Arrghh!! Run away… it’s a monster!

No it’s not… it’s just SEO. That’s all.

(Although it does LOOK a bit like a monster, I’ll grant you that!)

SEO (which stands for Search Engine Optimization) is such a ‘hot topic’ today that every Internet Marketer wants a piece of what it can do. So many people have tried to use SEO techniques and a lot have succeeded…
…but many more have failed.

So, why is SEO such an essential concept?

SEO is so important for any Internet Marketer. The whole concept is about improving the volume of traffic to your site or blog from search engines.

The purpose is this: the higher the volume of your traffic, the higher your rank will be in the search engine results and listings. The higher your rank is, the more visitors you will have on your site. That would then fuel your site’s success, whatever your site or niche is. So basically, SEO can take your site (and your business!) to a whole new level.

However, SEO implementation is NOT that simple. SEO involves serious internet marketing and technical skills. You should have HTML coding knowledge, basic at least. More than that, SEO requires time and money. If you just spend money and then don’t know what to do next, you will probably have to face the sickly melody of failure.

To be successful in SEO, as an Internet Marketer, you should be hardworking, attentive to details, and patient. None of this is going to happen overnight. You have to plant the seeds today, tomorrow and every day after that and then reap the rewards over time.

Please note: I’m NOT an SEO expert by any means. I, just like many Internet Marketers, pay someone who IS an expert to tackle all of that for me. But I have gathered quite a chunky base of knowledge over the past 12 months so I’ve put together ‘10 Tips For SEO Success’!

Marc Milburn’s ‘10 Tips For SEO Success’

1. Content – Content is a very important aspect of SEO. Visitors go to your site for its content, that is why search engines crawl your content and tell people what it is all about. So the more sense, value and meaning your content brings, the more visitors will browse through it – and the higher rank it will become.

2. Web Design – Before you can post content and perform SEO, you should be able to know the basics of web design. Website design plays a big role in your sites ranking chances. You need to be able to decide what to show visitors and what to hide.

3. Free Tools – Try a Google search for the phrase ‘SEO tools’ and you have millions of search results. Yes, there are a lot of tools for SEO out there, most of them for sale. This is one tricky part of SEO. As a businessman, you should be able to know the uses of a certain tool with respect to your needs. You may not know it, but most of the time the benefits that an expensive tool can give you may also be available in a free tool. Be wise.

4. Slow but Sure Link Building – A number of Internet marketers have been penalized by search engines due to excessive link building. To be successful, you shouldn’t rush. Google, for instance, would become suspicious and drawn to your site if a ton of links point to your site right after you build it. Do it slow, but constant. No one wants to be banned!

5. Keyword Research – Keyword research is the one step in SEO that could make or break your campaign. You should be very careful doing the research for target keywords. Know the basics, like search volumes, CPA, competitors, etc. Use Google’s keyword tool.

6. Site Speed – This might be a new aspect of SEO, but it strikes me as important due to the fact that Google has introduced site speed as a new criteria in determining page ranks. So before you start, be sure you can invest for your site speed. No slow loading websites please!

7. Submissions – Submitting your site to site directories may require a lot of work but it is effective. People search those directories, so why not try submitting your site, it is definitely worth the work.

8. Advertisements – If possible, put advertisements to your site. This will greatly help your site to rank in search engines. Learn the best ways to put ads to your site.

9. Keyword Rich Content – Before you start your SEO campaign, the first thing you should do is research for keywords. But the process does not end there, you should be able to use your keywords the right way to optimize your content. Be sure to put some keywords on your pages, posts, and articles. Another thing is you must know how to make links out of your keywords and tags. However, there is a constant battle… you need to ensure that your writing makes sense to humans, whilst using as many keywords as possible. Remember your work must be comprehendible to humans too… they will be buying your stuff, after all!

10. Constantly Update – Like the Internet itself, SEO concepts change with respect to time. The key here is to constantly study and update yourself of the latest about SEO. Be sure to know what is working and what is not. Don’t be left behind. Even the tips in this blog post could be here today, gone tomorrow. Who knows>!

So remember, SEO is NOT a monster, but it can be difficult and complicated. Read everything you can on the subject, and ask the experts. Seek advice, and be willing to pay for it to be done properly. SEO has its ways of making you look good in the Internet Marketing world, but with that come ‘traps’ that could ‘catch you out’ and cost you a lot of wasted time and investment.

The solution is pretty plain and simple: Study, Try, Test and Update.

Hope that all helps you out. If you have any additional hints or tips then please leave a comment. I’d love your feedback!