KEYWORDS
and search engine
rankings are often misunderstood. In order to
maximize traffic, we need to have good search engine
rankings. We must work hard at developing our list of
keywords, placing them strategically on our sites, and
then hope that the search engines will index them and
give us a high ranking. After getting some good
rankings, traffic may not increase. What's wrong? Many
people don't understand the true nature of keywords.
Few people search the web using just one word, they
soon learn that the results are much too broad. If they
search for "classifieds" when they are looking
for a specific item, they will get many returns that have nothing
to do with what they actually wanted to find.
It is possible that the key
phrases you use on your site are seldom used by
searchers! What good would it do for you to rank
very high in "classified auto ads" if no one
ever searches for that?
Did the surfer search for
"classified car ads", "car classifieds", "classified
auto ads" or was it an entirely different string? Many search engines will give the
highest rankings to the sites that have the exact string
of keywords that the surfer used to search. This
"string" is called "key phrases."
One common
mistake..... people make is relying only on a key phrase
that is so popular that they compete with tens of
thousands of other sites. They are lost in the crowd.
What you should do is find key phrases that are highly
used in searches, but are not used by your competitors!
Put those on your site, get them indexed, and you have a
chance of increasing your traffic!
Many web site owners come up with keywords or phrases,
and submit
them to search engines free. They use words and
phrases that no one else uses or wants and get a high
ranking. What good does that do if no one searches for
that word!
Most used keywords:
Did you know that some of the most used
keywords are "search," "find,"
"free," "where," "do,"
"I," ? Many people actually type "search
for..." or "find..." or "where do
I...". The best utility
that we have found that will provide you this
information is called " Keyword Live." You can get a FREE download at Analogx.com
or do a search at: www.winfiles.com
. This neat little program lets you watch actual keyword
searches in real time, as people actually search the
web. Try it, you'll be surprised at the most common
keywords people are actually using!
You can get a comprehensive list of key words and
phrases used on your site by adding a search to your
site. This free service will give you a report sorted by the
actual number of times each phrase was used. Then you
will know what to target! Or you can use this
professional service to --do it all-- for you.
Low Budget ?
If your budget doesn't include professional search
engine promotion, you can do these things to improve
your standing:
1> Visit your major
competitors' sites, view their source code, and
see what key phrases and words they are using,
you will get some good ideas. Most
browsers will view the source code of a web page
by right clicking your mouse, and choosing
something similar to "view
source" from the menu.
2> Include the "most used" words that are
mentioned above somehow on your site, but only
use "free" or others you find if they
actually apply to your site.
3> Put your keywords at or near the top of the body
section of your page. Some search engines don't
read the whole page.
Don't ..... "spam" the search engines.
Don't .....
use words that don't apply to your site.
"MP3" and "sex" are two of the most
actively searched words. Don't use these words
just to generate traffic, you want targeted traffic -
the other visitors will just be upset with you and
leave. Several of the search engines and directories
will catch you at this, and delete your site from
their databases.
Don't .....over-use a keyword or phrase on a page. Look at
the source code of some pages that are ranking high in a
search. Try to match their keyword "density"
and placement.
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Keep trying! After your pages have been submitted and indexed,
do searches and see how you rank. View the source of the
pages that rank higher than your page, and try to copy
their keyword placement style. Then re-submit.
With persistence, you can get listed higher!
Search Engine Submission:
One of the most important ways to get people to your site is by submitting it to search
engines and web directories. Users are much more likely to take an action
when they get to the site they've selected from a keyword-search results list. These are
highly qualified leads! The person who has typed in a keyword is clearly motivated
to follow through, so you don't just get a clickthrough, you get a dramatically increased
rate of conversion after the click. Click-thrus are an overrated statistic. You don't
want your visitors to "Just Click and leave", you want them to Hang Around and use your
service or buy your products. So, get the right people to visit !
According to studies by the Georgia Institute of Technology, a whopping 85%
of all Internet users go directly to search engines to find what they are looking for
online? 85% !!? That's 8.5 out of every 10 users find sites through search engines.
Make sure they find you.
Due to that statistic, it would make sense to be spending at least 85% of your time and budget
on search engine submissions and positioning. If not, you are probably LOSING 85% of your traffic and sales!
Here are some of the top places to submit your site:
We also have some direct links to submit on our PROMO page.
How long does it take: Many
search engines take time to list a site. The approximate time it may take a search engine to list your site is:
1-2 weeks: Altavista, Infoseek
2-4 weeks: Excite, HotBot, Lycos, Webcrawler
6-8 weeks: Yahoo
Search engines typically re-index every 4-6 weeks. You need to re-submit your site every four weeks so that your site is there each time the engines go to index, otherwise your site may be lost for that month.
If you still do not find your site listed after the time
above has elapsed, you should re-submit your URL to the search engines that do not have your listing. It often takes more than one submission to get the best results.
Search engines receive tens of thousands of submissions every day. On days
the submission level is above normal, a number of submissions can be received properly but still not get listed.
Resubmission is important: 95 percent of Web users find
sites they are searching for in the top 6 search engines.
You need to be in the top 30 results of your keywords.
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