Saturday, August 29, 2009

Pay Attention To Search Engine Optimization

By Cheryl L. True

Search engine optimization (SEO) requires constant attention to provide consistently superior results. The margin of keyword battles that have been won consistently and decisively may narrow. But if you know what you're doing with the help of SEO, the battle is already half-won. Here's what to do:

Analysis - Analysis of keywords and phrases is the foundation of successful SEO. Focusing time and money on winnable searches versus highly competitive ones will prove to be more cost-effective and result in a much higher return on investment.

Research - This is imperative to know what is working in SEO. Knowing how Bing is different from Google, for instance, can give you an advantage over competitors and give you access to new visitors. Another dynamic area is social media. Knowing how and where to maximize your optimization efforts can spell the difference between success and failure. Only by doing some advance research will you be able to tell which platform will deliver optimal results as the difference in user demographics varies widely among MySpace, Facebook and Twitter.

Tweaking - Google gives plenty of free data. It contains tools that will inform you what keywords rank, those that get traffic to your site and those that don't, which pages have been indexed, where inbound links originate from, and what problems exist on your site. Observing shifts in keyword tendencies, making adjustments and seeing that your site is maintained can make a big difference in attracting both new and repeat traffic to your site.

Testing - Test everything you do in your SEO efforts. What was working at one point may not always work but you won't know unless you're constantly testing results. Testing to see where visitors are bouncing off of the site can identify weak areas to be fixed.

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