The reason no relative links were used within the content is because I hired a writer to create all of the content so far and schedule it to be published, not because I didn’t think they were necessary. Creating links relative to the content you’re linking to can take some time and planning but should come naturally. Create your links to content within your site that is relative to the topic you’re trying to present. For example, in this article we are talking about how interlinking can improve search engine optimization and in the first paragraph I created anchor text linking to the category of the site relative that topic.

Internal links help your visitors find relative content while improving your seo score at the same time. Typically it’s a good idea to have the same term mentioned on both the url you’re linking to and the url you’re linking from, that way each of the pages have similar content. When you obtain the proper links from relative content from internal or external pages you will be able to improve your seo and hopefully increase your pageviews at the same time. Make sure to use the proper anchor text when using html hyperlinks and try not to overuse the same exact keyword. Google isn’t stupid and if you spam keywords you can lose ranking or even get sandboxed all together.

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• Write a unique META description for each page: Make sure that you are adding a unique META description to each of your pages and not just using the same ones since that will be seen as duplicate content to Google search engines. These page descriptions will not give you a better page rank, so you don’t need to load them full of keywords, but they will make your site more user friendly so that your traffic is more apt to click through these pages.
• Give Every Page Original Content: No matter what you are peddling in your niche market site, it is incredibly worth it to take the time and effort to give every one of your pages its own original content with their own natural keywords within them. So if you are selling pages of cowboy boots, then you can have about 200 words of content per page, as well as using the specific type of boot within the text as the keyword. You can also link back to your own pages from your additional content, so that there are no past pages, such as blogs, that are getting moved back into an archive status. You want every page within your site to not only have original content but to be within a few short links back to your home page.
• Optimize the Titles of Your Pages: Your title will be where it’s at for you in carrying the weight to rank for your keywords, so that is where you need to make sure that you are optimizing your keywords. Do not make your title more than around 70 characters, and it will be most helpful if you have already researched the targeted keywords for your niche site. You need to make sure that the keywords that you are targeting are something that is already being searched for so that your scope is not too narrow in your niche marketing.

If I have said it once, I have said it 100 times- SEO strategies are vast, and these methods are just the tip of the iceberg. If you are looking to target your own niche audience that are looking for the top brands in men’s and women’s cowboy boots, for example, then put these ideas into play so that you are making sure that your site is utilizing prime SEO tactics to draw more traffic and rank you even higher. Be sure to also focus on making things descriptive so that your users have an easier time quickly navigating your page, becaue studies have proven that the more user friendly that your site is, the better! That is obviously why you are targeting the niche you are in, so make sure that your visitors feel comf0rtable and at home so they can come back again and again. You cannot go wrong!

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1. Impeccable Content: One of the main things that we have stressed over and over is to focus on quality content full of your primary keywords and phrases so that your site will always be seen by Google. If you are using other methods to manipulate your ranking, then you must know that those may fall out from under you as time goes on, but having solid content is something that you can always rely on. So, if you are specializing in a site selling cell phone accessories, then pump up your site with articles and pages of blogs on the latest cell phone covers and the top chargers for each cell phone brand. Make sure that it too is factual and informative so that it will not only create content for you but will really cause people to link back to you as a valid resource.

2. Quality Links: As we all well know, links need to be our second focus on the list. That’s why we are all here, right? Look to build a large amount of quality backlinks using your keywords as the link. But one thing to keep in mind is if there is no relevant reason for a site to be linking to you, then you should avoid it. Quality!

3. Add More Fresh Content: Back to the subject of content… Not only do you need a solid amount of content for your site, but you need to stay vigilant in constantly adding fresh content so that you stay on the radar of the search engines as an in demand and knowledgeable site. Fresh content can add to how well you rank, and this may even be something for you to think about outsourcing to a skilled blogger or article writer as your business grows.

4. Get Found Locally: Not only do you need to hit the market of the world wide web, but you mustn’t neglect all of the people available to you in your home front! I can think of an example of a site in my area that began to boom online, and then they suddenly had people showing up at their address to find out more about their services! They then had to change the storefront of their business to allow customers and still focus on their internet demand. The best of both worlds- you can’t beat that! So focus on search phrases and not just keywords that also have the name of your city and company, like “the best Dallas cell phone accessory retailer”. That way, when people in your area are looking for cell phone accessories, they are automatically drawn to you!

These are just a few easy tips to either help you understand better or remind you of the basics that still work. The building blocks of SEO should not be neglected in place of fancier tactics, because while the latter do have their own results, these easy tips are proven to work every time. Another point is that these tips will be the most reliable way to take your site to the top and may take some time and investment. In other words, if you are looking for a get rich quick scheme, keep right on lookin’.

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So you have taken the plunge and started a blog on your site that will increase your page rank and cause you to rank even higher- good for you. Now before you get too excited and start to kick back, there are some blogging traffic strategies that you may want to know to help you even more in this game we call niche marketing.

You may be shocked to know that getting traffic for a blog is different than getting traffic for most other websites in that the blogging technology is full of social elements that are integrated into the results of the blog itself.

One way of marketing your site is to make connections.  Your blog will be more about creating an internet buzz or giving people some water cooler talk about a certain topic, relating to your site and business, of course.

Here is a breakdown of how the social means of blogging works. If you started  a blog on your site about hair care products, then know that your readers can easily begin to subscribe to your blogs through RSS and feed readers. They can then be updated every time that you publish the blog. Another fun fact is that many of your blog readers will probably be bloggers themselves, and often with a large following. So, if they decide to link to one of your blogs, then it can have a delightful domino affect of being viewed by all of their readers, opening a whole other door to you and expanding your market. Another thing to try on for size is that a popular blog will probably have reader feedback, like users asking you for answers about what hair care product would be best for their hair type, which will give you some new and unique content that your page can rank for in addition. An easy bonus!

Basically, what you are trying to go for in optimizing your blog is to spread the word about your topic and business and  get a loyal following of people to give you their attention, rather than matching search relevancy algorithms by optimizing page copy. It can be done! There are several sites out there like Wordpress and Blogger where you can host your blog, but I would advise against it. You are so much better off starting your own domain name with a reputable host, that way you can build your audience at a much faster pace without some of the limits of the sites mentioned.

From there, it is time to get creative. You need to brainstorm and find some content ideas for your blog that will catch the public’s eye and draw traffic to your blog. Utilize social news sites like The Digg to see what is the latest among social bookmarkers, and you can tie that to your business and blog so that what you are posting is relevant, catchy, and in demand. Many people will also use their own social media networks, like Twitter or Facebook, to update their followers on their latest blog posting so that you can have even more people flooding your site. Again, back to one of my past examples of connecting to people in social media circles as you would at a party, be sure to really relate to your followers on Twitter or elsewhere so that you are not simply popping in every day to plug your blog and only your blog. Users will get disinterested in that real quick. SEO blogging is under the same umbrella as all of the other niche marketing startegies- meaning you need to remain genuine to get the results you are looking for.

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Again, I am a fan of the simple things relating to SEO, because we all know that Google is on the lookout for organically generated traffic. That said, SEO does not have to be as complex as it is sometimes made out to be, so we would all do well to focus on a few more basic strategies as the building blocks of the traffic and revenue we are creating for our sites. It just makes sense.

To begin, make sure you start out by placing your keywords in the title tag so that search engines robots are aware of what your page is about.  You can find the title tag in the top of your documents by the head tags, and when you do type your keywords in the title tag, that is one more step closer to attracting your niche traffic to your site. You do need to use the title tag like a headline, because the text in there will show up on search engines, so it should be something that your customers are looking for. Also, make sure to change your title tags per page because otherwise, the search engine robots will consider all your pages as the same and they may not get indexed. It may be a good idea to use the actual headlines of your page for the title tag so that search engine robots will know what each page is catering to.

When you are dealing with a specific page of your site, you can link from different pages on your site to that page using anchor text. This will be even more beneficial to you if your site has numerous pages, because the more links back to a certain page on your site, the better results that you will see. From there, you can use the text that you have put in your title tag in the body of your content on your page as well because the keywords that you are targeting in your title tag should be the same keywords that you are targeting in the body of your page. It is helpful to have the tag being the same as your headline for the page because when a consumer has clicked to your page from a search engine result, they can then know that they have been directed to the right place because the keywords and subjects match up. It all seems so simple! The search engine robots will also be happy with this because then your title and your headline will be on the same page, so to speak. From there you can take these same keywords and use them within your article on your page, and even bolden them throughout the body of the content.

These SEO basics may seem obvious, but it is more than helpful to touch on the ABCs of what we are doing here so that you can know that you aren’t missing any important steps. Another point worth noting is that you do need to submit your site to search engines yourself because if you are using submission softwares or services, then you may see your site getting penalized by Google, or even banned- and then where does that leave you? Knowing these basic tips will keep you on track with ranking your site because as we know, there is a lot of out of date SEO tactics floating around on the world wide web these days. Put these strategies into practice, and you will see advancements in the traffic you are looking for to your site. Good luck and Godspeed!

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Make sure that you firstly stay committed to the SEO of your business. The whole point of SEO is that it changes regularly due to the variations in Google’s algorithms, so you have to keep in mind that what may have worked in the past may no longer be relevant for the future. If you begin to see SEO as an ever changing instrument, then you can be one of the first to catch on to some of the new trends and ideas as they come to pass and make them work for you!

When you are  looking to hire an SEO company, make sure that you have specific questions ready for them so that you can have a clear idea of what they are offering you in their services. The beauty of the internet is that you can also check online to see if what they are offering you is really up to par, and that way, you can know exactly what you are looking for in an SEO company. After that, you do just have top be patient because your SEO process will be just that- a process. Ranking your site and gaining traffic should all be done somewhat organically through Google’s eyes, so just expect that slow and steady will win the race.

If you are wanting to do all you can in ranking your small business site, then you must commit also to learning all that you can about SEO. There are numerous forums, articles, blogs, and books that you can get out there, and I think that once you delve into it, you will be surprised at all you don’t know, no matter your level of experience. On that note, there are so many website owners right now that have no clue as to what they are doing or are using out dated SEO principles, so if you simply have a little education you are already several steps ahead! Since the SEO education is not hard to get, you would be crazy not to take advantage of all of the great resources today and what they have to offer.

Another great idea is to use web analytic software so once you get starting on using all of your new SEO methods then you can check and track what things are working for you and what aren’t. This is vital in that it will cut down on any and all time wasted since you can see right away where you may need to change your plan of attack in ranking your website.

I hope that these ideas have proven helpful in spurring you on to commit to the ranking and SEO of your new site for your small business. It is best to have an open mind in all you are doing since some of the best ideas may be something that you have never tried before!

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Links are Key for Photography Websites

The majority of Google’s ranking process looks at the links coming into your page from other websites. Google ranks sites higher that have quality (and quantity) websites linking to it. There are many other important factors to ranking high in Google search results, including key phrases uses in the page text, but the most important search factor is the quantity and quality of links to your photography website.

You can dramatically improve their search engine position with as little as 10 or 20 quality backlinks. The best links are from related websites and use keywords (that you want to rank for) in the link text. Below are some more ideas for building links to your site.

List in 5-10 Quality Web Directories

Web directories exist that actually seek links to valuable websites like yours. These are like online yellow pages that index photographer and broader topic websites. The submission process to web directories is usually simple – just look for the link called Suggest URL, Submit Site, or Add Link. I suggest that you only spend your time submitting to free directories, and a link back to their site is okay if they require it. Tips:

• setup a unique email account for your directory submissions (expect to get a lot of email as a result of signing up)
• have a well keyword-rich site title and description ready since you will get asked for them
• find directories in your niche, for example ones specific to photographers (or weddings or parties if you do photos for those)

Setup 3-5 Local Business Profiles

Many local business websites appear in map sites and often appear above the regular search results, putting your link at the top of the search page! You can also ask clients for positive user reviews on some of the business profile sites which will build credibility for your business. Start by setting up free profiles for your photography business at Google Local and Yahoo Local.

Link from All Pages of Your Photography Blog

Hopefully you have a photography blog. Make sure you have a link in every blog post that points to your main photographer website. You can vary the text of the link to target different keywords. For example using some of these links in my blog posts can help me rank for a number of similar keyword phrases:

• View more San Diego wedding photos
• Visit my S.D. wedding photography site
• Get the latest wedding images on my photography website
• Check out Zach’s Wedding Photography website

Consider linking from your blogroll as well, which will automatically put a link on all of your blog pages.

Are Link Exchanges Worth It?
Link trades are losing relevance, but relevant and quality links can still be valuable in some circumstances. Ask your partners or related vendors in your area to link to your site. For example you might want to exchange links with non-competing local wedding vendors like a wedding DJ or wedding florist. Links back from those partners may not only generate new business for you, but carry a much higher quality than a link from an unrelated site like a real estate business.

I first link to their site from the bottom of my splash page or homepage, then send them a note through their contact page or email address. I keep their link posted as long as they agree to link to me and maintain that link in good standing. Notice I said to post your link exchange to your splash page or homepage instead of a dedicated links page. Links pages have little to no value because they are buried so deep in sites, and have so many un-related links, that search engines practically ignore them. So the best advice is to carve out a little section of your homepage with 5-10 exchanged links, and seek links from other sites where you can be positioned on their homepages in return. The best link trades are beneficial to you and your customers.

SEO Your Photographer Site Template

For fast and professional search engine results the Photographer’s SEO Book is a must. No technical knowledge needed. Get step-by-step tips on how search engines work, photography-related keywords, blogging for photographers, and google analytics. Great SEO for photo websites including BluDomain templates.

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Stay away from purchasing links. This is an outdated method that is still very popular because people do still get away with it and improve their rankings initially. The thing that you need to be aware of is that search engines are constantly looking to counteract this SEO strategy, so the odds are against you. Google currently has thousands of people that are working for them simply to detect and expose the purchased links that are out there. If they do find your purchased link, they will then flag it so that it’s useless from a site ranking perspective. If you are found with multiple links bought, then your site may even be banned, which will completely set you back, so the best practice is to work for worthwhile and long term links that won’t leave you high and dry.

Know that some things have changed over the past few years, and one of them is that page rank is not as large of a factor in ranking your site, but you need to focus on your site’s authority and relevance instead. Many people in the past have been hesitant in linking to other sites from their own because they fear that it will detract from the rank that their site already holds, but that is no longer the case. It is important to link to content that is relevant to your own so that your site is seen as holding weight and more credible as a result.

Also, do not waste your time on swapping links to further increase your page rank. Google is looking for sites that draw organic traffic, so your links should be coming from endorsements, and if the search engines are uncovering swapped links, then that is more along the lines of barter. The only time that swapping links should be a focus is for sites that are similar to your own so that you are creating relevant and authoritative links back and forth to give your site more influence as a whole.

When you are looking to implement the best SEO strategies for further ranking your site, you must remember that the methods of SEO are ever changing. In addition to all of the SEO work that you may be doing, you must also take the time to give your site and your subject value and importance among all of the other marketers in your niche. Some of the SEO tactics simply make the search engines job even harder or more confusing, so you want to make sure that you are putting yourself out there in a clear and functional way so that the search engines can see what you are about and what you have to offer all of the users out there. See- you are ranking higher already! If you feel skeptical, just know that you would truly be surprised by all of the out dated and ridiculous black hat SEO practices that go on today which you would be wise to avoid.

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Using SEO is a fantastic way to get your site jump started and ahead of the game, though there are a few mistakes that can be avoided so that you are not wasting your time on any methods that may be working against you. There are numerous experts out there constantly working on the newest SEO ideas that are cutting edge and advanced, so you have to keep in mind that the concepts in SEO are subject to change depending on the newest finds and discoveries to date.

With all of that being said, your first plan of action should be to research your keywords that you are using with a keyword research tool. These tools have large databases of keywords that will help you find the right keywords that will best benefits the searches for your site. You can then dedicate each page of your site to a primary keyword, while using secondary keywords sprinkled throughout your page’s content. Another good idea to remember while using these keywords throughout the pages of your site is that, though you may be loading the content full of great SEO keywords, your pages still need to be user friendly to draw the necessary traffic to your site and keep it there. Make sure that you can get to every single page of your site in an easy way so that when people are linked to your site searching for their specific product, then they will go directly to that page and not have to “re-search” once they get to your site. This error will significantly lower your traffic conversion rate since many people will become frustrated at having to look again for the product they are searching for when they have been linked to what should have been the appropriate page of your sight. Make sense?

From there, make sure that your site has a clear site map since search engines will prefer to index your site map page since that is what introduces the context of your site as a whole. Stemming from there, you can then seek to pump your site full of content that can be well accessed from your clear site map. If you are selling gardening tools, then you can create many articles and blogs on gardening and gardening tools, all the while sprinkling your content with SEO friendly keywords and keyword phrases. You can then add links from these articles back to the corresponding pages of your site.

After that, you can look to sites that are in your like topic and field, though not your competitors, and you can seek to exchange links with them in a fair way. This is a very important practice since it establishes your site as authoritative and current in its field, but you must watch for exchanging irrelevant links since this is not organic and can be picked up by Google. If Google disapproves of your link exchange practices, then you are looking at your site being potentially banned, and then you are back to square one. Yikes!

What you have to remember is that there are many SEO practices being implemented as we speak, but it is in your best interest to stay away from the black hat practices that may do you more harm then good. If you are using tried and true SEO principles, then you will be rewarded by seeing your site succeed organically and for the long run. And that is what we are all looking for!

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For example, if you are selling fitness equipment through your site, you would not want to optimize for keywords like “workout”, “fitness”, and “exercise” because the users looking for those keywords are probably looking up a variety of subjects, from the best workout for women to what to eat before you work out. If you are out there promoting your fitness equipment site, then you must ensure that your keywords have been well researched and will give you the right resulting traffic to your site.

Start by optimizing for long-tail keywords, which have the brand and the model specified within the keyword itself so that you can know that the people searching for that term are most likely going to be looking to buy since their search is so narrow. Also, you can easily rank as number one for that keyword, such as “yoga fitness mat”, and you can link them directly to that page of your site instead of your home page.

If they are searching for a “yoga fitness mat”, then they want to be taken directly to that page to purchase and not back to your home back, where they may have to relocate to find what they were looking for all along.

On the flip side, you also do not want to be too specific in your keyword that you are optimizing because then you will be putting your effort into something that virtually no one is searching for. To research your keywords, go to sites like keyworddiscovery.com, wordtracker.com,and Goodle Adwords keyword tool.  (See our step-by-step video tutorial: How to use Google’s Keyword Tool properly.)

There you can type in the keyword you are looking for to see how many people search for it on a monthly basis and how big the competition is based on people who run ads on those specific key words.  Note that all three of these sites are prime for finding the best keywords for you because they will give you suggestions based on the keywords that you enter. So helpful!

So in conclusion, you will see that there is a delicate balance in finding the most useful keyword to rank your site higher. Do not just be careless in your selection of keywords that you are optimizing because you may find that you are barking up the wrong tree, and how disappointing is that to spend your time and effort on something that is not even working for you or your business? I’m just trying to save us all some time here.

When you are able to locate the best keywords that are both long-tail, yet broad enough, you will begin to see an immediate increase in traffic to your site because it will be like you are finally casting your net into the right waters. If people out there are looking to find the highest quality yoga mat, then you need to make sure that your site is ranking at the top every time. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya!

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