Ten Things You Should Do To Make Your Website Optimized For Humans and Search Engine Spiders!

I came across this article which i find very interesting for all webmasters improve their websites especially those who are beginners in online business.

I have made mentioned in my previous post that keywords is important. Keywords are the means by which your customers find you and the first step towards identifying the right keywords is knowing your target market.

If you are done finding the keyword research, here are 10 things you should do to make your website optimized for humans and search engine spiders!

Improve Web Page Titles and Remove Duplicates

Look through your web pages. How many of them have no titles or titles that are too generic / duplicates? There are software that can generate a list of all titles and description tags . Simply type in a URL to get a list of the titles and description tags of every page linked from that URL. It just takes a few minutes! Modify your titles to include important keyword phrases and get rid of duplicate titles.

Improve The Web Page Headings

Do the same with your web page headings. Use a good page structure that includes , , tags. Don't over use the h1 tag. Make sure that the headings are natural and contain the important keywords if relevant. Simply don't stuff keywords into headings.

Check Web Page Copy

Use keyword phrases in your web page content. Keywords when used properly as part of web page text can really increase your traffic from long-tail keyword searches. However, don't over-stuff keywords and make your web pages spammy.

Make Effective Use of Anchor Texts

Use keywords in link texts (anchor text). Replace the links that say click here to more relevant ones that have the keyword in it, if possible. Use good anchor texts even if you are linking to pages on your own sites (internal links) . You can quickly get a list of all anchor texts used in any web page with a single click after entering the URL!

Create Good Alt Tags for Images

Use keywords for image tags (img alt tags). Many images may not even have an alt text. Look through your web pages and add them wherever possible. The "Anchor" tab in the lower panel will display links with an image as IMG [Anchor Text]

Check Your Competition

Do a Google / Yahoo / Live search for the keywords and then study the top competitors. Improve your products, services and web pages based on your research. The blog post linked above has some tips. Find and research your competition.

Write Articles or Blog

Write an article that contains some of the important keyword phrases and post it to your blog. Don't have a blog? Start one. If you don't want to mess with technical things you can easily start a blog by signing up at Blogger or Typepad.

Start a PPC campaign

Start a Pay Per Click campaign and Bid on the keyword phrases. Create new Adword groups if required. Make sure that your landing pages have good quality score before you create new ad-groups.

Learn From Your Log Files

Study your log files and pick all the long-tail keyword phrases used by your visitors. The advantage of studying long-tail keywords is that the intention behind the search is more easy to understand. Do you think your product or service can help such visitors? Optimize your web pages so that you offer what they are looking for.

Get Inbound Links

Try and convince others to link to your web pages using relevant anchor texts. While this may not be always possible, you can and should ask your affiliates and friends to use relevant and useful keyword phrases while linking to you.

Here is a free software program that will help you generate ideas of keywords. These will help pick more keywords. You basically put one keywords and it comes out with all kinds o keywords phrases that were searched on for the pay per clicks.

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Why Creating a "Target Market Snapshot" Will Help You Develop Better Performing Web Pages

A very common question we get asked is... How do I know which keywords to target?

Keywords are the means by which your customers find you. So, knowing your target market is the first step towards identifying the right keywords.

Do you know who your ideal customer is?

Perhaps you do... Do you take that into account when you create and plan your website marketing strategy?

Here is a simple tip...

Create a snapshot view of your ideal customer. Always keep it handy and make use of it whenever you do any keyword or SEO research.

Here is what you do...

• Write down the description of the product / service including the customer problem the product attempts to solve.

• Define the market, including the demographics

• List the direct and indirect competition.

• The basic sales plan - How are you going to reach the customers
  

• List the top sales implementation plans you will be executing. Take a hard-copy print of everything.

Try and think like your customer and check if your web page headlines and copy makes sense.

What Next?

Create a list of 10-20 keyword phrases that relate to your product or service. Make other lists containing the top competing URLs and web page titles for these keywords.

Check if your own web pages contain these keyword phrases. These should be in page titles and the main headings. Modify your web pages accordingly or create new pages. Make sure that your web pages answer the questions your customers may have about the problem your product/service will solve.

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Eight Ways To Reduce Your Web and Blog Page Bounce Rates

Are you familiar or do you subscribe to Google Analytics?

Google Analytics shows you how people found your site, how they explored it, and how you can enhance their visitor experience. With this information, you can improve your website return on investment, increase conversions, and make more money on the web. Don’t have an Analytics account? Sign up now.

One of the component of Google Analytic on your website or blog profile is Bounce Rate. Bounce Rate is the percentage of single-page visits or visits in which the person left your site from the entrance (landing) page. Use this metric to measure visit quality - a high bounce rate generally indicates that site entrance pages aren't relevant to your visitors. The more compelling your landing pages, the more visitors will stay on your site and convert.

If your bounce rate is below 20 or 30% you probably have a very good entry page. In some cases you may want only a precisely targeted visitor group to proceed beyond the entry page. If not, a bounce rate of over 50 or 60% requires immediate attention. Here are eight ways to reduce the bounce rates...

1. Improve your web page headline

Most times a wrong web or blog page headline can make the visitor quickly click the back button. Your headline should make the visitor want to continue reading. See creating good headlines.

2. Add Videos, pictures or screen shots that will catch attention

Adding a nice screen shot of your product or a photo will cause visitors to give a second look. Use a good caption below the picture to grab their attention and make them interested.

3. Change your website design

If your bounce rates are way too high, a new web site design may help. Go for a simple, practical but decent looking design.

4. Improve the web page load time

Is your web page loading too slow? Remove unwanted images or optimize the images. Get rid of all unused style elements

5. Target the right visitors

Are your site visitors coming to your site with the wrong expectation? You may have optimized your web page for the wrong keywords or others may be linking to your site with an incorrect anchor text. Use a software like Secret Keywords (for semantic keywords) and Good Keywords to find better keywords. If you are using Pay Per Click, make sure that your advertisement text is precisely targeted. Try different ad combination till your bounce rate improves.


6. Remove Annoyances

Does your web page have anything that annoys your visitors? What is annoying is highly subjective. So you should have a good understanding of your target customer. A simple rule is to always make everything very easy for your visitors.

7. Change from hard-sell to soft-sell

Are you trying to hard-sell your product when a soft sell is more ideal? This is a very common reason for customers to leave immediately. Your product pricing is also an important factor that contributes to a high bounce rate. The way you present your product is very important if it is an expensive product.

8. Provide more choices

If you have other products or services provide links to those. Add a prominent button, make a nice looking graphical banner or stamp that will catch their attention and so on. Be careful with this though. Too many choices can cause visitor confusion and make genuine prospects click away to a different but wrong product.

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Five Types Of Products That People Will Always Want To Buy

Is keyword research based on search volume counts and number of search results in Google the right method for deciding the type of product or service you want to offer? Good products that fill a need will always do well.

Here are five types of products that always find buyers! Combine these product types with a unique idea and decide the kind of Internet business you wish to create. This is even more important when marketing during times of recession.

1. Products that make or save money
People always want to make more money. If your product or service will help them earn more or save money they will always buy it. Even if your product is not directly connected to making money, it is always a good idea to explain how it can save money for them.

2. Products that help people learn
People are always looking to learn something new. "How to" guides are always popular for this reason. This is also the reason why there are so many ebooks out there. Be careful about this because it is one of the most competitive niches on the Internet. However, this is also one of the easiest niches to enter.

3. Products that entertain
It is no surprise that the top searches on Yahoo Buzz are almost always about TV shows, actors and sports. This niche does require some unique expertise. Go for it if you have a good talent for creating entertaining videos, cartoons, etc.

4. Products that make life healthy and comfortable
People want to live as comfortably as they can, without any aches and pains. Do you have an idea for a product that will help them do that? This niche is often abused and may have a bad reputation because of all the spam associated with magic herbs and pills.

5. Products that save time and effort
People love pressing a button and getting things done! Do some research on popular topics and make your work available to your customers for a price. You could also create a software that will save your customer hours of work.

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Learn How To Create a Powerful Web Page Headlines

Your web page headline is the most important factor that determines if your site visitor stays or bounces away. A compelling headline will have him or her wanting to read more. An uninspiring headline will cause him or her to immediately go away!

But how do you write a good headlines? The truth is, powerful headline creation ideas are all around you. It is very easy to improve your existing headline to one that really works! Here are the simple tips:

• Before you decide to change your headline, you should determine the target market the headline is meant for.

• Write down the most powerful benefit your product or service offers. Think your product has too many benefits? Learn about the different types of headlines to decide which benefit should be highlighted in the headline.

• Be specific and avoid generality. A headline that says some thing very general is not going to attract any one because they would have seen it all before. There should always be a unique or specific benefit mentioned in the headline.
  

• A headline should make the reader want to continue. Create multiple headlines and do an A/B test to find the best one. Then create new ones and try to beat the old headline.

11 Types of Sales and Marketing Headlines

Here are the simple yet effective different types of headlines you will normally encounter in sales and marketing. Use this list to decide what benefit should be highlighted in your web page headlines and how!

A. Headlines that enumerate a list (People like to read lists!)

• Five ideas to improve your ----
  
• Top Ten Reasons To ...
  
• Four Things You Absolutely Must Know To ....
  
• Ten Reasons Why ---

B. Headlines that ask about a problem the reader will identify with

• Do you suffer from ...?
  
• Are you threatened by ...
  
• Do you often find yourself struggling...
  

C. Headlines that offer to teach you or make you an expert

• Learn How To ...
  
• Discover The Top ...
  
• A Guide To ...
  
• Every Thing You Wanted To Know About ...
  

D. Headlines that offer to reveal secrets

• They Tried To Ban This ...
  
• Secrets Uncovered ...
  
• Exposed For The First Time Ever ...
  
• The Real Secrets To ...
  
• The Ugly Truth Behind ...

E. Headlines offering instant gratification

• Instantly Transform ...
  
• Instant Strategies To Create ...
  
• You Can Do This In Five Minutes ...
• Get An Instant 35% Boost ..
  

F. Headlines offering to simplify things

• Simple Ideas To ...
  
• This is Not For The Experts ... ...
  
• For The Rest Of Us ...
  
• Any One Can Do In Their Spare Time!
  

G. Headlines announcing something

• Releasing Shortly...
  
• Announcing The...
  
• Now Available For The First Time ...
• Offer Closing Soon ...
  

H. Headlines that offer a guarantee

• .... 100% Money Back!
  
• Guaranteed To...
  

I. Headlines that contain a testimonial

• I started using ...
  
• The results have been fantastic ...
  
• I could never believe ... ...
  
• Amazing!Thank You ....
  

J. Picture / Graphic Headline

• Screen shot with a caption, Illustration etc. Use this if a picture is more likely to immediately grab the attention. However you will still need a compelling sub-heading orcaption.
  

K. Headlines that shock

• No examples! Just read a tabloid!

Apply the above tips in creating your blog titles and see how is the result in page ranking. Keep posted with my marketing tips and strategies blog and there will be a lot more to post for the improvement of our blog's page ranking and increase traffic.

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Ten Marketing Strategies that will Energize Your Business in 2009

by Joel Sussman

Marketing Strategy #1:
Perhaps the single, most important marketing strategy that should be practiced by all small business owners is to make marketing a daily routine. Granted, there may be 101 different priorities vying for your attention at any given moment, but if you neglect marketing on more than just an occasional basis, then you risk losing potential sales, being overtaken by the competition, and placing self-imposed limitations on your income growth. In a challenging economy it's more important than ever to be known as a company that provides value, dependability, and great service. Without some sort of regular marketing program, your existing and prospective customers may find themselves to be unexpectedly interested in your competitor's latest offerings -- which may have been brought to their attention through a postcard mailing, a trade show exhibit, a blog posting, a phone call, a press release, or a well-written sales letter. (It's the old "out of sight, out of mind" principle.)

Marketing Strategy #2: Develop a "marketing consciousness". If you can get yourself to become just a little "obsessed" with marketing, then you'll tend to read more marketing books, attend more marketing seminars, and discover more marketing websites, newsletters, and blogs that will provide you with valuable ideas and inspiration. Of equal importance is becoming more attuned to how other people are marketing their businesses, and learning from their successes and marketing blunders.

Marketing Strategy #3:
Continually ask questions, re-evaluate what you're doing, and be flexible. If your website isn't converting the way it ought to be, try to pinpoint its weaknesses and correct them. The same holds true for print ads that are not generating responses. If the solution doesn't jump right out at you, ask your associates, acquaintances, neighbors, or spouse what their initial gut reaction is to your latest print ad, website landing page, a marketing postcard, or a radio ad. Instead of asking them what they think of it, ask them the more pointed question of how they think it could be improved (and assure them that you won't be offended by their constructive criticism). Useful feedback can often come from unexpected sources.

Marketing Strategy #4:
Start a blog related to your area of expertise about solving or preventing problems or making the most out of the products or services you offer. Then, invite your customers and prospective customers to check our your latest blog posts. Blogging will help give you more credibility as an expert, and it will also help keep your name and company in the forefront of your customers' minds.

Marketing Strategy #5:
Email a press release to your local media whenever you have anything newsworthy to announce. It's a free way to keep your name in front of the public, and it should be a part of an integrated marketing strategy. Two tips:

1. Insert your press release into the body of your short, introductory email message. The reason for doing that is many reporters and editors don't like to open email attachments;
2. Only send press releases if you have something newsworthy to announce. That could include hiring new employees, getting a government grant, organizing a successful fund raising event, a grand opening, a new web site, being a keynote speaker at a seminar or graduation ceremony, a business expansion or relocation, and that sort of thing.

Occasionally, it may pay to use one of the online press release distribution services for greater exposure and coverage.

Marketing Strategy #6:
Speaking of media relations, another strategy worth exploring is to let the media know that you're an expert in your field and are available as a company or industry spokesperson. Depending on your credentials, as well as your comfort-level with being interviewed by a reporter, you might want to send a brief letter outlining your accomplishments and expertise, and mention that they can feel free to call you if they need comments, quotes, background information, or opinion on a news article or feature story they're working on. The positive publicity, credibility, and recognition you could potentially get from this kind of coverage can potentially give your business or practice a real boost.

Marketing Strategy #7:
Business cards can either by a waste of paper or an effective bridge between a prospect and their potential as a long-term client. Business cards are an integral element of your company's branding strategy, and can sometimes make or break you when it comes to getting prospects to take you seriously. A lot of companies skimp on business card design, concept development, and printing; and that lackluster image is conveyed directly to prospective clients. Bottom line is: Your chances of favorably impressing prospects will improve substantially if your business cards are printed on high-quality paper, display a professional-looking logo, and use a font style that's easy to read and is representative of the nature of your business. Your business cards should also contain either a well thought-out slogan or a short bulletted list that capsulizes your services, your expertise, and your commitment to excellence.

Marketing Strategy #8:
Anticipate why a prospective customer might be reluctant or ambivalent about doing business with you, and then make sure to address their concerns in a clear, deliberate, and confident way. Guarantees of satisfaction, believable testimonials from satisfied customers, and assurances of dependable customer service after the sale are a few of the ways that you can reduce sales resistance.

Marketing Strategy #9:
If you find yourself chatting with a blogger who's in your profession or industry, but does not directly compete with you, offer to fill in for him, occasionally, as a "guest blogger". Blogging can be a pretty arduous undertaking, so they might welcome the chance to take a break and present their readers with a slightly different point of view. Make sure, of course, that you are allowed to include one or two links back to your website. This will accomplish two objectives:

1. You'll probably draw in at least a trickle of additional traffic to your website, and
   
2. Inbound links to your site from other relevant, high quality sites can help improve your search engine positioning (ranking) in Google.

Marketing Strategy #10:
When developing a marketing plan, don't forget that there is a huge range of marketing ideas you can employ, many of which are free or inexpensive. Marketing ideas and techniques include yellow pages advertising, Pay Per Click advertising on Google and other Internet portals, exhibiting in trade shows, networking at local or regional professional conferences and business groups, direct mail, distributing coupons, sponsoring contests, and of course, traditional media advertising, such as radio, TV, newspaper, and magazine display ads. That's just the short list of marketing strategies you can pursue as part of a planned marketing campaign, so devise an exhaustive list of possibilities, target your audience, and then plan a campaign based on your budget and your goals.

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