Linkbacks and SEO

Despite popular belief, search engine optimization isn’t entirely free. In fact, some companies spend tens of thousands of dollars each year trying to get their websites ranked in the number one position organically. This is not only expensive, but can take loads of time. If you think SEO is free, than think again. However, if you have the time to spend, you sure can save a lot.

Make sure to start your search engine optimization efforts with keyword research. Many SEO experts don’t spend a lot of time on keyword selection but it is by far the most important aspect of SEO. The reason is that optimizing for the wrong keyword means a lot of wasted effort resulting in little or no traffic. You want to find a keyword or keyword phrase that is relevant to your audience, has a high search volume, and very little competition. As you might have already figured out, finding the right keyword can be a real challenge. Start with effective keyword research and your SEO efforts will be successful.

Once you’ve done the initial keyword research, its time to start investigating your competition for that given keyword. Do a search for the keyword or keyword phrase you’ve chosen and evaluate the websites that appear in the first three positions. You’ll want to evaluate on page factors as well as optimization factors like the number of inbound links to their website and directory listing. This research gives you a good understanding of your competition.

Another good way to learn about your competition is with the help of Alexa. Alexa is a website about other websites. Essentially, you can learn a lot about those websites you’re trying to outrank by collecting data related to web site age and the number of site’s linking in. I only compete with websites that have a small number of competing pages and in bound links. As a result of doing my research and finding the keywords that match this criteria, I almost always achieve number one rankings.

At the point when you’ve decided which keyword phrase gives you the best chance for success, it’s time to start focusing on making your site easy to read and easily navigated by search engine spiders. Consider designing you site with particular attention to navigation, meta tags, headings, keyword density and other on page factors. Once you site is well designed, its time to focus on building links from high authority websites. This signals search engines that your site has important content that delivers value to browsers and therefore improves rankings.

Without a doubt the most important factor in Google rankings is a combination of Google page rank and the number of web sites that are linking to your own website. Referred to as inbound links, Google evaluates their authority and rewards your site with higher listings on search results. You are always better off receiving links from sites that are established and popular than new sites that have neither a strong web presence or inbound links. When link building be certain that link text includes your keywords.

As you focus on SEO your chances of improving rankings increases twofold. Search engine optimization is ideal for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a great deal of money on performance based advertising like Google Adwords. Instead of spending cash, spend time and energy on improving organic rankings. Pay attention to on page optimization factors and start researching and contacting other sites for link building. This will enhance website value and improve rankings.