Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Helps Determine Success

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the key to getting your site noticed.

After you've decided on a topic (key word phrase) for your page, you'll write the text and add images.

You'll craft the text so that it provides readers with the benefits they will receive from purchasing your product.

The next step is to examine the page carefully. You need to evaluate it's search engine optimization. You must determine if the key word phrase that describes your page is properly positioned.

Search engines use algorithms, computer evaluation techniques, to determine the subject of your page. These algorithms evaluate sections of your page to determine how your page will be indexed in the search engine's database. This determines how your page or site will come up in search results.

A beautiful page that clearly describes the benefits of your product will not sell your product if your site is not in the top 10, 20, or 30 search results.

Just think about your own searches. How many times do you click to see the next set of 10 pages?

Usually, you only click beyond the second page of search results when you are looking for your own site. It's frustrating to look at page after page of results and not see your site. I know all about that.

Though you probably cannot see the pages in the above image, my site is in the top 5 for the competitive key work phrase "cheap long distance". (It's now number one!)

There are basically two things I did to achieve this position.

1. Optimize my page for search engines
2. Obtain reciprocal links from similar sites

Let me briefly explain these important points.

First, I craft the text and images on my page. The text is what describes the benefits and sells the product.

Then I run the page through an automated page critic, Web Position Gold.

Web Position Gold examines each area of my page to determine if the key word phrase I have chosen is positioned optimally.

I have to admit that on almost every page there are a number of items that could have been positioned better.

For example, let's take the general text of a page. Mentioning your key word phrase is most important near the top of your page. There is a statistic in Web Position Gold that let's you know how the positioning of your key word phrase compares to that of competing sites. It also shows how your positioning compares to average sites with top ranking.

Most times I have to edit my page to remove some occurrences of my key word phrase from the bottom of my page. Often I can replace those occurrences with synonyms that will still convey the meaning I intend.

If needed, I can add an occurrence of the key word phrase near the top of the page to improve Web Position Gold's score.

This is just one example of how I use Web Position Gold.

Web Position Gold evaluates every area of your page and compares each area to the competition as well as to averages of top sites. It has a list of recommendations as well as general suggestions for each search engine.

If you want to make money, you'll use Web Position Gold. You can download a trial version for free.

Another important criteria in determining where your site will show up in search results is the number of other sites linking to your site.

Most people use reciprocal links to get others to link to them. A reciprocal link is simply an exchange of links. You agree that you will link to another site if that site links to your site. I have written a reciprocal links script that helps perform that function. You upload the script to your Unix server. A configuration file should be edited to describe the specifics of your site.

Click to see more details about the reciprocal links script.