Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Keyword Research is the Basis for All Things Internet

Keywords can mean the difference between getting indexed and getting buried on the internet. The right keywords can lift your site up in ranking and get it in front of the people you want. Keyword research is key -  yes I said it - to knowing which words carry the most SEO juice and power for your site. It is more than just plugging words into a search engine and notating the amount of hits they get, it is well thought out and requires a bit of planning and time commitment on your part.

dhats.com
First make a list of the words you think will do well. Now expand that list into words that are related to these words. Don't forget the variables and plurals. Once you have this list go to a keyword research tool like Google's Adwords Keyword Tool. These tools don't really tell you the hits that keywords get, they tell you the expected hits that these words may get based on recent searches.

As you go through your list you'll find more words to explore. Keep a list and edit it as you find different words that will work for your site and delete the ones that are not expected to perform well. Once you have a master list of keywords you're ready to write your content.

Now, listen carefully! DO NOT use keyword stuffing! Did you hear me? No matter how tempting it may be to string a list of keywords together...don't do it! The other day I was doing research for an article and I came across an article that was almost totally made up of keywords and search phrases (search phrases will be covered in another post). Did I stay on the page, of course not! Did it rank well in the search engines...well yeah...but it was used as a vehicle for backlinks. Absolutely useless for a human visitor and in time it will be useless for the search engines spiders. This type of page brings quick results. The page was in the top 5 listings, but now long will it be there? If what Google publishes on their Webmaster pages is correct, not long at all.

When you write your content let if flow naturally. I know I've used the word, keywords, quite a bit in this post, but it isn't forced and the prose - hopefully - flows naturally. Good quality content is one of the most powerful SEO tools your site can have. If you don't want to do keyword research, it is time consuming and a tad boring, hire professionals to do it for you. If you don't want to write your own content, hire professional writers to do it for you. See the drift here? If you don't have time or don't feel like you have the talent, there are qualified professionals who do this for a living that can help you out.

So remember, keywords are key - I did it again - and using the right words can make or break your SEO juice. The right words can also move your visitors to stay on your site and become customers. The Cutting Edge Pros can help your with your keyword research and provide you with quality content to make your site rise to the top of the SEO pile. 

Sunday, November 21, 2010

5 Tips for SEO Anyone Can Use

So called web experts would have you believe that SEO is akin to magic or a dark mysterious art. No, it’s not. Organic SEO is straightforward and is not hard to do for the average person. It does take work and it will produce results. Here are five things that you can do on your website to increase its page rank.


  1. Place good content on your site. Good content can do more for your SEO than anything else. What do I mean by good content? Interesting and engaging content that is well written and has the proper keywords and search phrases. Do keyword research and keep your most effective keywords and phrases near the top of your pages. Search engines read pages and sites from top to bottom and from front to back. Don’t write for search engines, write for people and keep your site up to date.

  1. Include location names in your pages and keywords. Google puts a heavy weight on locations. Include locations in your page names and in your content to get your site in front of people in your area.

  2. Do your links work? Periodically check the links on your site to be sure they aren’t broken or lead to nowhere. Search engines follow your links and penalize you if they are broken.

  1. A blog improves your SEO if you post at least three times a week. This shows the search engines that your site is active and can help to build a community on your site. Make your posts interesting and not just commercials for your products. Be creative and add images and videos. Ask for comments and join in the discussion.

  1. Post original high quality articles on article directories with links pointing back to your site. This gives you the power of inbound links and can create interest in your site. Use articles to become an expert in your field and write about a variety of subjects relating to your industry.

All of these tips you can do yourself or you can hire an experienced SEO firm to do the work for you. One other tip to add is to make use of social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. These are powerful SEO tools that can help your page rank and draw visitors to your site.


Sunday, September 26, 2010

Keep Church and State Separate

The recent news of the Texas legislature approving the ban on textbooks that put Christianity in a bad light is a giant red flag to the rest of the country, or at least it should be. We are a nation founded on religious freedom. Yes most of the founding fathers were Christians, but they had the foresight to know that a state mandated religion was bad news. We need to look no further than the Taliban to see what a forced religious mandate does to a country and a people. As American we should be diligent to see that the separation of church and state is maintained.

I am a Christian and my faith is very important to me and yes I wish everyone believed as I do. But I know they don't and all of the laws and force in the world will not change that fact. In my opinion it is my Christian duty to treat everyone with respect. And part of the involves respecting their beliefs. I may not agree with you and I may tell you my beliefs, but I am not going to force them upon you.

Thursday, June 17, 2010

What Can Search Engine Optimization Do For Your Business?

This article outlines the need for effective SEO for your website. It is well written and worth a look.

What Can Search Engine Optimization Do For Your Business?

Friday, June 4, 2010

International Fame!


I wish! Actually I'm tooting my own horn here. I've been pubished in an Australian emag,
Vitality Bulletin. My articles are on pages 9-10 and 12-13. I'm listed as a Contributing Author on page 3. This is the first edition of the emag and I hope to be asked to write more. It is all about natural health and nutrition, a subject that I've been interested in for quite a while. Check it out and let me know what you think!