Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is a marketing strategy that if done right will bring web surfers to your site. The idea is to get your site listed on the first page of Google or Yahoo when surfers complete a search using keywords that relate to your website. SEO strategies also help to get your website name noticed in many places on the web, meaning more chances of exposure to web surfers.

Getting your site search engine optimized cannot be done overnight, but if you can choose the right keywords and strategically incorporate these keywords into your website and throughout the Internet, you can climb up the Google or Yahoo search results pages fairly quickly. Here are some tips for helping you to do just this:

Keywords

Come up with a list of two and three word key phrases that describe your website and line of business. If necessary, look at competitors’ sites to see what keywords they seem to be using. Avoid one-word keywords since most people use at least two or three words when completing a search online.

Once you have a list of keywords you think might be relevant, type them into Google’s Keyword Ideas tool to see more suggestions as well as to see how many searches are conducted globally and locally for each keyword. Using the information given, finalize your keyword list by choosing keywords that have a high search volume but low competition. The higher the competition, the harder it will be for you to get to the top of the list, so save these keywords for after you have stabilized the ones with less competition.

Another way to check the competition of your keywords is to actually do a search for them yourself on Google and Yahoo. After typing in your keyword and clicking Search on Google.com, you will see the number of results underneath the keyword search box. Yahoo.com shows the number of results on the left-hand side of the page.

On Site Optimization

Now that you have a strong keyword list, you will need to incorporate these keywords into your website. To really make on-site optimization successful, you will need to place keywords in the right spots as well as keep your site reader-friendly. If your website is unreadable because of poor keyword incorporation or even because of obvious SEO tactics, surfers will not stay on your site long enough to see what you have to offer. Here are some tips to keep in mind for on-site SEO:

• Place the main keyword in the title of your web page.
• Use the same keyword that is in the title of the page in the body content.
• Be sure to place keywords in the content several times (3-5 times for 150 words) and as much as possible at the beginning.
• Place keywords as headers.
• Use a different keyword for the different pages of your website; in fact, create a different page for each keyword.
• Do not break up keywords — search engines will recognize them much more quickly if kept together.
• Place keywords in your Meta Tag, but make sure the Meta Tag description is helpful, not just a list of your keywords.
• Avoid Flash, JavaScript, and frames since search engines have trouble deciphering them. If Flash and JavaScript are necessary, create an HTML version as well.
• Make sure that all pages link back to the home page.
• If using a left navigation bar, place keywords in it since a search engine will scan this first.
• Do not place keywords in graphics, since search engines do not recognize graphics.
• Make a SiteMap and include the link at the top of your homepage so that a search engine can easily index all the pages on your website.

Off Site Optimization

After you have finished optimizing your website, you will then need to place links throughout the web. The more links that Google or Yahoo “sees” that lead back to your website, the more popular it thinks your site is and the higher it will place you in search results. Do not waste your time with placing links where they will not be seen, though. Here are some ways to make your pages popular with search engines:

• Submit articles to article submission sites. Try to find ones that are ranked high on the list with Google and Yahoo
• If possible, place keywords in the articles you submit and attach a link to one of these keywords.
• Always include your url in the About or Resources section of article submissions.
• Be sure to include the url of the web page related to the keyword.
• Focus the article on one keyword only.
• Exchange links with other websites.
• Comment on articles and place your url in the website section of the comment.
• List your site with Yahoo.
• List your site with DMOZ, since both Google and America Online use this site to build their own directories.

SEO is a powerful online marketing tool of which all businesses need to take advantage. The good news is that with some research, you can optimize your site fairly well on your own. And if you find yourself still struggling to get your site to the first one or two pages of Google, you can hire an SEO expert who can finish the job for you for possibly a lower rate than if starting from scratch.

Anna Cruz writes about marketing, advertising, branding, graphic design and desktop publishing. Anna works for PrintPlace.com, an online printing company that offers brochure printing, poster printing, postcards, business cards and more printed marketing media.