How to Get Better SEO Rankings

by Alex Rich

If you're going to make money online you'll need to build a strong website presence. Search engine optimization, more commonly known as SEO, is a skill that can be mastered. However, it's not rocket science. Rocket Science is easier.

Let's start with a basic example of an affordable SEO face lift that any SEO consultant would consider as mandatory.

1. Starting Out...

Carefully review your current website and marketing program to uncover the key points that need to be addressed.

• The website must be search engine friendly. What this means is search engines must be able to see content from your website in order for it to be scanned by their robots. If the only information the search engines are picking up are footer links and the main page text, you're missing the main pieces of content that would drive traffic to your pages. Developing a website that is strictly HTML goes a long way toward making it easy for search engines to index your pages.

• Next on the list of important basic components is incoming links to your website. When checking Google or Yahoo, it is important that your web pages are gaining incoming links. If your search engine rating is to improve you must have incoming links.

• It is vital that you understand how well your website is holding its own, in regard to competition. Conduct an analysis of your market or niche. Most niches are competitive, however, certain markets, like flowers, golf, video games, etc, are extremely competitive due to the large numbers of visitors to these websites.

Even if you are passionate about your chosen niche, it's important to perform an evaluation of your competitors to find out what you'll need to do to pull ahead. Worst case scenario, you can develop a marketing approach and build another website in a complementary niche that is less competitive.

• If your budget allows a more aggressive strategy, a Pay-Per-Click campaign can provide a robust revenue stream. This is an area that can be very expensive if one is not experienced. Several good guides are available. However, newbies are best advised to learn more basic approaches using free traffic sources until their learning curve straightens out.

2. Gaining Momentum...

The bottom line is growing your return-on-investment ratio in the long-run. The best way to learn the business and build a business without spending a fortune, is by generating natural search engine traffic.

Search engine marketing, when compared with PPC, can provide a slower growing response when natural search engine marketing is applied. Definitely PPC triggers a quicker response; however it is sometimes better to enjoy a slower response at a lower cost.

Use this short list as your guide. At any level of experience, mastering these basics will generate a ton of success....and income.

• Develop websites that attract customers using free and other natural approaches to search engine marketing.

• Develop your websites in a way that uses content and color to make your sites more attractive and sticky. This also helps motivate customers to take an action, especially in regard to sales.

• Develop your website into a project that is simple to maintain. All the bells and whistles are fun; however, you don't want to need a degree to operate your sites.

• Develop your website using content feeder types of programs. Automation tools and programs are promoted in many marketing forums. Spend some time browsing the forums and ask questions about programs that match your needs and interests.