Damn... It Really Is All About Domain Age

So an interesting thing happened.  I took on a challenge from a friend to get a new web site ranked #1 in 30 days or less.  After buying a great URL and starting to promote the site, I found that getting indexed was more of a challenge than I thought.  In fact, I used one of my most popular blogs to promote the site using the link text get rid of abdominal fat which included the keywords I was trying to optimize for.

You know what happened?  I get the blog post ranked in the 3rd position.  You might say "great" but that totally wasn't what I was going for.  I'm trying to get the site well ranked not blog posts that talk about it.  As I began to further optimize the site using on page optimization, social media, and inbound linking, I quickly realized that I can't make Google move any faster.

Where does that leave me?  About a week into the challenge, I'm still waiting for indexing.  Now, once I'm indexed perhaps I'll start to see good movement.  However, I am definitely concerned that things are not going more quickly.  I guess the next few weeks will be critical to making my goal.  Personally, I think it all boils down to domain age.  I think I'll have to go over to GoDaddy auctions and buy one of the "aged domains"... that will be next step.

Improve Web Site Rankings With Link Juice

So what exactly is "link juice".  Well, before I answer that question, let me start with the value of inbound links to your web site the impact that has on improving web site rankings.  Google loves to see web sites that are getting links from well established sites on the Internet.

When your site is getting links from other web sites that have age, Google PR, and inbound links to them, it serves as a vote of confidence.  The more votes you receive from credible websites, the more confidence Google has in you.  It's actually a great system comprised of multiple factors.  These factors are captured in what is referred to as Google PR.

Where does link juice come in?  Link juice refers to the value that links from particular web sites pass on to you.  Let's say that you have a site with Google PR of 3 but receive a link from a PR5 site - now that's link juice.  Not only will this help you with search engine rankings, but it can also improve the Google PR of your own site. 

Your Google PR is directly correlated to the Google PR of sites linking in to yours.  The higher their PR, the higher yours will be as well.  In essence, you should always be looking for link juice - it's powerful and can help you improve your search rankings.

Can You Achieve #1 Rankings With On Page Optimization All By Itself?

Is it possible to improve your search engine rankings with on page optimization alone?  I would argue that the answer to that question is largely no.  You could probably succeed using on page optimization only on search engines like Yahoo or Bing.  These sites rely more heavily on URLs and on page optimization than Google does.

On page optimization is still very necessary.  Even though it only has a small influence on search engine results from Google's perspective, it's important.  Before I start any optimization campaign, I always ensure that I've reviewed a web site for on page optimization factors.

On page optimization factors include: url, meta tags, internal linking, keyword usage, headings, etc.  These factors must properly leverage your keywords to allow you to be truly effective when promoting your site.  Once on page optimization is in place, it's time to focus on off page optimization techniques like link building.

If you are searching for effective on page optimization strategies, all you need to do is Google "on page optimization" or visit popular forums like the Internet marketing forum for additional guidance from the internet marketing community.  Regardless, you should learn the fundamentals of effective on page optimization.

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The Right Keywords Make All The Difference In Your Rankings

The best way to achieve search engine dominance is by focusing on keyword research. As an SEO consultant I've worked with hundreds of companies that miss the important step of keyword research. Achieving top search engine rankings is largely based on the competitiveness of the keyword phrase you are trying to optimize your website for. If your competitor is in the top position with a well entrenched web site, then your chances of out ranking him may be limited.

In addition to focusing on a keyword phrase that doesn't have that much competition, you need to find search phrases that are frequently searched on. I recently finished a project for a foundation trying to optimize their website. They had top rankings for a keyword term that seemed to be somewhat desirable. However, keyword research proved that the term received less than 100 searches per month. As a result, top rankings for this keyword phrase were nearly meaningless.

Assuming that you have been able to find a search phrase that doesn't have a great deal of competition and generates enough traffic, it's time to look at your competition. You are competing against other web sites who currently rank in the top few positions for your chosen keyword. Research each of these top ranked sites to determine their Google page rank, age, and the number of sites linking to them. The more inbound links they have the more difficult they will be to outrank.

Once you've conducted your keyword research and determined which keyword phrase you are optimizing for, it's time to focus on optimizing your web pages. This can be done by focusing on on-page optimization techniques and off-page optimization techniques. Start with a well formatted web site that has your keyword phrases in meta tags, page titles, and so on. Then turn your attention to off page optimization which includes building links and getting your site listed in major directories and social media profiles. Add additional link building techniques like bookmarking to enhance the quality of your web pages and web sites.

Your optimization strategy should include a plan for consistent link building. Build links too slowly and you'll never get the authority needed to achieve the number one ranking. Build links too quickly and search engines may think you're up to no good. If you want to improve your organic search engine ranking, begin with keyword research before link building. Having the right keywords can make the difference in your overall optimization results. Update your meta tags and web pages to integrate your keyword phrase, focus on building links over the long term, and you're sure to achieve search engine dominance. 

Improve Rankings With the Help of Article Submitters

Looking for a quick way to build tons of backlinks to your web site?  Backlinks are essential for improving search engine rankings and significantly enhancing the overall traffic you get to your website or blog.  I've been using article submitters since they were first introduced more than five years ago.

Simply explained, article submitters take your original content and post them to a variety of web sites.  Some of these sites serve as central areas that others can use to acquire content for their own websites or blogs.  When they do so, they use your content but also include a link (through the author box) to your web site or blog.  Other sites simply use fresh content - which includes links back to your site - to continually expand their site.

I personally use article submitters because they automate a good deal of the work.  This reduces the time it takes to produce unique articles as well as distribute them to leading directories.  I find that the article sites build inbound links steadily over time.  Even though you are distributing over a short period of time, the initial pages where you content resides will generally have a low PR.  However, over time the page rank grows and so does the value of your inbound links.
 
Consider article submission to sites like EzineArticles and other well know directories to make a positive impact on both your web site traffic and search ranking.  

Strategies For Improving Your AdSense Earnings

Can you make a living on earning Adsense commissions? Adsense to be a great way to a few extra dollars each and every day but certainly is not going to make you a ton of money. Ask website owners today about their earnings and you'll find only a small handful making a substantial income. Ive learned how to increase my Adsense revenue over time and will share with you all Ive learned.

Your Adsense revenue is dependent on a number of factors including which ads you display, where you display them, and how often. Here are some factors to consider before you place your next Adsense ad. Let's begin with ad placement. Certain locations tend to be more successful than others. Google has produced a heat map that illustrates the ideal placing on a sample page layout. All other things being equal, ads located above the fold tend to perform better than those below the fold. Ads placed near rich content and navigational aids usually do well because users are focused on those areas of a page.

While this suggested map is useful as a positioning guideline, I strongly recommend putting your users first when deciding on proper ad location. Think about their behavior on different pages, and what will be most useful and visible to them. You'll find that the most optimal ad position isn't always what you expect on certain pages.

On pages where users are usually focused on reading article content, ads placed immediately below the end of the content generally perform very well. It is almost as if users finish reading and ask themselves what they should be doing next. Ads that are targeted can answer that question and get them clicking.

Various Ad format. Some types of ads perform better than others depending on the page content and layout. Many Adsense advertisers find that large rectangles in content areas work best, while leader boards produce less click-based revenue. The traditional sky scrappers are the worst performers. The key is to experiment and measure the results to see which formats work best for you.

Ad colors. Sometimes ads blended into the content can work wonders, but sometimes ads that contrast your site colors work best. Test a variety of ad colors to determine if different palettes generate higher than average click through rates. Other than testing the actual palettes, there's really no other way to determine effectiveness.

Number of ad units on a page. Websites are allowed a maximum of 3 ads, plus one set of ad links, and one Google search box per page. Maximize the allowed number based on the resulting look of your page (you don't want an overkill of ads). Users going to your page and reading your content may ignore the banner or rectangle at the top of the page, but may click on the ad at the bottom of the article.

Experiment with the factors above and see which combination works best for your particular website. Remember that not all sites do well with Adsense ads. Even if you get lots of traffic but your visitors are not interested in looking for ways to spend their money, they won't be interested in your ads and won't click through.

Michael Fleischner is an Internet marketing expert and the author of SEO Made Simple: How to Dominate Google . Find helpful Adsense advice and learn to improve search rankings at Michael's Internet Blog.

Can You Use Twitter To Improve Rankings

You bet you can.  Twitter is a great tool for building a following and developing your very own community.  In addition, you can use your profile and tweets to build backlinks to your web pages.

So how does it work?  First, lets start with your Twitter profile.  Your profile is important for a number of reasons including the fact that others may seek you out based on the contents of your profile.  Make sure to include appropriate keywords that you want others to associate with you.

The second and most important aspect of Twitter is sending tweets.  When you post a tweet, it is recorded on Twitter.com.  If it includes a link back to your site, that works in your favor.  Additionally, as other retweet what you have posted, it's noted on their Twitter accounts as well.  The more backlinks you generate to your website the better.

One idea is to think about creating valuable content or a download and make it available on your web site.  Tweet about it with a direct link others can use to access the information.  As your followers retweet the information, you'll be building valuable link juice and improving your rankings.

Improve Web Site Rankings With Key Search Factors

If you're like many people in today's economy you may be thinking about starting your own business. Any new business needs a website and websites are only good if others can find them in search results. All new website owners quickly find a need to focus on the search ranking of their website in all major search engines. Search ranking is the natural placement of your site, also referred to as ranking, on Google or some other search engine.

The challenge for all website owners is learning the key factors for improving search ranking. Getting to the top of search engine result is rather complex and requires more than just a quick study. In fact, website owners will spend more than a billion dollars on search engine optimization this year and much more of that on other forms of Internet marketing like PPC.

One way to effectively meet the needs of your website marketing is through PPC and other paid forms of advertising. However, with SEO you can enhance your ranking on all major search engines. Here are a few strategies that can be applied to your website today to instantly begin raising the position of your website for even the most competitive keywords and keyword phrases.

Build your website with sound search engine optimization techniques. Start your search engine optimization from day one. Don't wait until you've invested tons of money into your website before you find out that it hasn't been built for effective search ranking. Apply on page techniques like meta tags, headers, and keyword density to improve search ranking.

Develop an search engine optimization plan. Those who are most successful with achieving top rankings are those who have a well defined action plan. Your plan can be simple but must be applied on a regular basis. SEO takes time and can only achieve the results you're looking for if you apply it each and every day. Begin with a simple outline and then define tasks to by applied each day. Before you know it, your progress will be substantial.

Search engine optimization needs to be applied for the long term. Many people who are new to website ownership think that getting to the first position and staying there is easy to do. Most sites are trying to enhance their ranking for competitive keywords or keyword phrases. Due to the competitiveness of their niche, achieving the top position and remaining there takes work. Although keeping a top ranking is easier than initially achieving it, applying ongoing SEO can do the trick.

Achieving top search ranking is no laughing matter. Those sites listed in the top 2 or 3 positions get the major of traffic. If you're site is not there, you are not growing your business as large or as profitably as you can. So don't settle for anything less than search ranking dominance. Begin from where you are. Achieving rankings that you can be proud of does take work, persistence and confidence. Do the right things and you will get to where you want to be.

Do you want to enhance the search ranking of your website? If you do, then use the secret tool that leading webmaster's use throughout the world. Check out our SEO Elite tool Review for a complete rating and FREE offer.

Do you want to improve search engine rankings for your website? If you do, then use the secret tool that leading webmaster's use throughout the world. Check out our SEO Elite Software Review today.

All About Affiliate Marketing

If you want to make a living online, selling products that have already been created is a great way to start. This is often referred to as affiliate marketing and is a great way to earn extra income. Some affiliates are referred to as super affiliates and make their living selling products on the Internet.

Lets begin with a definition of affiliate marketing. Not the textbook definition but an actual definition that breaks down the difference between affiliates and publishers. Publishers create products and affiliates sell them. Its that simple.

Affiliate marketing is a great for so many people to make a living because its easy to implement. Think about the benefits of affiliate marketing. You don't need to create a product, get the capital needed to start a business, or find the resources required to bring your product to market. The only thing you need is to sign up for an affiliate offer and start selling.

Affiliate products are sold by placing an affiliate link on your website or blog. You can even include your affiliate link within the author section of articles or forum postings. Each time the link is clicked and users are converted through the publisher's website, you earn a commission.

When starting out in affiliate marketing, I recommend that you look for affiliate products available on Clickbank. This site brings together publishers and potential affiliates in an online marketplace that allows you to easily search for affiliate offers. Sites like Clickbank make the process of finding the right products incredibly simple.

There are many ways to choose a product that's right for you to sell via affiliate marketing. The best place to start is with what you have. Do you have a website? A blog? If you do, look for products in the same niche. You can easily add a link to your website or blog, promoting an affiliate product. This is the quickest way to earn affiliate commissions.

Can you earn a living online if you don't own a web site? The answer is yes. By using pay per click advertising or marketing techniques like article marketing, you can begin selling affiliate products and earning a commission. There are a number of resources available to help you get started such as Blogger and Wordpress. Others have had much success creating lenses on Squidoo.

The other option you have is to begin publishing articles on a topic that you already know a lot about. I have seen a number of affiliate marketers earn a significant income by writing articles and reviews about products in their niche and then submitting those articles to article directories.

Review your online assets and determine if you have a good starting resource. This could be a website, blog, or jump page. It could also be your profile on social media sites or articles you've written. All you need to do to begin is choose a product that meets a need for your market and post a link. You will earn commissions as soon as individuals click through your link and buy the product you're promoting.

Michael Fleischner offers helpful Internet marketing advice online and is the author of SEO Made Simple and offers SEO training for those seeking top search engine placements. He has appeared on the TODAY Show, Bloomberg Radio, and other major media.

Learning More About Article Marketing

The process of article writing is simple. Develop unique content for your particular audience and distribute that content in a manner that improves your exposure and drives traffic back to your site. However, this process does take time and can be difficult for some. To succeed, you must know what type of content to create and how to distribute that content. The good news is that there are plenty of tools available to help automate this process for you.

The first thing article creation software can help you with is understanding the importance of appealing to your target market. You do not want to write an article that will appeal to anybody and everybody. Focus on a particular audience that you want to submit your articles to. This will make it much easier to convert visitors into customers.

After writing your article, consider the appropriate category the article belongs to. When creating content for a specific audience, you want that content to appear before the right individuals who will benefit from and act upon the content. Choose your category carefully because it could make the difference between low and high conversion rates.

Most pieces of article creation or article submission software provide tools like spell check and grammar check. Too often people using these tools ignore the warnings provided. Doing so reduces your credibility as an authority figure and undermines the effectiveness of your article. Always spell check your content before submitting.

From there, you will find that article creation software will help you identify everything needed to submit to various directories. You will be forced to go through and submit the different information that directories require such as keywords, a brief summary, title, the article itself, and a resource box. If you are confused with any part of this, the software will walk you through to help you better understand.

The final feature of article writing software is that it can provide image verification. Essentially, when submitting to directories, users are often asked to verify an image or code. To submit your article, this code must be entered. The proper piece of software can do this for you, speeding up the submission process and avoiding any obstacles you may encounter.

The process of article writing is effective for improving organic rankings and driving traffic to your web site. To be effective, you need to know how to write effective articles, how to complete online submission forms correctly and choosing the most appropriate category for your article. These are just a few of the many ways you can benefit from article creation software which can lead you through the process step-by-step.

Need help with your article writing? Check out our comprehensive article writing and submission software review. For addition information on today's top article writing and article submission software, check out our new site Article Submitter Review.

Using Article Writing And Distribution To Improve SEO

The process of article writing is simple. Develop unique content for your particular audience and distribute that content in a manner that improves your exposure and drives traffic back to your site. However, this process does take time and can be difficult for some. To succeed, you must know what type of content to create and how to distribute that content. The good news is that there are plenty of tools available to help automate this process for you.

The first thing article creation software can help you with is understanding the importance of appealing to your target market. You do not want to write an article that will appeal to anybody and everybody. Focus on a particular audience that you want to submit your articles to. This will make it much easier to convert visitors into customers.

As soon as you have written your article, you can then go through and find the appropriate category or sub-category the article belongs under. The last thing you want is to write an article correctly and then submit it to the wrong category. Remember, you are trying to appeal to a particular audience.

Don't forget to spell check and grammar check your articles before submitting them. A well written article is essential for building expert status. Most article software provides spell check and other advanced features. Be sure to use these features on every article you submit as it will improve readability and trust.

After writing your article it's time to submit to article directories. Article submission software is recommended for doing so as it will automate many of the functions that would just take too long via manual submission. In addition, article software can also help you develop a resource box that includes properly formatted links that point back to your web site. This will improve the organic rankings of your web site and generate traffic.

The final feature of article writing software is that it can provide image verification. Essentially, when submitting to directories, users are often asked to verify an image or code. To submit your article, this code must be entered. The proper piece of software can do this for you, speeding up the submission process and avoiding any obstacles you may encounter.

The process of article writing is effective for improving organic rankings and driving traffic to your web site. To be effective, you need to know how to write effective articles, how to complete online submission forms correctly and choosing the most appropriate category for your article. These are just a few of the many ways you can benefit from article creation software which can lead you through the process step-by-step.

Need help with your article writing? Check out our comprehensive article writing and submission software review. For addition information on building traffic to your web site, learn more about our seo training program.

43,000 Inbound Links From One Stupid Little Article...

SEO is simple if you know what to do and how to do it. In this video, I show you how I've used article marketing to generate THOUSANDS of inbound links to my web sites and blogs. Not only is it generating tons of traffic to my web site, but article marketing is helping me improve search engine rankings fore even the most difficult search terms.

Check out my FREE review of top article marketing resources at Culzee.com.

Improve Rankings With The Top 5 SEO Strategies...

There's a lot of information out there on the Internet about search engine optimization. Some of it is really good but unfortunately much of the information is either totally inaccurate or just plain wrong. I've taken the time to sort through much of this information and provide you with the strategies that get actual results.

By working with literally hundreds of small and medium sized websites, I have found that top ranked sites have a number of factors in common. What are they? I'm about to share these factors with you and explain what separates those in the top Google positions and those that are never found on page one of search results.

The first search engine ranking factor has to do with inbound links. We all know the importance of generating inbound links to your web site or blog. However, these links are only effective if they include your keywords in their anchor text. Links should always include keywords which help search engines identify your website with these links. Make sure to ask link partners to structure their links to your web site properly.

The second most important factor for having high search engine rankings is to include your most important keywords in your meta tags, particularly your title tag. This is one of the key ways that search engines identify your pages and display information on search results. In addition to your title tag, include your keywords in the keywords and description tags as well.

The third ranking factor to consider for your web site is link popularity. This phrase has been talked about in search engine circles for a while but can be equated with Page Rank. The concept of Page rank or link popularity for that matter take a number of factors into consideration to identify the quality of web pages from an external perspective. The largest factor that influences search engine rankings is the number and quality of links that are pointing to a web site or web page.

The fourth ranking factor is the diversity of domains that link to your web site. For many search engines, its not only what links you have to your site but making sure they are from different domains. This represents more popularity associated with you web site and therefore is judged to be a better search result. When link building, try to focus on generating inbound links from different websites.

The fifth ranking factor is placing your keywords in your root domain. If you are unable to acquire a domain that has www.yourkeyword.com as the format, don't despair. You can vary your domain by including words before or after your keyword. Short of being able to acquire such a domain, place your keywords using a subdomain structure or placing a folder on your root domain. This can have a positive impact on your overall rankings.

All of the top five ranking factors will work for you. I have personally seen them dramatically improve rankings for even the smallest web sites. Make sure that you address each factor. In combination, these factors have the most impact. By addressing the top ranking factors for your web site, you'll be able to add additional search engine optimization techniques to ensure top placement over the long term..

Michael Fleischner is the Author of SEO Made Simple and offers SEO training for small and medium sized businesses. Be sure to get free search engine optimization and Internet marketing support at the Internet marketing forum

All About Meta Tags

Are you familiar with Meta Tags? If not, here's a quick definition: Meta elements are HTML or XHTML elements used to provide structured metadata about a Web page. Such elements must be placed as tags in the head section of an HTML document. Meta elements can be used to specify page title, description, keywords and any other metadata not provided through the other head elements and attributes.

The most common meta tag is your title tag which appears all the way at the top of your website browser window in the upper left hand corner. My recommendation for meta tags pretty simple and have worked for me when optimization my websites.

Title Tag
Begin with a well structured title tag that includes your keywords. Try to keep your title tag short as this provides more weight to the words you've included. Longer titles are less effective.

Description Tag
This tag is important because it describes your web page. More importantly, this description is seen in search results. So you want the description to be both accurate and catchy. It needs to encourage users to click through to your web site.

Keywords Tag
Don't put too many keywords in your keywords tag. I like to limit the number of keywords to around 12 which are the most important to your page. Focus on delivering only your most important keywords through the keywords tag.

Other Elements
Robots tag, verification keys, etc. can all be part of your meta data. Some webmasters include other information like authoring data and so on. Don't get carried away. I have found that by including the basic tags you're doing more than enough.

Adding Your Tweet Me Me Button To Blogger

It's pretty interesting, but I had been struggling to add a "TweetMeMe" button to this Blogger blog and others. It took me quite a bit or research to not only place the button but to get it to achieve the functionality I really wanted for my blog.

Problem 1: Finding Code To Add to My Blogger Template
Most of the code out there related to adding Twitter buttons is for WordPress. I know that I may be the only guy still out there using Blogger, but I always thought that it would be a safe bet given the fact that Google owns it... but I guess you never really know. Anyway, it took me a while to find the right source code to drop into a template, but here it is (PLEASE NOTE: All "[" and "]" symbols need to be changed to "<" and ">" symbols in order for code to work. I only changed them for this web page so they will display properly).

Follow these simple steps:
1. Go to Layout-->Edit Html
2. Download Full Template
3. Check the Expand Widget Templates
4. Search for the code below (remember "[]" symbols should be "<>" symbols):

[div class='post-header-line-1'/]


a. For the full retweet button place the following code below the above code:

[div style='float:right; padding: 5px 5px 5px 5px']
[script type='text/javascript']
tweetmeme_url='[data:post.url/]';
[/script]
[script src='http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js' type='text/javascript']
[/script] [/div]

This will display the button on the right side of the blog post. To place the button on the left side just replace float:right in the code to float:left.

b. For the compact button instead of the code above place the following code (replace "[]" symbols with "< " and ">" symbols):

[div style='float:right; padding: 5px 5px 5px 5px']
[script type='text/javascript']
tweetmeme_url='[data:post.url/]';
tweetmeme_style = 'compact';
[/script]
[script src='http://tweetmeme.com/i/scripts/button.js' type='text/javascript']
[/script] [/div]

5. Save the Template and you're done!

Problem #2: Getting the Tweet to Show the Name of the Post
Okay, now that you have the button installed, test it out. The biggest problem I had.. which no blog or forum provided the answer to, was that the button only provided the title of the blog in my tweet. I paid programmers, tried a bunch of stuff on my own, but only got workable solution from Tweet Me Me directly via their forum.

The reason why my button wasn't fully operational is because the title of my blog was too long. I had to go into my template and shorten the title of my blog. Within 24 hours, the problem cleared itself up. Now, if you visit The Marketing Blog (which is where I was having the problem) and Retweet, you'll see the name of the blog and title of the post. Walaaa!

If you're having the same problem, the above should take care of it. If this post was helpful, please retweet!

Focus On On-Page Optimization For Long-Term Success

SEO is made up of two different disciplines that work in tandem. To be successful, you need to master both of these areas. Doing so will allow you to not only reach the number one ranked position for a chosen keyword, but stay there for a very long time.

To be successful with your search engine optimization, start with on page optimization. On page optimization refers to everything that has to do with your actual web site and web pages from a search engine optimization perspective. This would include factors like web site age, URL, Meta tags, on page links, etc. It’s important that you start with on page optimization because it ensures that your pages will be fully recognized by search engines.

Let’s start with looking at your URLs. Many people believe that the only way to get number one rankings is by having your keywords in your domain name. For example, if your keyword is sneakers, you should have a URL that says Sneakers.com. Sure, this would help but its only one of many factors considered in search engine optimization. Not to mention the difficulty of finding a good URL that includes your keywords.

It is true that including your keyword phrase in your URL is beneficial even though it is not the end all be all. This is especially true with search engines like Yahoo and Bing. One thing you can do is to use a sub-domain strategy. This means setting us sub domains from your main site that includes the keyword you’re optimization for. It would look something like this: sneakers.yoursite.com where “your site” is the name of your main web site.

You can also create new pages that include your keyword as part of the URL. This is almost as equally strong as the sub-domain strategy and very easy to implement. Simply create a folder or page on your server that includes your keyword. An example would be: Yoursite.com/sneakers. By adding the keywords as part f your URL, you are improving your chances of appearing in search results given other on page SEO criteria is met.

After optimizing your URL, it’s time to focus on other on page attributes. One of the most important is page load time. This is a function of the number of images you have on your page, scripts, external calls, use of CSS, etc. and requires a good deal of experience from a programming perspective. The best bet is to have someone with SEO experience review your pages to make sure that you are applying SEO best practices from an on page perspective.

Once you’ve covered on page optimization attributes associated with a high ranking web site, it’s time to focus on off page optimization. Off page optimization is really a function of how the search engines see your site and how other web pages link to your own web site or blog. Off page optimization is often equated to link building as building external links to your site is at the core of search engine optimization.

Start with on page optimization to build a strong foundation to your web site. Once you have the proper URL structure and address other on page optimization factors, you’ll be in a good position to roll out your link building strategy. As you develop more inbound links, your search engine results will improve.

Improving Your Rankings With Blog Posts

I was recently asked about using blog posts to improve search engine ranking. Personally, I feel that there are a number of ways to use blogs to build links to your website which in turn can improve your web site's rankings. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Find a list of dofollow blogs and post comments. A great way to build in bound links to your website or blog is by leaving comments on do follow blogs. You want to find blogs that are do follow because if you don't, your links won't provide any value. Tip: Do a Google search for dofollow blogs in your niche.

2. Find top rated blogs in your niche. By searching the Internet for top rated blogs in your niche, you can quickly and easily find opportunity. You can choose to purchase a link on many of these blogs, leave comments (if do follow), or submit your own content for review. Many top blogs love original content submissions, so don't be afraid to provide unique content and ask it to be posted.

3. Partnerships with authority blogs. Some of the most dominant blogs out there are always looking for the right partnership, generating links and presence for your web site. Think about what you can offer some of the top blogs in your niche. Approach the blog owners and gauge their level of interest. You may be surprised by the results.

Working with blogs to establish a presence takes work.. but the rewards are significant. Start by creating a list of blogs in your niche, authority blogs, and others with whom you may have a relationship. By doing so, you can start down a path of link building and partnership development that can help improve your rankings.

The Internet Marketing Forum Is Finally Here...

Announcing the beta launch of the Internet Marketing Forum!

Over the past year, I've heard from countless marketing professionals, entrepreneurs, and small to medium sized business owners that finding the right information online is often a difficult and time consuming process.

If you're like me, when you're searching for answers, you want them fast. After doing some research I decided to take matters into my own hands - to find a solution for this ever increasing problem. The need for on demand solutions to the most difficult and challenging marketing questions.

The Internet Marketing Forum is now live!

Even though I've been on the Internet for more than a decade, I was never a big fan of message boards and the like. Quite honestly, until about a year ago, I had never even posted on a forum. But I quickly learned the value of becoming a forum participant from both the perspective of posting questions as well as contributing with answers and explanations on topics aligned with my experience.

After making a rather substantial investment to update MarketingScoop.com (my main marketing website) by adding a forum, I'm happy to announce the beta version went live earlier this week. I've already received great feedback from visitors and have already started work on a version 2.0.

Now It's Up To You!

The success of this forum, designed for those interested in marketing, is entirely up to you! I know that each of us needs a resource to connect with others in marketing and who have skill sets outside our own. This community can also help to validate Internet marketing concepts and ideas. I encourage everyone reading about this release to visit the Internet Marketing Forum and register for free.. make a post, answer a question, and let the marketing community know you're out there.

Please give me your feedback! This forum is intended for us... Internet marketing folk so let me know what you think. What would make it better? How can we improve it?

Special Bonus: For anyone visiting the site and registering (FREE) within the next 48 hours, I'll gladly email you a sample chapter from my top selling book, "SEO Made Simple: Strategies For Dominating The World's Largest Search Engine". Simply comment on this post with your email and feedback. I won't publish any comments that include email so your info is safe.

M.Fleischner

Questions and Answers About Search Engine Optimization

I recently did an online webinar covering search engine optimization and how to improve landing page conversions. I received a significant number of questions during the webinar as well as immediately after. Knowing that if one person has a question, others probably have the same question, I thought I'd publish all of the Q and A here...

David D.
Q: What are your thoughts on handling SEM on your own, versus utilizing a 3rd party Marketing or Media company? Are there benefits to having someone dedicated to SEM monitoring our results?

A: For individuals or businesses starting out in the area of search engine optimization and search engine marketing, using a company that specializes in a given area is a good thing. However, you want to set clear expectations, agree on how you will measure success, and be sure that when the agreement ends you’ve received all the knowledge you will need to guarantee a successful program for the long term.

Donna S.
Q: What is "google algorithm"?

A: No one really knows for sure – except Google. When talking about the “Google Algorithm” we are referring to the method by which Google evaluates which pages should rank higher than others for specific search terms.

Crystal K.
Q: how do you know how many sites are linking in?

A: Visit www.Alexa.com and type in the URL you are trying to analyze. On the result page you will find information about that URL divided by a number of tabs. Look for the tab labeled “sites linking in”. The number of in-bound links is displayed. To learn see the specific links, simply click the tab.

Roger F.
Q: I get requests to link to my website that have nothing to do with my business. Would accepting these links help or harm my rating?

A: Only in the beginning. If your website has very low page rank (Google PR), and someone with page rank wants to exchange links, then by all means do so. However, once you have established page rank limit your link exchanges to sites that are relevant to yours.

Caroline B.
Q: Do you want to have one keyword that you are heavily working on? Do you want more than one? Approx how many?

A: The answer to this question is directly correlated to the resources you have at your disposal. Per page I never try to optimize for more than 2 – 3 keywords or keyword phrases. For a particular website you may try to improve your ranking for hundreds of keywords but this is rarely manageable. Choose your top 10 keywords and focus your efforts on those.

Greg D.
Q: Is there a SEO penalty to using 301 redirects to get old links to redirect to a new page?

A: Quite the opposite. If you have established a new web page and put a 301 redirect in place on the old page, Google simply transfers the value of the old page to the new page. Most 301 redirect pages do not hold their Page Rank for long.

Judi K.
Q: Does Google have a tool that allows you to check the number of visitors to your landing page?

A: Google Analytics

Tamara O.
Q: Not clear on how you do an A/B test on a web site? Is this differnt URL on print material? Explain.

A: A/B split testing measures the effectiveness of two web pages randomly. Users who visit a single URL will see different landing pages based on IP address or user session.

Donna S.
Q: How do you find a list of the 200 factors that googles assigns a score to (algorithm)?
A: Google does not reveal the factors they use to determine how they rank websites. If you’re able to find a list, and it’s real, please share!
Chad M.
Q: Does mixing similar but different keywords on a single page reduce the effectiveness of a single keyword combination?

A: Google has gotten very specific on keyword optimization. In the old days you could optimize for the plural form of a work and get credit for both the singular and plural of that word. Today, they treat each specific word or phrase separately. It is always good to vary your anchor text but try to keep it short. This assigns more value to each word in your anchor text.

Kelsey C. Q: How do you begin to find sites that link to you?

A: Visit www.Alexa.com and type in the URL you are trying to analyze. On the result page you will find information about that URL divided by a number of tabs. Look for the tab labeled “sites linking in”. The number of in-bound links is displayed. To learn see the specific links, simply click the tab.
Monica B.
Q: What are the best steps to take? First attack your site using SEO and then look at PPC, do both at the same time, or PPC then SEO?

A: I would work on both simultaneously. If done correctly one should not affect the other. Consider using specific landing pages for each PPC campaign.

Choosing and SEO Company: Tips and Strategies

Here are a few things to consider if you are going to use a search engine firm to design your website or blog.

1. Does the SEO firm set realistic expectations about what they can or can't do? If your design firm is promising number one rankings for even the most competitive terms, then reconsider their abilities. Design alone cannot achieve specific number one ranking outcomes.

2. Can the SEO company prove success? Has the company your considering shown an ability to improve rankings for another client? Was the increase in rankings related to competitive as long as long-tail keywords? Check on previous clients and confirm results.

3. Will the SEO company document everything? Once the search engine company or consultant is long gone, you're going to want to apply what you've learned. If there is no documentation or knowledge transfer, you'll be exactly where you started. SEO takes time and a consistent effort to achieve success.

Finally, does the company you're considering use manual methods of link building and improving rankings or are they fully automated. The best companies use both. Consider the techniques the company will use (white hat or black hat) and make a decision based on honesty and previous results. These are the best factors to consider before you spend a dollar on search engine optimization.

How to get 48,280 followers on Twitter...

Hi all.. quick post today. I don't know if you've caught on to Twitter yet, but I'm slowly picking it up and learning more about this social media tool everyone's been talking about. A good friend of mine just share his tool for creating a huge list of followers.

As far as I can tell, the benefit to all of us who are interested in web marketing and web site promotion can use Twitter to communicate to our audience and even increase traffic and sales through out website(s).

The tool I just started using automatically add new followers to my Twitter account... And it's 100% FREE! It's a called Twitter List Builder and I'll be testing it over the coming weeks. The concept is essentially leveraging other twitter members to quickly grow your list.

If you have experience with this tool or other twitter tools that are helping you succeed with Twitter, Facebook, or other social media sites, be sure to comment below.

Don't Settle For Page 2

I just heard some VERY interesting stats about Google and other major search engines with regard to click-throughs and other factors. Did you know that 90% of people never get past the first page of search results? That's pretty significant. If you think that page one rankings don't matter than think again.

I also found out that 86% of clicks are organic and 13%+ are on paid search. I don't know about you but organic results is where it's at. If you are spending all of your time on PPC marketing than you are missing the boat. Focus more time on SEO and ensure that you are in the top three positions for any of the keywords you're optimizing for.

Keep it simple. Use your knowledge of PPC terms that have converted for you and apply that to your search engine optimization. You want to make sure that you're optimizing for keywords that are going to convert - not just those that generate traffic.

As a final note, don't be afraid to change it up every once and a while. You should always be experimenting with new keywords, landing pages, and offers. This can only help you find the best, most effective way to improve your rankings, traffic and more.

Wow.. That Was A Shocker!

A couple of weeks ago I decided to start offering an SEO training course. As with any new venture, I decided to put together a program, post a marketing page, and focus my efforts on SEO. I really don't want to start with PPC just yet.

In just 2 weeks, I reached the #16 spot on Google. Now I've been hanging there for about a week and I'm getting anxious. How am I going to break into the top 10 (my next goal) and then eventually reach the #1 position? Well, I think I'm going to focus on unique article distribution and commenting on do follow blogs.

So what's my plan? I'll put together one article to distribute each week for the next 4 weeks and comment on do follow blogs at least 3 times each week for the next 4 weeks. Each week I'll update you on my progress to see how we're doing. In addition, I'm going to check out who's linking to the number one competitor and inquire about links on those site.

Slow And Steady Wins The Race

A common issue I often come into is that a number of website owners get so pumped up about SEO that they being optimizing with a frenzy. They update their pages, start building links, and so on only to actually hurt their search engine ranking.
How can this be?

The reason this happens is because Google looks for inbound links to be built consistently over time. As more and more links are created quickly, Google begins to question how these links are being created so quickly and may consider them spam.

A word to the wise. SEO is essential for success. However, when building links to your website, start slowly - be consistent. You want to build links over time. This wont set off any triggers and will allow you to build the website popularity you need to succeed.

Search engine optimization is ideal for anyone who wants to improve the search engine ranking of their website but it must be done carefully. Remember that slow and steady wins the race!

Okay, I'm Frustrated With Online Advertising

I know that I generally talk about SEO on this blog, and that's definitely my focus, but I have to tell you that today I logged into my Blogger account(s) and couldn't believe my eyes. My posts automatically had words that were double underlined.

Apparently there was code added to all of my blogger templates for a link advertising type of service. Boy.. those hackers think they're so smart. So I used my limited html experience to find the code and delete it. What did they think? They were going to make money off of my blog?

So I guess the take-away here is that online marketing, seo, etc. is not set and forget... you need to look at it each and every day. The day that you don't, something can happen and it most likely will. I'm fortunate in that you, the reader, have been very helpful in keeping my blogs active, commenting, and giving me a heads up when something doesn't look right - the power of community.

This week, make sure to set up and SEO calendar. What activities do you do daily, weeekly, and monthly to market sure your SEO campaigns continue to add value to your web sites? Follow the schedule and you'll be successful!

Do Follow Blogs - Yeah Baby!

As you know, I'm always looking for new ways to improve search engine rankings and today I'm going to be talking about blogs. Yeah, it is a little ironic considering that I'm blogging talking about blogs but this should make sense once I explain it.

Many blogs allow you to comment to a post. This works for blog readers and blog owners because it facilitates dialogue and provides valuable feedback to anyone interested in a given topic or issue being discussed. The other benefit attributes to the commenter.

When someone comments in response to a blog post, the information is spidered by search engines. Comments may include a link to your website or information you want to share with other readers. If this information is on a "Do Follow" blog, then search engines can index the links. If the information is on a blog that is not do follow, then search engine spiders never access or catalog the link and it is virtually worthless.

So the moral of the story is that if you are using commenting on blogs as a way to build back links to your website, then you want to spend your time commenting to posts on do follow blogs. This proves valuable as search engines spider comments and pass link value back to your website.

Happy commenting!

Improve Website Rankings With This Helpful Tool...

Are you looking for a tool that can give you a really good review and analysis of your current web site? A friend recently asked me for some free tools that would help give him and SEO review of his site and give him specific areas to focus on.

Here are the two tools I recommend. The first is HubSpot. This tool requires you to enter your name, email, and URL. In just a few short seconds, it returns a site analysis that allows you to quickly identify trouble spots related to your website.

My second pick is Website optimization dot com. At this site, you simply enter your URL, captcha text and go... you'll find a full report of website load speeds, objects, etc. I find this tool particularly helpful to ensure that my site is truly optimized.

Enjoy these free tools and recommend some of your own for SEO.

Improve Web Site Rankings In Only 48 Hours

I was recently asked if the claims of achieving top 10 rankings in only 48 hours is possible. There are a number of web site services that offer such "amazing" results. Here's how they do it.

1. They find a keyword phrase that is related to your website that isn't very competitive. Keyword research makes the difference here. You're not going to get top ten rankings for highly competitive terms.

2. Leveraging existing sites. When third parties link to your website, it boosts the ranking of your site on search result lists. Companies offering these services have well established sites they use to begin improving the ranking of your website.

3. Other inbound links. In addition to adding links from their own properties, these sites leverage directories, press releases, and article distribution sites to improve your ranking.

The real issue I have here is that if a company is going to improve where you rank for certain keywords, great. However, if those keywords aren't competitive, won't generate traffic or create the targeted visitors you need, then it's not worth it. Think about this fact before you spend your hard earned money on some seo service.

New: I've started offering SEO training for small to medium sized businesses. Learn more at MarketingScoop.com.

Optimize More Than Your Webpage

Have you ever considered optimizing more than your web page? I've received quite a few questions of late regarding optimization of images for Google's universal and/or image search so I thought I'd address them here.

First of all, to my knowledge, there's no real way to submit your images so you're going to have to optimize them and let Google do the work for you. Here are a few basic guidelines.

1. Make your images large enough. Google seems to favor larger images (above 25o pixels).

2. Label your images correctly. Be sure to put your keyword in the alt text. This helps Google identify the image properly.

3. Make sure the image is related to the content on your page. The content on your page also helps Google determine what the image is about.

4. Place a few other images on the same page. You don't want to pack your pages with too many images but at the same time, help Google by telling them your page isn't not some random attempt at getting a single image indexed.. include a few.

Follow these basic techniques and you'll be optimizing more than just a web page. Images are great for attracting users to your website or blog so give it a try.

Improve Rankings With Paid Links

I'm not a big fan of paid links, but when all else fails, new options look better. I promote links to other web sites on my own web sites and blogs. This is a great way to earn additional income from my web properties and provides other websites with in-bound links from well established sites that carry a Google PR ranking.

...still with me?

Said another way, building links to a web site helps the web site come up higher in search rankings. One of the ways that sites get inbound links is through link exchanges or buying one-way links. The concept of buying links became an issue when Google announced they would penalize sites that were purchasing links.

The link bartering companies have gotten smart now. It's easier than ever to purchase one way links that are manually placed on web sites. This makes buying links more viable than ever. So, if you have it in your budget, and you have the right broker, buying links is now an option in my opinion. However, I do recommend that you exhaust all other opportunities before spending your money.

Social Media and SEO

Can social media help you with your search engine optimization? Only if you're focused on building links. I've been getting a lot of questions lately about social media and how to use it to build rankings and drive traffic to websites.

Personally I think that there is a place for social media with regard to generating both traffic and search rankings. Anyone interested in the power of social media need look no further than Squidoo to find "lenses" ranked in the top 10 positions on Google for competitive search terms and phrases.

Top rankings however aren't going to social media sites alone. Traditional sites still reign supreme. However, by developing groups, pages, lenses, etc., you can improve your ranking. Develop a lense for example and link to your website or page you're trying to promote. In addition, use blogs to promote your services and focus on building links.

Social media can be great for generating traffic and creating awareness. Consider your own behavior on social media sites and determine the best steps for moving forward. Add your comments to this post and share your social media marketing secrets with others...

Original Content Rules the Day

One of the most powerful things you can do to help improve the rankings of your website is to develop original content on a regular basis. A number of websites re-purpose existing content and expect their websites to be ranked in the first position on Google.

The reality is that today's top ranking websites, regardless of niche, publishes original content. Test out this theory and you'll find original content that is created by the website itself or through viral means.

It's essential to consider original content. If this seems burdensome, consider using an article writing service. You can also use Elance or a different service to find individuals who can write your articles for you. If you're interested in the do-it-yourself option, I recommend Unique Article Pro.

Don't underestimate the power of unique content. If you don't want to produce it on your own, ask your website visitors for some. You'd be surprised at how many people are willing to provide content for your website - as long as you provide an author mention or link back to their website or blog.

How To Reach The Top of Google

Google is it. If you can achieve the number one position on Google, you'll get all of the organic traffic you need for success. As a result, billions of dollars are spent each year on search engine optimization and web site development.

Improving your ranking is a journey. Whether you have a website or are planning on building one, you have to consider what resources you need for ranking on top. The good news is that no matter where you are today, it is possible to generate positive results online.

Two areas of focus: On page optimization and Off page optimization. To really make a significant impact on search results, you must focus on what you're doing on your web pages as well as off. Start by analyzing your own website and determining if SEO best practices are being followed.

Once you've made sure that your site is grounded in SEO fundamentals, focus on off page optimization. Off page is really all about building links to your web site. Start building links and you'll achieve the results you're looking for.

Looking to Improve Your Search Ranking?

Announcement: Relaunch of The Webmaster's Book of Secrets.

Are you looking for that one "tell all" guide that will give you an edge when it comes to dominating Google search results? Then you should definitely check out The Webmaster's Book of Secrets. This top selling guide has recently been updated and revels powerful secrets for improving search ranking.

Developed by leading webmasters, the Webmaster's Book of Secrets explains search engine optimization (SEO) in simple terms and more importantly, reveals proven methods for getting any website higher in search result listings.

Apply these techniques quickly as they take you step by step through the website optimization process. Once you break the through to the top position for virtually any keyword or keyword phrase, you'll receive more traffic, conversions, and sales.

Visit The Webmasters Book of Secrets today for FREE search engine optimization lessons and to purchase the leading SEO ebook on the web.

Increase Your Inbound Links Through Press Releases

Did you know that you can improve your search engine rankings quickly with the help of an online press release? A press release is news or information that is being distributed to individuals within the media business.

Many businesses distribute press releases on a regular basis to inform their industry of key changes or information they wish to communicated. Companies are hoping they "get ink" where by a reporter will take notice and publish their news online or in print. Many reporters have come to depend on press releases as a way to find relevant news that is fit to print.

Press releases are rather simple to create and follow a pretty standard format. Many releases include a date, headline, body, and company description. Online releases include the same information with an added feature, a link back to the company's website. The challenge and opportunity with an online press release is to create a release that is newsworthy and finds itself being distributed across the web.

There are literally hundreds of online press release websites designed to guide reporters through a significant amount of clutter to find what is most relevant to their given audience. The benefit to those doing business online is that an additional outlet exists for publishing information about your website or product and building in-bound links to your website at the same time.

If you have something to promote, then learning more about online press releases is where you want to focus your time. Not because of the news factor, but because with each release, you can include a link to your website. This adds a tremendous boost to your website rankings and improves as your releases become more common.

There are a few press release services out there, much like article directories that allow you to submit your release and include a link back to your website. Unlike article directories, many of these sites are not free. However, a small handful cost nothing, dozens charge less than twenty dollars and others will charge more.

When I need to build a ton of back links to my website quickly, I always gravitate toward online press releases. You can implement this today. Do a Google search for free press releases and look at the top 10 results. You will find many that do not charge. Be mindful though that a lot of these sites do not let you include a link unless you are going to pay a fee.

I am comfortable with fees as long as I'm seeing the value. Some sites charge as much as three hundred bucks for a release service but many more charge only a few dollars. The reality is that it doesn't take much to put your SEO efforts into over drive using press release services. Do some research online and start sending out those releases. You will be pleasantly surprised by the results you get.