Top 3 SEO Tips of 2008

You have to read this article by by Scott Jason about the Top 3 SEO Tips of 2008 This will help you to get the best in this blogging world.

Since 1998 I've spent the first several months of each year looking for the very best search engine optimization (SEO) tips of the previous year's end. This year I've come across the best SEO tips yet.

SEO Tip #1: Make Google Alerts Your Personal Online Spy

Google Alerts is a great way to let the world's biggest search engine be your personal online spy. This takes search engine optimization insider info to whole new level. Here's an excerpt straight from Google....

"Google Alerts are email updates of the latest relevant Google results (web, news, etc.) based on your choice of query or topic.

Some handy uses of Google Alerts include:

* monitoring a developing news story
* keeping current on a competitor or industry
* getting the latest on a celebrity or event
* keeping tabs on your favorite sports teams"

As you probably guessed, it's the second one we care about most, "keeping current on a competitor or industry."

Here's how it works... Each time Google finds a reference to the query or topic you request you will be sent an email with the details. This is like having an online spy to make sure competitors are not using your protected keywords (trademarked names, company names, etc.) It's also an instant identifier to know when your site or product is mentioned in a news story or even when a topic is hot so you can take advantage of the situation. It's the easiest way in the world to stop competitors' dirty tricks and identify trends that you can take instant advantage of.

It's fast, free and works every minute of every day. Let Google Alerts (http://www.google.com/alerts) do your most time consuming legwork while you reap the rewards!

SEO Tip #2: Optimize Your 404 Page and Always Be Found

"Error 404: Page Not Found" is a blessing that most Webmasters curse. Why? Getting a visitor on any page of your site is fantastic! Don't blow the opportunity. Not only can you make your "404" page a valuable sales tool, you can use the following search engine optimization techniques to attract customers in droves.

A.) Use your main keyword in your title, add a "pipe" (usually above the Enter key) and then use your secondary keyword. Here's as example for an SEO site "SEO - Search Engine Optimization Tips"

B.) Add some keyword rich content using one to two keywords for the page. If you have less than 250 words on the page, just use one keyword and use it no more than three times total. Bold the first use and italicize the second or third use. Keep in mind this is an "inactive" page so simply tell the visitor what your site is about and whet their appetite with a good description. Something like this works well... "Thank you for visiting SEO (bold) Group, Inc. We are sorry you landed on a missing page but don't worry, if you're looking for the very best search engine optimizations tips (bold), you're at the right place..." This will go on for a couple paragraphs or as long as you'd like then end it with something to the effect of "Please Click Here (link) to visit our site map or click any link to the left."

C.) Add your site's standard navigation system (bar, column, etc.) as mentioned above.

D.) Make the look and feel of the customized 404 page match your main site as closely as possible with a template, matched palette, cascading style sheets, etc.

E.) Create a link to the site map page if available, and make the link easy to find. You want your visitor off the 404 page and into your main content as quickly as possible.

Setting up a custom 404 page link usually takes less than five minutes on most major Web hosting companies like Godaddy.com. But whatever it takes, it's worth the effort.

SEO Tip #3: Get (Even More) Serious About Linking

I saved the most important for last. If you want to do well on any search engine, especially Google, linking is THE single MOST important thing you can do. It's that simple.

Here are the five things you MUST do to make your site #1 on Google:

A.) Find the highest page rank sites linking to your site AND your competitors' sites.

B.) Run monthly link campaigns and snatch up the best of the above identified Web sites.

C.) Run regular checks on what pages are still linking back to your site. Alsomake sure they did not move you from a high page rank page to a lower one (don't get cheated!)

D.) Eliminate any penalized sites you link to; ASAP!

E.) Check your search engine ranking AND your competitor's for each of your keywords every week. Do this, at the minimum, for Google, Yahoo, MSN and Alta Vista.

Inside Tip: Keeping up can be a lot of work so a lot of SEO Consultants (myself included) use SEO Elite (http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com) to do all the most difficult and time consuming work.

One last thing to know is that Google was originally a college student's project created for the sole purpose of defining a Web site's value by the sites that link to it. Twelve years later this is still it's main job. Linking is EVERYTHING to Google.

These few SEO tips are the very best of the best so use them wisely. Best of luck!

About The Author

An original founder of one of the first internationally established SEO companies (DotCom Pirates); Scott Jason is a highly successful SEO Copywriter and renowned researcher and the founder of http://BestSEOCopywriting.com

New Breakthrough "Forced Money" System Just Released!

There's a "new" kind of website these days - one that "FORCES" money into your pocket!

The days are now over where you were left with just "chance" on your side when it came to making money on the Internet.

A brand new "technology" has been developed that makes websites pay you by "force!"

Short of putting a gun to people's heads and making them take their money out of their wallets and pay you without choice, this new technology might as well be the exact same thing.

This breakthrough was developed by a New York Virtual Marketing Firm, and is taking the Web by storm!

Already some pretty famous names are taking note of this new "money making invention" that "forces" money out of the Internet directly into your bank account!

A spokesperson for the NYC firm boasted proudly:

"Imagine the Worldwide-Web as an ocean of money ... our new technology merely makes a way for YOU to be able to dig a big trench from that 'cash-sea' directly into your backyard!"

And that's obviously a pretty amazing feat to say the very least!

People get a webpage that's NOT ordinary by any means!

The webpage "captures" a huge segment of the daily visitors it receives and winds up upselling them repeatedly with a predictable conversion each and every time!

Plus, the webpage has a "built-in" device that allows it to generate "free traffic" without end!

So considering the fact that you get free traffic, along with a predictable and steady stream of sales conversions, you get a guaranteed source of endless income!

Additionally, the webpage you get already contains a PROVEN digital product that no online marketer can live without, and one that is delivered where all your orders are filled automatically by another firm on behalf of you, the webpage owner! (And at no costs!)

Not only that, but the webpage contains a video that makes further an irresistible offer so that people must surrender their contact information, and which also becomes a VAST double-optin list!

This list is maintained by yet another separate online firm on your behalf, and that has the HIGHEST track record for getting over 98% deliverability for follow-up emailings (the same that convert another 378% more sales for you!)

So in a nutshell you get:

o An amazing website!
o A website that converts sales automatically!
o A website that puts "forced" money directly into your pocket!
o A website that's run by another firm for you (at NO charge!)
o A website that continues to promote for you over & over!
o A website that grows & cultivates a proven list!
o A website that functions automatically (so you never run it!)
o And a website that you get Free H0STING for!

So as you can easily see you get the whole "Sha-Bang!"

Here are just a few examples of the successes people are having using this "Forced Money" breakthrough system:

---> "Lisa C." Made $44,047 In Just 97 Days
---> "Jay R." Made $102,033 In Just 32 Days
---> "Cal W." Made $317,951 In Just 17 Days

Without wasting another moment of your time, why not go to the new site that shows you how you can get this site for yourself (if you'd like) for next to nothing? ...

~~~> click here "Forced Money" Website

*But I must warn you that they are only giving away a very limited number of these "forced money" websites that forcibly pour money into your pocket! - So please [for your sake] HURRY!

What Google Thinks Of Your Site?

How Google views your site does matter if you want to succeed online because Google has become the dominant search engine on the web. It now has over 60% of the U.S. search engine market. In other countries around the world that percentage rises to 80% or more. In addition, the Google Brand Name has solidly permeated the popular psyche and any top rankings within Google will bring much weight and prestige along with all that traffic.

If you're a webmaster, you will already know how vital Google is to the success of your site, especially if you rely upon organic keyword rankings for your traffic. This free organic traffic from Google is highly desired by webmasters because it is extremely targeted and delivers high conversion rates.

In trying to reach the highest rankings possible, I (like most webmasters) have to be constantly aware of what Google thinks of my site and content. As a webmaster and marketer I have always geared my onlíne marketing towards Google. I have spent years building my keyword rankings within Google; if you take out the fact that it has nearly driven me insane, it has mostly been a positive experience.

This experience has also shown me it is indeed important for anyone to know how Google views and rates your site or content. The more knowledge you have, the better able you will be to tackle any obstacles and challenges that will come your way.

SERPs Is The Only Opinion That Counts

And like most webmasters, I try to find out as much about Google as is humanly possible, but Google doesn't give up its secrets easily. In fact, many webmasters would argue the only true opinion Google has of your site is shown in their SERPs - if your keywords/pages are ranked in the number one spots in Google's "Search Engine Results Pages" then Google must think your site or content deserves to be there.

However, there are other ways of finding out how Google is viewing your content. Below are several Google webmaster tools and things you can do to discover just how Google views your site or pages. They will give you a better picture of what Google thinks about your site.

Checking Your Content/Keywords In Google

One handy tool that will show you what Google thinks your pages consist of is located here:

https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal

Just type in your URL and tick off website content and you will get a listing of the major keywords Google has for your content. If your targeted keyword or keywords are not listed, then you have to do some re-writing.

Checking Your Backlinks In Google

If you want to find out how many backlinks your site has in Google, just open up Google Search and type in:

link:yourURL

and it will show you the number of backlinks you have.

Since Google doesn't give you all your existing backlinks, many webmasters also use Yahoo! to find a more exact number of links your site has on the web.

Just open Yahoo! and type in: linkdomain:yourURL

Now whether Google is using or considering all these backlinks is the big question? Finding the exact number of backlinks you have in Google has always been a problem because Google is not giving you the exact number or at least this is the general opinion of most SEO experts.

Another way I monitor my links in Google is to place quotation marks around my site name or my name "bizwaremagic" or "titus hoskins" and do a search in Google. This gives me the pages containing references to me or my site. This is usually 50,000 to 100,000 pages, I have also noticed my online income usually correlates as this number goes up or down.

Checking Your Indexed Pages In Google

Obviously, it is very important for you to know what content the search engines have indexed from your site. You can also check to see how your links are displayed and to see if any titles or descriptions are missing from your pages.

You can see how many of your pages are indexed in Google by using the site command.

Just type into Google Search:

site:yourURL

A little while back, having your pages indexed in Google's Supplemental Index caused webmasters much stress as it seemed Google was judging these pages as "second class" pages. Since then, Google no longer uses the Supplementary Label in grading pages but that doesn't mean a supplementary index doesn't exist; just that Google has promised to crawl and consider these pages as well in any search query.

Checking Your Google Cache

You can also check to see the Google Cache of your site by using the cache command. You will also discover when it was last retrieved.

Just type into Google Search:

cache:yourURL

Checking Your PageRank Within Google

Another tricky issue is PageRank. This is supposed to be the heart of Google's ranking system created by Larry Page and Sergey Brin; each link is considered a "vote" for your page and the higher the number of "votes" you have, the higher the PR your page receives. However, again Google is using "smoke and mirrors" to conceal your true PageRank mainly to cut out abuse and manipulation of their results. Some experts say PageRank still counts, other say it doesn't.

You can check your Google PageRank here:

http://www.iwebtool.com/pagerank_checker

From my own experiences, I have receíved more traffic when my site was at PR4 than I receíved when it was at PR6. What's important is getting high rankings for your targeted keywords... if you get top spots, it doesn't matter if your main index page (site) is PR4 or PR6, you'll still get the same amount of traffic. In other words, don't become too fixated on PageRank because Google in many cases is not letting you see the true PR of a webpage.

I would like to add one point to the whole PageRank issue and that has to do with perception. If you're running an online business, then having a PR8 site does matter for it will bring in more business and customers (especially if you're in the SEO industry) mainly because of the "perceived value" of your site or business.

What Google thinks does matter!

In other words, what Google thinks of your site can play a major role in your success. Mainly because, like it or hate it, Google has become the supreme authority on the web and what they say, counts. Therefore, you should always be paying special attention to just what Google is saying about your site and acting upon that knowledge accordingly.

About The Author
The author is a full-time online marketer who has numerous websites. For the latest web marketing tools try: Marketing Tools. Everyone is profiting from Google, find out how you can too! Clíck here: Google Cash File

Most Common SEO Mistakes

You've heard many people talk about search engine optimization and its importance in the visibility of your website. Well, it is vital to your website, but there are certain rules to follow and certain techniques that are important to avoid at all cost. Here we will discuss some of the most common mistakes made by so called SEO 'experts', companies claiming to specialize in SEO, and even your average web developer alike.

The first and probably the most common mistake is improper utilization of the title tag or ignoring it altogether. The title tag is the browser title that appears within your website. It is considered very important by search engines and is used to decipher the relevancy of your site. Therefore, ensure that you do have a title tag and also that it contains your most important keywords and not just a generalized term or your company name. If you want to include your company name, you may do so, but place it near the end of the title, giving your keywords more importance at the beginning. The search engines will decide the importance of each word in your title based on its placement near the beginning.

The second most common error is the misuse or lack of proper keywords. Many companies try to use the more sought after keywords in their meta tags and descriptions in attempt to generate more traffic to their site, but if your company has nothing to do with these keywords, this traffic will be meaningless and a waste of valuable resources. Try to focus on the main topics directly related to your business and your website and find keywords that reflect these, but at the same time, are not overused or too broad in their meaning. For example, if you renovate kitchens in New York City, do not put as your keyword, kitchen, because this is too broad a title and will result in too much competition. Narrow down your keywords so that the traffic generated will be searching for specifically what you have to offer in that area, if appl icable. There are also programs and websites that can help you determine good keywords for your site, (www.wordtracker.com).

Another common practice is known as 'black hat SEO'. This refers to frowned upon methods used by certain companies in order to push your site to the top of the search engines. These methods include doorway pages, cloaking, spamming, using link farms and linking schemes, as well as invisible text. Doorway pages are 'fake' pages built into the website that only the search engine spiders can see. A different page is seen by the human viewer. These 'fake' pages are usually filled with keywords and descriptions, trying to trick the spider into giving you a higher page ranking. Cloaking is a form of the doorway page technique, in that the content presented to the search engine is different from the content seen by the viewer. Spamming is when multiple keywords are placed in the content of the page and in the code, making it unreadable but geared towards the search engines. Link farms and linking schemes refer to different websites offering links and linking techniques whose primary goal is to try to control and manipulate the search engine rankings. They offer tons of links but no real, valuable content. Lastly, some SEO companies will place invisible text on your site that is visible to the search engines but not to the viewer, ie.white text on a white background. All of these 'black hat' techniques are highly discourages and can often lead to your site being banned from major search engines or black listed. Once this has occurred it is very hard to undo, therefore be very careful, and make sure that the person or company taking care of your SEO is not employing these methods.

Fourthly, you often hear of companies advertising a fixed price to submit your site to hundreds of search engines as well as a promise to give you a top ten ranking and to resubmit your site whenever necessary. First of all, no company can promise you a ranking in the top ten. The search engines are constantly changing their criteria and algorithms used to decipher the rankings of each site and the only way that a company could even come close to being able to promise this is if they are using the 'black hat' techniques previously described. If this is the case, you may get lucky and appear in the top ten for a short while, but it will not last long, and you will quickly be bumped when the search engines realize what is happening. On top of which, you will permanently damage the image of your company on the web, so it is definitely not recommended. Another important factor to consider is that there are only about ten to twelve top search engines on the web, and most of the other search engines get their information from these top ten, therefore it is not necessary to have your site submitted to hundreds of search engines. Being listed in the top ten is more than enough. Lastly, when a company continually resubmits your site to the search engines, it is actually detrimental to your website, contrary to what many think. The search engines constantly update their information by going through your website every so often therefore it is not necessary to continually attempt to resubmit your information to them. Also, many search engines will ban you if you attempt to submit too often. The only time you ever need to resubmit to a search engine is if you have changed your url or if for some reason your website has been removed from the search engine. Otherwise, once you are there, you are there for good. For your reference, the top search engines on the web currently are: Google, Yahoo, MSN Search (top three), and then AltaVista, Direct Hit, Fast, Netscape, HotBot / AOL, Inktomi, Lycos, Ask Jeeves, and Open Directory. All of these will take time to index your site once you have submitted to them, so be patient, do not resubmit. The times vary from 1-10 weeks, depending. Google is usually 2-5 weeks and Yahoo 4-6 weeks.

Another common mistake is the overuse of images or flash content on your website. Of course, pictures and a flash intro look nice to the viewer, but they are not search engine friendly. Search engines are based on textual content and are not able to recognize flash or images and consequently will not use them when indexing your site. Therefore, try to minimize your use of images and flash, and try to ensure that the images you do have contain some text description in the form of alt tags.

In terms of site layout, you often see links from the home page leading to other pages in the site that are of relevance. One common mistake made in the development of the website is the usage of links that read "click here" instead of just underlining the actual title of the l ink. People are familiar enough with the web to know that an underlined title most often contains a link to the relevant page, therefore there is no need to place this type of link, and more importantly, search engines use your internal links in helping them decide your ranking, and having a link that says "click here" is completely useless to the search engine. Therefore, ensure that all your links have a clear and concise link title.

Finally, the biggest mistake that companies make in SEO is that they try to optimize their site for one specific search engine or focus more on the optimization itself than the actual content of the website. It is said that the best way to boost your rankings on the web, other than basic SEO, is to have good, original content that is constantly updated and user friendly. If your site is built in a way that it provides useful information to people searching the web, information that is not readily available on hundreds of other sites, and is easy to navigate, people will want to use your website and it will naturally go up in the rankings. Also, optimizing your site for one specific search engine is not recommended as each search engine has its own techniques for ranking websites, and optimizing your site for one search engine will not necessarily make it optimized for another.

In conclusion, SEO is necessary for your website, but due to the popularity of the web and the high competition, there are many unethical practices being used in order to boost website rankings. Refrain from using these 'black hat' methods, and stick to the basics, remembering that good, original content, and patience is imperative when it comes to success on the web. If you develop your site in a way that caters to the user in its content and usability, and you maintain it properly and update it regularly, you will obtain the desired results in due time.

About the Author:

Melanie Kanis http://www.synaxiom.com/ . I grew up in Montreal Quebec and became part of a growing web consulting firm called Synaxiom Media Group. This company gave me the opportunity to explore my talents and expand my knowledge. I have done a lot of research on the internet, common search engine optimization techniques and web design. I hope that my articles will be able to guide others when making educated decision on web projects.