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Keyword optimization is the process of getting your page into the search engine results for your selected keywords. It is about how search engines determine which pages to display, and how to get them to choose yours. Some of the following you undoubtedly know, but there are a few lesser-known tips here, so at least scan the list.
1. Use your best keyword in your domain name. I stay away from hyphens now, but this is hotly debated. It's hard for return visitors to remember hyphens, so www.themeditationsite.com is probably better than www.the-meditation-site.com. Plus, you can write it as www.TheMeditationSite.com to make the words stand out (but not on html extensions, as they are case-sensitive).
2. Optimize your home page for your best keyword. Put it in your title, headline, first sentence, and near the bottom of the page. Over-all, your top two or three keywords for the page should make up between 5% and 15% of the total words. That's what the term "keyword density" refers to.
3. Optimize each page for one primary keyword. Of course, if you are optimizing for "internet income tips," you are by default optimizing for "internet income," and "income tips." Keep that in mind when researching. If you aren't sure you can compete for "internet income," optimize for "internet income opportunities," since the latter includes the former in any case.
4. Use the keyword in file names. Hyphens probably are a good idea for all pages other than the homepage. For example, htpp://www.dinero.com/internet-income-tips.html might make it easier for the search engines to recognize the keyword "internet income tips."
5. Use the keyword in the title tag. You may be able to squeeze more than one keyword into a title, but keep the total length under 75 characters.
6. Use the keyword in the headline. Keep it under 80 characters, preferably closer to 40, as some search engines will use the headline in their description, and you want the whole thing to show.
7. Use the keyword in the text. Try to keep to one theme per page, and have the primary keyword near the top, and bottom of the page. Other keywords and synonyms should be scattered throughout.
8. Use the keywords in headings. Subtitles, or headings, range from <h1> down to <h6>. If you use page building software, just be aware that search engines pay special attention to the "large" (h3), "larger" (h2) and "largest" (h1) headings. So break up your page on "making money online" with a heading like, "More Ways Of Making Money Online."
I was once having trouble getting pages indexed by MSN. They get around 20% of the internet search traffic in the world, and I could get the home pages of my sites indexed, but the other's took forever to show up. Here's what finally worked:
1. Introduce the page on your home page, and make a link to it. Have the keyword for the page in the "anchor text," the words that are actually in the link. Example: "Be sure to visit my Internet Glossary whenever you don't know a term." The words "internet glossary" are the anchor text, and also the keyword that the page is optimized for.
2. Go to msn.com and search for your site ("themoneymakersite.com"). If it isn't indexed, you'll see "If you cannot find a page that you know exists, send the address to us." Click on that, and enter the full URL of your site (http://www.themoneymakersite.com). MSN has been indexing pages fast, and it will
Once I started doing this, my pages were indexed in days, often with good placement from the start. If you need to remove the link later, you won't be un-indexed, but your ranking might slip.
Next Time: Part 2 of keyword optimization, and how to get traffic with image tags.
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