get people to buzz about your site. Create a contest related to your niche, name a sweet prize, then writing about it on other forums and blogs in your niche and anywhere else you can think of to get people talking and linking to you.

Controversial Content - Creating controversy always gets people talking, and online it gets people visiting your site and linking to you.

Case Studies - Case studies usually have interesting results which people want to learn about. At the very least it will peak some people's interests. I did a case study a few months ago on the best way to make money online in which I pitted 3 different forms of traffic (website traffic, social network traffic, email marketing traffic) against one another to see which earned me the most money on a new affiliate product which launched. I documented the results via video then wrote about it on a variety of marketing and money making blogs to get some great traffic.

Which traffic source won out? You'll have to click on this link for best way to make money online and watch the video yourself to find out - see how it works?

OR you can sign up for my free 10 Day Fast Track Training Course which is a completely free email/video based course designed to teach anyone how to make serious money through affiliate marketing. Check out this video to see how quick and easy it is to make money in affiliate marketing when the path is laid out clearly right in front of you without costing you a dime.

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Does Link Exchange Still Work?

It used to be that if you wanted to get backlinks you could ask webmasters to give you links to your site and you would give them links from yours. This probably still works to a limited extent, but it is becoming more difficult for a number of reasons.

One of the problems with reciprocal links is that you will tend to be linking to sites which are at the same level as yours in the Search Engine Rankings Pages (SERPS) and as everyone is trying to climb the pages linking with lowly indexed pages will not help yours to climb. It is no longer the number of links that you have to your site which counts with Google and other search engines, but the quality of the links that your site has.

Because this is the case, few of the top ranking sites will actually want to link to your site. Why should they? If you have a superb site that those highly ranked sites would like to link to, then, of course there will be no problem. However, why would you want to ask for a reciprocal link if your site is so good? I guess you understand the problem. Top ranking sites don't need reciprocal links, only smaller sites lower down the SERPS think about such things.

Then of course, links have to be to sites within the same niche in order to be important in the Search Engine's scheme of things. Think about it, would you want to help your competitors rise in the rankings by giving them a link to your site on the understanding that they will link to yours?

As it would seem that reciprocal linking is no longer a valid option, unless you have been a member of a forum for some time and are well-respected in your own right, you will have to consider other ways of linking. If you have been a member of a forum for some time and people respect your views and opinions, and your site is new, then you could ask for links to your new site, and people might respond well to your request.

What you shouldn't do is try to link with sites by writing spammy comments which have little relevance to the contents you are "commenting" on simply in order to get a link. This simply irritates the site owners and your comment is deleted, so there is not much point in your wasting time and effort on such tasks.

Your best bet to get links to sites that are highly ranked is to answer some questions within your niche in the ask.com questions and answers pages, or the wikianswers pages, or Yahoo! or any other similar pages which have a lot of traffic.

Link your content with sites that are highly ranked and hope that this doesn't increase your bounce rate (when visitors don't stay on your site for even a second, but bounce out of it). If your site has good, informative and original content this will lower the risk of that happening.

So in answer to the question, "Does link exchange still work?" the answer has to be that although it might, it probably doesn't in the vast majority of cases. You have to be work harder these days to get good quality links to your site.

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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Lynne_Evans

How To Find Websites that Provide Link Submission Forms Easily

As a webmaster, keeping your website updated and fresh is not enough. You ought to assure its success by generating enough visitors to your website. It can be done by building backlinks to your website. Unfortunately link building is one of the most tedious tasks in online business. When exchanging links with other website owners, you need to find relevant websites. In addition, not every webmaster provides a facility to submit your site to his/hers. You may have to send out invitation emails to them to trade links with you. Although many webmasters have used this way successfully, sending invitation messages like that could put one into troubles because the receivers could complain about it.

Nowadays there exists various tools available to webmasters to help them in making their website a success like scripts or programs to create link directories which are used to exchange links with others easily. These link directories normally have submission forms as a facility to webmasters to submit their sites. Submitting your website to sites that provide submission forms has some advantages. First you don't have to send out invitation emails which means you will be protected from being acussed as a spammer. Besides, if a site has a link directory, you can say that the owner is interested to trade links with others. You can even create one-way linking by submitting your site to many general directories.

Finding websites which have link directories can be accomplished by using search phrases like "add url", "submit your site" or "exchange links with us" + [keyword] on search engines. But there is a disadvantage of using this way where you will find many unrelevant websites. You will find many websites which don't have submission forms but contain those search phrases on their webpages.

Instead, you can use search phrases like these:

-"Powered by eSyndiCat Link Exchange Script"

-"Powered by the Free PHP Directory Script"

-"Powered by SkaLinks"

-"Powered by php Link Directory"

-etc...

Those are words that exist on link directories which were built using some reciprocal linking programs. You can try to find link directories which were created using other similar programs like LinkMachine and ReciprocalLinksPro.

You should first find out the characteristics of each reciprocal linking program. Keep in mind that many programs will remove the words "Powered by ..." after their users become paid users. To overcome this problem you can use phrases like "Submission Rules" or "Submit your web site to just one category" or other phrases that always exist no matter whether the users have upgraded their programs or not.

There is also another thing you should notice when using this way in order to create backlinks to your site. Since many websites don't put their main keywords on their link directories you may not be able to use search phrases like "Powered by php Link Directory" + [keyword]. That's why you should also visit their homepages before exchanging links with them to make sure that their sites are relevant to yours.

Not only for finding sites that provide link submission forms, this technique can also be used for other purposes. For instance if you want to find article directories, you may try to use "Powered by Article Dashboard" as your search phrase.

Although finding sites with submission forms like this has some disadvantages, but by using this technique you will be able to find many general directories easily. Another advantage you can gain is your sites will be submitted to link directories which have already been indexed by search engines.

Heris Yunora is the owner of ImmediateReply.com, a site that provides an Internet Marketing Directory [http://www.immediatereply.com/links/index.php] and Free Traffic Ebooks [http://www.immediatereply.com/trafficinfo/index.php] that can be received by email.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Heris_Yunora

10 Tips To Improve Your Site's Search Engine Page Ranking

If you are a novice website owner and just getting your bearings together regarding the need to optimize your site for higher page ranking by Google and other search engines, this brief crash course on basic Search Engine Optimization (SEO) techniques may be just what you are looking for. By generally following these tips you set the platform for higher page rank over time.

1. DOMAIN NAME: Try and name your domain name after your business. In other words, if you plan on selling bricks from your website you could name your site domain name ‘bricksrus.com” or “thebrickbusiness.com” …any name incorporating the word “brick” in the domain name will help search engines index your site and page ranking over time.

2. GOOD KEYWORD CONTENT: If you are designing your own HTML pages for your site, you probably already know that you need keyword rich text that uses keywords to describe your business, product or service. As mentioned above, if you are in the brick business, you could use words that describe your products like: “bricks, red bricks, cement bricks, cinder bricks, small bricks, large bricks, etc. By using the keyword “brick” you are helping search engines categorize your site and its relevance when somebody searches for “bricks” online. The use of the word “bricks” in your domain name and your home page content will help raise you up in the search queries. It takes time to get a good page rank and laying the proper foundation now will speed up the ranking process. One word of caution: Do not go over-board using keywords—you want to design your site for people AND search engines not just search engines. Be creative about using keywords so that your text flows, is informative to people and uses key words in a balanced manner.

3. SITE DESIGN: If you are using template based software for your website there is not much you can do to improve your site design except to make sure that all your site pages have a link back to the home page. A good place to place these links is at the bottom of each page, which say “home” so that when they are clicked they take you to your home page. The reason for doing this is when your site is crawled by search engine spiders each page is indexed. Over time each page will have a page ranking which, when linked back to your home page, will contribute those page ranks to the home page (similar to links from other sites). Long story short, it helps give your site relevancy to the search engines and this is helpful for new sites.

4. META TAGS: Meta page title tags and meta keyword description are not as important as they once were but it is important to know how to use them and to use them well. Page title tags is what describes each page on a website and appears across the top of your browser when clicking from page to page across the Internet. The page title tag should use the most important keywords that describe the page content and are relevant to your site. For example, a home page title could be changed from “index” to “ Bricksrus, Bricks, Bricks and More Bricks” … The point being that again the word brick is being used to help search engines understand your page and business. A keyword approach should be taken whenever possible.

5. USE ALT TAGS: Alt tags are HTML code that describes images appearing on your site. Search engines scan alt tags as they crawl through a web site and using alt tags is another great way to use keywords. Get the idea here? You want to keep building on your keywords. If you need help with HTML code, we have free info and manuals to show you how to get these things done. Just go to our site, and go to the Smart Link Zone, click on tech links and look around—you will find a TON of free information that will be very helpful to optimizing your site.

6. SITE PAGE CONTENT: The goal is to have a TON of quality pages on your site STUFFED with text content—the more pages the better. I question the value of spending time developing page content for a page rank. Instead, design your site to benefit visitors. If you want to build up your site content, you can do so quickly by downloading articles. Put articles like this one into your site by either directly publishing the article on your site OR use the RSS feed to import the article feed into your site. Once again, another technique to build page rank and relevancy.

7. DIRECT URL SUBMISSION: The best way to get your domain name URL registered with search engines is to take the time to manually register with the biggest and best search engines. Registering your site with Google is quick and easy, as are many other popular search engines. Be aware that some search engines want fee-payments before they will accept your site submission. My opinion is to avoid paying for site submission, it’s a racket. Registering with Google and the multitude of free search engine submission sites is the way to go. If you need links to free submissions search engines, go to our site, and go to the Smart Link Zone, click on tech links and look around—you will find a link page to over 25 free search engines.

8. LINK EXCHANGE: When you have a new site and little or no Google page rank, it can be difficult to get good sites to link to yours because it is basically a waste of their time to do so. Why does a company like Haliburton Corporation need to link to your bricksrus.com business? They don’t and they won’t in this example. The goal is to get sites with a high page rank to link to yours. What you can do to get your site URL listed on high page rank sites is to write articles (like this one) on QUALITY Ezine directories with Google page ranks over 5/10. Doing so puts your link on a quality site. For example, notice our link at the bottom of this article. When search engines scan this directory page they will see the SBS link pointing to our site. This helps with our page ranking. An added advantage is that articles like this are picked up and published by other sites which spreads our link all over the Internet with only the effort of writing the article. It’s good for the readers and website owners, like you, who are building content for their web site. It ‘s also beneficial to us because, as you read this article you are becoming familiar with SBS, and that is promoting our site to you, right? It’s a win-win situation for all.

9. REGISTER A SITE MAP: Develop a site map for your site if possible. This is a problem for many template-based-web site services that do not allow you to have direct access to the root directory of your domain. Why? Google requires that you upload an HTML key-code into your root directory to prove that you, in fact, own the domain name you are submitting a site map for. If you have access to your root directory of your site, by all means register a site map with Google, it will help with page rank. Again, we have easy to use site map generators in the tech section of our site as described in earlier paragraphs.

10. SEARCH OUT SEO SITES: There are a TON of search engine optimization sites online that will give you a lot of helpful information about getting your site ranking improved. We have taken the time to find the best for you and they appear, as with everything else related to this article, in our tech link section of the Smart Links Zone on our site. If this article has overwhelmed you with terminology, I suggest you visit SBS and look around, you will get a lot of free answers…. One additional thing: Download the free Google tool bar. It has a meter that shows Google page rank on a scale from 1 to 10 which will help you identify sites that are worthy of link exchange (at least 1/10).

To your unwavering success!

Copyright © 2006 James W. Hart, IV All Rights reserved

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