Web Hosting News and Reviews and SEO Blog – fergieweb.org

Know what words your customers will use when searching.
You might know what your customers search for. If not, find out. Is it a description of “pants” or “jeans?” One may be searched more often than the other, but why not target both? How about “executive gifts?” Maybe “desk accessories” will broaden your web site marketing strategy.

Ask all kinds of people. Get advice from people in all walks of life including management, employees, customers, vendors, friends and family on how they would search for effective search engine positioning keywords. Ask them how they would search for different products and services. It’s really not about what you think they would search for, its about what they think. Believe me, they can many times be two totally different things.

Once you have successfully harvested a meaningful keyword list, remove any keywords that are too targeted or not to specific. Also remember that keyword placement is important. Try to put as many keywords as possible in the beginning paragraphs, and of course the title line.

The higher the value of the keyword the more competition you will have. Every SEO utilizes tools similar to the Overture Keyword Suggestion Tool and also know the value of a keyword. The lower the value of the keyword the less competition we will have.

We don’t want to aim to low but we also don’t want to aim to high. We need to find a middle ground. For you that may be a keyword with a value of no less than 1000 and no more than 10,000. It will be up to you to determine what you deem reasonable.

Also, the keywords should appear regularly throughout the opening Web page. It is especially important that they appear frequently in the opening paragraphs.
However, resist the temptation to overuse keywords. The search engines can spot it and will reduce your page rankings. Tools are available to help with optimal keyword density. However, avoid software that writes the site’s pages. Search engines can sniff these out, too.
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The top 8 ways to promote your website free or at next to no cost:

1. Post links on other web sites. In addition to trading links, you can also trade banner ads.

2. Include your web site URL in your e-zine. When people read each issue you can remind them to visit your web site.

3. Share your web site on message boards, e-mail discussion lists and chat rooms. When people know about your web site, they will regularly and search and look for new products to buy.

4. Write articles and submit them to e-zines, web sites and magazines that accept article submissions. Include your web site address at the end of the article.

5. Give away an electronic freebie with your web site address in it. Allow your friends to also give the freebie away. This will help increase your web site’s exposure.

6. Participate in message boards and forums. Post answers to other people’s questions, ask questions and post appropriate information. Include a predefined signature file (with your web site URL) at the end of all your postings.

7. Post your ad on free advertising sites. You can post it on free classified ad sites, free for all link sites, newsgroups that allow ads, free yellow page directories, and more…
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To get optimal listings in search engine and directory queries, keywords and key concepts must be placed strategically throughout your web pages. To summaries, you need these words and phrases in:

1. Title tags

2. Meta-tags (keywords and descriptions)

3. Headings (if used)

4. Body text, and

Alt-attribute in the image source tags
When online marketing professionals optimize a web site for search engine and directory queries, they should not spend most of their time redesigning the layout (in HTML) or submitting the site to the search engines. Most of their time should be spent on researching, writing good copy that will index well in search engines, and writing thorough, accurate descriptions for directory submissions. Good web copy must contain well-researched and varied keywords and key concepts based on a web page’s topic; accurately reflect the web pages’ content; and be strategically placed throughout a web page as mentioned above.

Most sales and advertising “fluff” should be eliminated.

Here’s an example (and one of our pet peeves). How many of you have seen this scam, “Put your printed brochure on the web!” Print advertising copy contains a lot of “fluff” phrases such as “service that is second to none.” Search engine analysis? “Service” is a stop word in some search engines and will be ignored in a search query. “Second to none?” How many people do you know really search using that phrase? When we are looking for something on the web, we are going to type in exactly the type of product or service we are looking for, not sales and advertising “fluff.”
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If you’ve considered the possibility of becoming an entrepreneur there are eight traits that are important in describing the perfect entrepreneur.

1. Risk Taker – Entrepreneurs understand that in order to make a profit they will need to assume a certain level of financial risk.

2. Business Manager – Entrepreneurs have a keen understanding of finance and are well equipped to manage the finances of a business.

3. Organizer – Entrepreneurs are well equipped in the area of organizing all aspects of the business for current and long-term growth.

4. Marketing Expert – Entrepreneurs are capable of understanding and implementing marketing strategies both online as well as offline.

5. “People” Person – Entrepreneurs love to interact with people. They are proficient in customer service and have never met a customer they didn’t like.

6. Self Starter – Entrepreneurs understand that if something is going to be done right they need to be the one to do it. They are never lazy and are easily motivated.

7. Knowledgeable – Entrepreneurs understand the products and services they sell and have no problem explaining every facet of their business to interested clients or affiliates.

8. Initiator – Entrepreneurs are ready, willing, and able to take the lead on projects and assemble all the plans needed to move forward with any project. They always get more work done than anyone expects.
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