The best keywords/phrases for your website are not always the keywords you might think are the best. They may not be the keywords with the largest search volume or the keywords with the least amount of competition. They certainly are not the words or phrases that boost your ego and they may not even be the keywords or phrases that seem to be the obvious choice.

The best keywords for SEO are keywords that deliver targeted visitors who are ready to buy your product or service. It doesn’t matter if a keyword has thousands of searches. If the visitors who find your site through that keyword don’t buy your product or service, then the keyword/phrase won’t do you any good. In fact it’s just a colossal waste of time and energy. And if your using PPC then it’s a waste of money too.

When web surfers are ready to buy a product or service they tighten their search criteria because they now know what product or service they want. For example, the web surfer might have decided that he/she wants to purchase a USB stick MP3 player with 1 GB flash RAM. The keywords the web surfer will use are going to be highly targeted for this product, I.E.:

mp3 player 8 GB, mp3 player usb stick, mp player under $100, Trekstor mp3 player, Samsung mp3 player

While targeted keywords often have a much lower search volume than general keywords they lead to more sales, and that my friends is the difference between success and failure. Targeted keywords because of the lower competition are easier to get a top 10 ranking for which makes your SEO work a bit easier.

To help you find targeted keywords/phrases for your business, Google offers the best FREE keyword tool in the world. (I might get some argument about this). I recommend you learn to use either Google’s keyword tool or any keyword research tool of choice to find keywords that are going to turn your non buying visitors into paying customers.

Looking for SEO for your site?

Funny thing about traffic. On the road, we try to avoid it. On the Internet, we always look for more.

Looking for SEO for your site?

Several days ago (1-21-11), Google announced that they are going to fight search engine spam with a renewed vigor in 2011:

As stated by Google:

“We’re evaluating multiple changes that should help drive spam levels even lower, including one change that primarily affects sites that copy others’ content and sites with low levels of original content.

We’ll continue to explore ways to reduce spam, including new ways for users to give more explicit feedback about spammy and low-quality sites.”

What exactly is Google going to do? Could Google consider your website spam? Read the article released by Google to learn more about this change.

If you have a website with high value, original content you’ll have nothing to worry about. As long as your website has content that offers real value to the reader and has back-links from other quality sites, Google will rank your site appropriately. On the other hand, if you are producing sites that offer little value, coping other peoples content, or are trying to cheat Googles Search Engine rules then kiss your Google search results goodbye.

For those that work hard, provide honest content and follow the rules this is great news. If Google can successfully get rid of spammy sites then we will see those sites with quality information rise to the top of search engine results.

Google, the leader in the search engine business continues to make changes in the way they provide users with information. Not everyone agrees with Google and what they do but I believe they have the users best interest at heart.

Here are 3 Blog Post links that announce significant changes Google has made to improve or add to the information provided to their users.

Instant Previews

Webmaster Tools’ Update 

Petits fours in your search results

If you own a website it would behove you to read about the recent changes Google has made. Keeping abreast of changes made by Google can be beneficial to your bottom line.

If you’re thinking about registering multiple TLD’s with your domain name, you’ve got the right idea. Registering and using multiple domain names for your website is a great strategy for building your web business. It also provides a bit of insurance for preventing others from cybersquatting your success.  

When you register multiple domain names, you can:

• Keep your competition from registering a domain name that draws customers to them instead of you.
• Promote the different products and services you offer.
• Drive more traffic to your main website from different channels .
• Enjoy more opportunities to market to — and be listed in — search engines.
• Create distinct advertising strategies that reach different target markets.
• Provide customers more ways to find you when searching the Internet.
• Capture common misspellings of your domain name, instead of sending visitors to an error page.
• Protect your brand and online identity from those who may have unsavory purposes.

You may think it’s an expensive proposal to own multiple domains but in reality it’s very cheap. Domains range from around $7.00 – $15.00 per year with the average cost at about $10.00. If you ever have to buy a domain name from someone that acquired a TLD you need or want for your business it may cost you $1000′s. You don’t necessarily need to own every possible TLD for your business but the .com, .net, .org, .info, and .biz TLD’s are wise choices.

“Google accounted for 71.43 percent of all U.S. searches conducted in the four weeks ending Aug. 1, 2010. Yahoo! Search, Bing and Ask received 14.43 percent, 9.86 percent and 2.32 percent, respectively. The remaining 70 search engines in the Hitwise Search Engine Analysis Tool accounted for 1.94 percent of U.S. searches.”  9-2010

There are many people making lots-o-$$s with affiliate marketing. However like any money making technique, affiliate marketing takes lots of effort and dedication. Simply putting links on your website to an advertisers website is not enough to generate more then a buck or two per month. 

Your site has to add some value to the equation. What this means is your site has to offer useful content related to the product or service offer. If your site is about gardening and your affiliate offers are for cable TV or some other unrelated product you are unlikley to be successful. On the other hand, if your affiliate offers are related to better gardening products or services then your conversion rate will be much higher.  

In addition affiliate marketing requires allot of web traffic. Generally the conversion rate (people becoming buyers) is low. In order to generate enough buyers to make money you’ll need to bring 150 or more visitors a day to your site. Don’t get discouraged though, there are many people making a decent living from affiliate marketing. Just know that there is much work to do to be successful.

The best tip I can offer is to align yourself with a good affiliate marketing network. An affiliate marketing network is a company that acts as market maker between advertisers who need affiliates and publishers who wish to earn revenue as an affiliate. There are hundreds of these networks, the largest of which are Commission Junction and Clickbank but there are many more that offer great service.

Many affiliate networks offer tips, guiadance and general help to their affiliates. If you are new to affiliate markering it is a good idea to align yourself with a network that provides assistance for becoming successful. Keep in mind that they are not going to train you or hold your hand. If you become to much of a burden on an affiliate manager they will not be so likely to be helpful.

There is plenty of free information on the web to help get you started in the affiliate marketing business. Here are some keywords to use for searching and finding information about this exciting way to earn income.

affiliate marketing, affiliate marketing help, how to become an affiliate marketer – I’m sure you can think of a few others.  

The single most important graphic element on your Website or blog is, without a doubt, your header graphic.

If your site lacks an eye-catching, targeted and topic-specific header graphic, it runs the risk of being ignored by untold numbers of potential clients and readers. But an attention-grabbing, well-designed header graphic does three things that are absolutely essential for your site to survive and thrive:

Grab your FREE copy of the easiest to use header design tool on the market today. The low cost paid version comes with 5000 Amazing Headers templates!!

1. It lets people know what your site is about instantaneously.

Congratulations, someone has visited your Web site! Now, whether he stays to look around or immediately hits the back button to escape depends largely on your header graphic.

Your header graphic is the first page element your site visitors will see when they arrive at your Web site or blog. An effective header graphic assures site visitors that they have arrived at the correct destination and it confirms that your content or product is exactly what they are looking for.

If your header does not clearly communicate your site’s topic, visitors will leave in search of another site that fulfills their needs and expectations better.

2. It distinguishes your site as professional and authoritative.

Your Web site or blog visitors must trust your expertise, whether you sell a product or relay information, in order for your site to be successful.

A sloppy, fuzzy, boring or poorly designed header graphic indicates amateur site management and will earn you the skepticism of everyone who sees it. A polished, error-free header graphic with clear images, sharp fonts and site-specific art, however, will earn your visitors’ trust because it lends credibility and sophistication to your site.

If your site design looks professional, visitors will expect that you are, too.

3. It brands your site with a unique identity.

Identity recognition is everything when it comes to building a successful business or personal reputation. You want your site visitors to be able to recognize your site next week, next month and next year, even if they only visited it once before.

A strong, unique header graphic combined with a positive user experience at your Web site or blog will ensure that your site visitors never confuse you with someone else. If your header graphic is doing its job, your site will stand out from the crowd and convey the message that visitors can count on you for products, services and information they won’t find anywhere else.

Great Header graphics for your site are essential. Here’s a low cost tool that’s makes it easy to create professional headers for your site or blog!