Michael Byers

Statistics such as those reported by The Ultimate Guide to Search Engine Optimization (Entrepreneur Press, Madison, Wisconsin, 2008) show that 70 percent of adults use the Internet and that over 80 percent of online transactions start with a search using a search engine such as Google, Yahoo, Bing, or Ask.

Those listings that come out at the top of the results lists from those online searches are using search engine marketing (SEM). As such, SEM is responsible for the success of a slew of online retailers and web based businesses. The foundation of SEM is search engine optimisation (SEO).

SEM

What is SEM and how is it used? A few quick facts about SEM will help explain the basics:

• SEM and SEO are used interchangeably. Both relate to marketing a website via search engines. SEM is basically improving the rank of a website in the search engines using a combination of search engine-related techniques to get a web site optimally ranked.
• SEM also involves using links to other pages and other websites that are directly related to the company's website.
• To achieve a high search engine rank, SEM strategies have to be implemented.
• Both SEM/SEO techniques are just part of the toolset in a company's marketing toolbox and cannot be considered an end-all to marketing.
• Anyone can learn to use SEM effectively.
• Google, who is responsible for much of the technology that drives SEM, has webmaster guidelines available at its site. Take at look at those guidelines before getting started.

SEO

A few facts and guidelines about SEO include:

• SEO involves finding and using targeted keyword phrases throughout the content of a website. Keywords are words or phrases that customers would enter into the search engine search box.
• There are several ways to find keywords and phrases. Look through competitor's websites, read trade related magazines for catchphrases and words, or do test searches by typing in words and phrases in the various search engines and see who comes to the top of the list. A faster and often more reliable research method is to buy a subscription to an online commercial program. There are several effective and low cost keyword research programs available such as wordtracker.com and keyworddiscovery.com.
• Keywords and phrases found through the research should be used in every aspect of the website including the domain name, page titles and subtitles, articles, advertising, press releases, fact sheets, internal and external links, and throughout every page of the site.

To see the results of SEM and SEO, spend time doing serious search trials in the big four search engines (Google, Bing, Yahoo, Ask) and review the results list to see which sites come out at the top of the list.

Look to see how many of the results contain the word used in the search box. Or, try searching for book or music titles at Amazon or do a job search at Monster.com. Both of those online companies use SEO/SEM to its fullest.

Search Engine Marketing

Web success is an opportunity that any size or type of business can achieve by implementing a few practices such as SEO and SEM.

As with all things Internet or cyberspace related, experience is the best teacher. With just these few basics, a company can start considering using search engine marketing.

Search Engine Optimisation, Search Marketing seo, seo tips, search engine optimisation

All internet marketing professionals want their website to come among the first couple of pages on any search engine. Search engine optimised content is one of the best tools to achieve the same. Back-links is one of the most potent tools of search engine optimisation. And link baiting has emerged as an ideal way of acquiring sound back-links to your site.

What is link baiting?

The article or the content is the most important part to attract interest from other users as well as get back-links. If a website has a great article then automatically others will link to it. So the article or the content here plays the bait for organic and authentic back-links to your site. This is called link baiting.

A well maintained web page attains a huge number of one-way links. Basically it is all about attracting others by writing about topics which interests others the most. Link baiting is link building in an unconventional way. In case of link baiting, links are not pursued. To acquire links, hooks can be of several types like:

• News hook: Content on the latest news can attract links to it.
• Contrary hook: Some articles can be written in a way to raise arguments from people. If done effectively, side-stepping controversies or personal vendetta, it is one of the best link-baiting methods.
• Resource hook: If the article is very rich and high on quality, links pour in as users refer to it as a genuine resource of information.
• Humor: Humorous articles in web sites can also act as effective link baits.
• Attack: This is a type where other content/articles are criticised, invoking a response from the other author – as well as back-links on their profiles/web sites.

In short link baiting is all about making the article or the content very interesting and attractive. There are some important tips that help to be a successful link baiter:

• Try to write about topics which might interest people or which is very popular on public forums. Don’t write any boring or repetitive articles; else nobody will even go through it.
• Try to promote your work through blogs, reviews, interactive forums, etc.
• Write about anything which is current, spicy, interesting and very informative. Don’t write on old topics (if not as a response) as old news is no news.
• Write the content in a way that stands out from other articles. Think out-of-the-box.
• Try to invoke others’ reactions or views as people often link back to interactive articles.

There are several advantages for link baiting

• Links acquired via link baiting can be crucial to improve your site’s search engine ranking.
• The more links you get, more your website’s value increases. People view your website having a large amount of back-links as a reliable site and a potential resource for further information.
• Vastly improved conversion rate of the website.

Pitfalls of link baiting

Link baiting is all about capturing links though articles but it can act as a double edged sword. You should know what to write and should not exaggerate or fake just to attract people. This might get you a large inflow of back-links initially, but may put your website’s authenticity and professionalism at stake. Even if you criticise any other content or competitor then you must have logical proof and arguments to support the same.

Link baiting can create wonders if executed right. All these depend on the quality, importance, logic, and how presentable your article is on the website. The most important of all is to have an in-depth knowledge on the subject you are writing about.

Summary

Link baiting is a method to capture links but this method should be executed well in order to obtain results.

Reference links

http://www.ezinearticles.com/?What-is-Link-Baiting?&id=1438138

http://www.ezinearticles.com/?Website-Promotion-Via-Link-Baiting&id=964054

http://www.thatseoguy.com/2008/10/10/the-pitfalls-of-link-baiting/

Search Engine Optimisation, Website Promotion website promotion, seo tips, seo, search engine optimisation, article marketing

The URL of your website is a key factor in search engine optimisation. It is important to choose a search engine friendly URL that search engine crawlers can read without problems. If the URL can be easily read and crawled, then the likelihood of getting your site to the top of the search engine ranks is increased. Here are some tips for creating an SEO friendly URL.

1. Create a short and static URL. Static URLs do not contain special characters or long strings of code. They usually take the structure of www.michaeljbyers.com. Search engine crawlers prefer this form of URL as they prioritize short and static URLs when indexing web pages.
2. You should include keywords in your URL. For example, if a site is selling digital cameras, then the URL should contain the keywords cameras or digital cameras. There are two advantages for constructing the URL in this way. The most significant is that search engines will identify your site when someone makes a search for digital cameras. The other advantage is that web users can easily remember the address of a site that has a short, relevant URL.
3. You should always endeavour to organise your URL structure based on your website topics and site map. This way, search engines will be able to index all the pages in your website efficiently. Website users will also have an easier time navigating a website that has a well made URL structure.

Search Engine Optimisation seo, seo tips, search engine optimisation, search engine

You have probably heard about different ways by which you could try Internet marketing. And it is most probable that you have heard about its most popular strategies, search engine optimisation. If you want to know more about this side of Internet marketing, better read along.

What is Search Engine Optimisation?

Popularly known as SEO, this type of Internet marketing strategy involves the control of search engine results. A lot of people use popular search engines if they want to find out things and information. Because of this, proponents of the SEO strategy found a way by which they could tie marketing to the vast web of the Internet.

How does SEO work?

SEO works in several ways. Business owners like you could opt for a number of procedures in implementing SEO strategies. Some of the most tried-and-tested SEO strategies are the following:

Keyword-dominated articles
Keyword-dominated articles seem to be one of the most successful SEO strategies that internet marketers use. The articles are powered by specific keywords that will act as leads to your business.

For example, if you are into the coffee business, you can create an article that will mention the phrase "best coffee in (your business location) several times. The articles are then posted in different popular article depots.  Although a single article would be enough for small businesses, having series after series of keyword-dominated article could do wonders for your business.  This is because search engines classify their results by the number of times that the search word or phrase  appears  in a web page. So if user type "best coffee in (your business location), there is a big chance that the article talking about your business will be placed in the top ten results.

Link building
If your business has a website or blog, why not maximise its use? Link your blog to several related blogs or websites. Doing so will create backlinks that will point to your business' web page or blog. You could also tie your business' web page title to the keyword you will use in your keyword-dominated articles.

Keyword-powered posts
Participate in your target market's online forums by creating an account under your business' name. Be friendly and ask for their web pages so you could link them in your business' web page. You can also make relevant and friendly comments on their messages. To maximise your post, create a key-word driven signature. This way, all your posts will be signed by the keyword-driven signature. This would mean that your keywords will be attached to every topic that you commented on. The strategy will give you the chance to widen your search engine reach.

Is SEO expensive?

No. As a matter of fact, all you will need to have is a trusty computer, a reliable internet connection and a web page. If you can't write keyword-dominated articles and posts, there is no need to worry. There are a lot of online writers willing to create this types of web content at very cheap rates.

Search Engine Optimisation, Search Marketing website promotion, websites, seo, seo tips, search engine optimisation, article marketing

Keywords on your webpage help search engines categorise your webpage. Keywords are what people use to search for information. If you wanted to find out about search engine optimisation then you would probably use that phrase or a similar phrase like seo tips. But what if you wanted to research what keywords are best for your webpage or check that you don't use too few keywords?

There are many keyword tools that can help you by analysing and checking your keyword density. Content is what matters so don't over use keywords on your page. Here is a list of some keyword checkers that will help you get the balance right:

1. goRank keyword density analyzer
2. Keyword density analyzer
3. Marketleap keyword verification
4. Motoricerca keyword density analyzer
5. Ranks.nl keyword density and prominence
6. SEOBook keyword density analyzer tool
7. SEOchat keyword density tool
8. SEOchat keyword difficulty check
9. Keyword density analyser
10. Webpage analyser
11. Word counter
12. Yellowpipe keyword frequency counter

Search Engine Optimisation search engine optimisation, seo, seo tips, keywords

Being listed in the the top web directories is a must to generate traffic to your website. Open Directory is one of the biggest and is used by Google. Yahoo and Best of the Web offer a paid inclusion directory service. Paying to get listed on these popular is benefical as they are well respected websites. You don't always have to pay to get on well respected website directories.

There are many other web directories that you can be listed on too. A mix of global, local and business specific directories will help improve traffic to your website. Search for web directory or try these:

• Web World Index
• World Wide Wub
• Zeal
• Directori
• WoW directory

Search Engine Optimisation, Search Marketing seo tips, seo, web directory, search engine optimisation, page rankings, website promotion