Search Engine Optimization.
Everybody knows they need to do it. Some shell out tons of money to have professionals perform the task for them. Others are just plain scared to do their own SEO. It seems as terrifying as math class. Many people starting out online make the mistake of not doing SEO just because they don’t know where to start.
It’s very straightforward if you keep a few simple strategies in mind.
First off SEO isn’t that hard, think of it as more of a long term process. Something where you do a little bit every day, constantly seeing an improvement in results.
Second you CAN do your own SEO. And if you are just starting out online you may have to, as you probably don’t have a lot of money to spare.
Here are a few tips to help you get started and get your SEO boots wet.
The best use of your your time is doing keyword research. This will allow you to determine what your keywords are. These are the words that best describe your niche that people are SEARCHING for. There are many resources online for doing keyword research. One example is Google’s External Keyword Discovery tool.
Once you’ve determined some potential keywords, find out how much those keywords are in demand. Some keywords like real estate are big bucks. In the PPC market the keyword “real estate” can cost several dollars a click. Choose different keywords if you find yours are in high demand. Take a look at the sites that are on the front page of Google when you search for your keywords. If they have a ton of back links and have been up forever then it’s a better use of your time to focus on a keyword that is less in demand.
The reason for this is you as a small start up are going to have an almost impossible time competing with those larger more established websites for the in demand keywords.
So instead of “real estate” you could pick “rv parks” or something along those lines. Find a keyword that is being searched for 3,000 to 10,000 times a month. If you do things right this is enough to generate income in your online business.
Your next step is to optimize your site for those keywords. Start with the site title and meta tags. Your site title needs to have one or more of your keywords in it. Next look at the content on your site. The existing pages and new pages/posts you add should have your keywords in them. Not so much that it sounds fake. Just make it sound normal.
Finally work on your back links. If you submit an article to an article directory and your resource box contains your site’s url then you have an instant back link. Back links are important for SEO. The search engines take into consideration how many you have.
Hopefully you aren’t as overwhelmed by the prospect of SEO now 
I’ve barely scratched the surface of possible SEO tactics in this article. In the Listbuilding Club we specialize at taking subjects like SEO and breaking them down into easy to follow steps. Sign up today at http://www.listformula.com. You’ll have immediate access to all our step by step modules that break down all the aspects of an Internet Business. Yep, we have one on SEO too!
Victor Grosser aka Vic
Webmaster for Overcome Everything Inc.
@techvic on Twitter
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Thanks for the info..You told about articles and back-links from those. Consider these too, Press release, Social Bookmarking(provides huge traffic to your site), Forum Participation(provides huge backlinks) and link submission.
I think that you hit the nail on the head when you touched on “productive use of time.” Yes, a business can optimize its website itself, but every owner understands that it’s all a question of time. Some functions probably should be outsourced, but it can depend on each businesses resources in terms of money, time and knowledge.