We all know that SEO strategies are the key to maintaining a profitable online business. But in such a complex and rapidly-changing field, it can be hard to figure out which strategies would work best. Are some methods more effective than others? In this game of website optimization, are you holding the right cards?
No Short Cuts
One of the most popular misconceptions about SEO strategies is that there are short cuts to profits and fame. It's important to understand that SEO is not a game that can be fixed or rigged- it's actually a science. Search engines use complex algorithms that are specially designed by computer engineers. Not only that, these algorithms are regularly changed and updated to ensure that users get only the most relevant search results.
Does this mean there are no short cuts at all? Well there are short cuts, but these are often illegal practices that will get you penalized, blacklisted or even banned by the search engines. This means that you have to be careful about the SEO strategies that you employ- if you don't exploit them well enough, you won't get any traffic. If you overdo it, you'll end up paying a heavy price with the search engines. The trick is to maintain a careful balance.
Keep Your Eyes Open
It's important to go into your SEO strategies with your eyes wide open- if you don't, you could end up making some very expensive mistakes. For example, you probably know that submitting articles to directories is a great way to build links. But did you know that some directories are frowned upon by most of the search engines? While looking for a suitable article directory, avoid those that have a lot of banner ads or Ad Sense ads. If there are more than 20 outgoing links per page, it might be better to look for another directory.
Writing original articles is one of the most effective optimization strategies out there. But a lot of people make the mistake of sending out the article without putting in their names or their links in the resource box. Without a name or link, there is no way to link the article back to you. In other words, it's about as helpful as not writing an article at all.
Keywords form an important part of all SEO strategies. But if you are in a popular niche market, you'll be jostling for space against a number of other websites. Instead of aiming for the most popular keywords, work with those that come in second or third. These are words that have a market but that market hasn't become saturated yet. This means that you'll have a far better chance of getting a good page ranking and reaching the kind of traffic that will translate into sales. Remember that the best SEO strategies are the ones that are based in hard work and not short cuts.