Get a top 10 ranking without paying a cent

Senin, 28 Desember 2009

If there's one thing that Google loves, it's content. Done right, a content rich website is almost guaranteed to rank highly. But how to get that content? You can write it yourself, but that takes a lot of time. You can pay an SEO copywriter to write it for you, but that takes a lot of money. If only there was another option...

What if you could get your content for free? And not just a little bit of content; a lot! What if you could get an almost unlimited supply of keyword rich, expertly written content, specific to your subject matter, absolutely free of charge? Would you snap it up and upload to your site in an instant? Of course you would! Well here's the good news: you can! Read on to find out how you can get a top ten ranking in the search engines without paying a single cent...

Yes, content gives you a great ranking

Content is king. This is widely acknowledged as fact, but if you need further convincing, consider the following two points:

Point 1 - In Google's own words, one of the keys to a high ranking is to "create a useful, information-rich site" (from “Google Information for Webmasters” - http://www.google.com/webmasters/guidelines.html).

Point 2 - Google insider, codenamed 'Google Guy', advocates a list 26 steps to building a high ranking site. Step 5 of the list says, "build one page of content and put online per day at 200-500 words" (from Brett Tabke's "26 steps to 15k a Day" - http://www.searchengineworld.com/misc/guide.htm, advocated by Google Guy in a WebMasterWorld QA session - http://www.webmasterworld.com/forum30/29727-6-10.htm).

But why does content give you a great ranking?

I won't go into any further detail about IF Google loves content. I will, however, briefly explain WHY. Google's love affair with content is based on two key attractions:

1) Google loves sites with a lot of content because it assumes they provide a lot of useful information. And remember, that's the whole reason Google exists - to help people find useful information. The more helpful Google's results, the more traffic (and revenue) it gets.

2) Google loves sites that have a lot of links pointing to them because this means other webmasters hold your site in high regard, and Google assumes this means the content is useful. And naturally, if you create a useful site, other webmasters will link to it because this makes them useful to their visitors (thereby developing site loyalty), and they gain credibility and authority because they're associated with you.

So how can you get free content for your website?

Three words: 'free reprint articles'. There are hundreds of thousands of people out there writing high quality, helpful, informative articles on virtually every topic imaginable, then giving these article away to any webmaster who wants to publish them on a website. In exchange for the article, the author asks only that you retain the author bio at the end, complete with all links (e.g. "Glenn Murray is an SEO Copywriter and Article Submission Specialist...).

To find free content for your website, simply visit any one of hundreds of 'article banks' on the Internet such as http://www.ezinearticles.com, http://www.goarticles.com, or http://www.articleblast.com. Browse or search for the subject you're interested in, then take the article(s) for free. There is absolutely no charge. Some of these sites will even send a regular stream of articles direct to your website (using RSS).

Alternatively, you can sign up to any number of article distribution lists and get articles delivered direct to your email inbox. Again, it's absolutely free! Some of the better known distribution lists include http://groups.yahoo.com/group/article_announce, http://finance.groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Content, and http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Free-Reprint-Articles.

TIP: The article banks and distribution lists mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds more - just do a search for "free reprint articles", "article submission", "article submission site", "submit article", "article submit site", "free articles", or "free content". You may even find a site or list which only deals in articles relating to your particular subject matter.

Why is it free?

Why are these authors giving their articles away? Because it helps the author's own search engine ranking. As explained above, Google loves sites with lots of links pointing to them. Every time their article submission is published, the author gets another link to their website. In fact, if the article is really good, it may be published hundreds of times. And each time, it's another link to the author's website. Put simply, article submission is a writer's free pass to the top of the search engines.

How do I know if the quality is good?

It's a process of natural selection. The better the article submission, the more often it will be published, so it's in the author's interest to write and submit articles of the highest quality. Of course, this doesn't always happen, but in most cases, you'll be reviewing the articles before you post them anyway, so if you discover one that's not up to scratch, don't use it.

In time, you'll become familiar with the authors who consistently put out good quality content - you may even find enough of them that you don't need to go looking for content from anyone else...

Where do I put the free content?

Most people put the articles in an 'Articles' or 'Resources' section on their website, but you can put them anywhere you like.

How much free content should I use?

As much as you want or as little as you want. It all depends on your needs and the needs of your audience. If your audience expects that at least some of your site is original content, then give it to them.

But what about the duplicate content issue?

It's not an issue!

There's a lot of a talk about how Google penalizes duplicate content. The theory is that when the majority of the content on two separate webpages (on different sites) is the same, the one with the higher PR will be shown and the other one will not.

Whether or not this theory is true is still a hot topic in search engine circles, but regardless, it doesn't affect people publishing free-reprint articles. When you publish the article, just make sure you have unique content around it. Generally, it's enough to have your own unique introduction to the page (which may be common to all pages), and your own navigation elements, headers, footers, sidebars, logos, images, etc.

Conclusion

Free reprint articles are a great way for you to achieve a high ranking. And you don't have to pay a cent! So what are you waiting for?

Happy reprinting!

How Exchanging Links With Other Sites Improves Your Own

Kamis, 24 Desember 2009

Business websites are a necessity in today's society and the internet is only as good as its links. Without links, the internet simply would not be able to exist. To ensure a quality World Wide Web continues, you must provide links that your customers might be interested in. Linking to other sites helps tell the customers which products you use and trust. It also forms a bond of trust between you and other sites. Moreover, it can improve your own site by associating with other products that customers both know and trust and by giving you an increased level of visibility. There are two kinds of links you should include in your site. You should include a general links section for the benefit of your customers, and you should include a reciprocal links section to help you and other businesses as well as your customers.

There are several ways to decide which general links to include in your site. You might start by visiting competitor’s web sites. Check out their links section to understand what sites they provide links for. This might help you figure out what your customers are looking for. It might also provide you with a good base for a reciprocal linking system, which will be discussed in the next lesson.

Another way to decide what general links to include in your site is to consult with your customers. Internet-savvy customers will be able to tell you what they look for in a professional site and what they like and do not like about your links. This can help you control the quality of your links section. You could do this through a survey or by simply informally interviewing your clientele.

Be sure to provide general links that have a high page rank with internet search engines. This will increase your web traffic. You can do this by typing a key phrase in a search engine and look at the highest ranked pages that match your results.

General links are great, but reciprocal links are an essential part to the promotion of your website. You have a strong site that offers your quality product and you want people to know about your site. To make sure that you get the traffic you need, you must have other sites directed toward yours with links.

This process is fairly simply, but there are many ways to engage in reciprocal linking.

First, research the sites you might want to link to. You might start this process by making two lists. First, list the sites you think your customers might be interested in. For now, just write, you can consider narrowing your list down at a later time. Next, create a list of sites that would benefit your site. You can then compare the two lists and see what they have in common. Compile a list of common subjects, and list out three key words to fit with each subject.

After the research phase, it is time to go online. Find a Meta search engine and input all three words for each subject. Any site that comes back with all three keywords should be high on your priority list.

Once you've done that, it is time to start sifting through your results. Bookmark any sites that look promising.

When you've made your final choices, it is time to draft a letter to the webmaster of each site you're considering. Get to the point quickly and sell your site to them. Do not follow up if your original letter was not responded to.

The final step in this process is to negotiate the link and location in terms of both sites. As soon as possible, get their link on your site and send them a note letting them now you have a live link to their site. Check their site frequently to ensure they are upholding their promise to you as well.

The entire process of choosing links and reciprocal links increases your visibility to customers. Not only will they be able to find you through the use of a search engine, they will now be able to find you through the use of other websites. This can mean nothing but good things for you and your website.

Your Way With Words Is Key To Increased Website Traffic

You have to have a way with words in order to increase the traffic on your website. Sometimes, the most intelligent people in the world can have a problem communicating with others. When those intelligent people or great businesspersons develop a website that would blow your mind with great inspirations and benefits, they may not know exactly how to get across their message to their target audience. Learning to communicate with the right words to get your point across clearly and without rambling is an important skill that takes some time to acquire. You can take the time to learn communication skills or you can hire a consultant to help you get your point across to others. Sometimes the simplest things are right in front of you.

When writing to produce more website traffic, you will want to make your website easy for others to read. It is better to write in laymen terms than in long scientific or technical mumbo jumbo. You want people to be able to read the pages on your website without getting a headache and without having to refer to a dictionary. Visitors should not have to learn how to translate your website in order to understand what you are trying to say. A hard to read or hard to understand website will be abandoned quickly.

When writing, be sure all content is relevant to your website. Only write the information that readers are looking for and that is relevant to your website and products. When you begin writing your first paragraph, try starting with paragraph with your conclusion. By getting to the point right off the bat, this could grab a reader’s attention and keep them reading. Keep your paragraphs and sentences short and to the point. Readers do not enjoy long, wordy web pages that take too much time to read through. Avoid writing in a passive voice. Readers want action words and a strong voice to tell them what to do. Keep your writing in a steady flow. Always read your writing aloud and listen to the flow. In addition, reading aloud can help catch those nasty little typos that will drive people away from your site. Proofread your writing before posting it to your website.

Understand that your website will be accessible to viewers all over the world. Although visitors from other countries may be able to view your website, they may not understand the language or the content. If your website is not for worldwide viewing, then you should specifically list the regions that can best view your website. You can add the intended region(s) in the page description or keywords. This way, if someone in Canada is looking for a veterinarian, he or she aren’t frustrated by looking through all the veterinarian web sites that only cater to pet owners in Paris, France.

Even some regional topics hold value to worldwide viewers. Perhaps a person in Italy will be visiting your hometown and would need to speak with a veterinarian about traveling with their pet. You may wish to provide general information on your website that will appeal to visitors outside your specified region.

Most of the websites on the Internet are in English, but that does not mean that English is a first language throughout the world, it just means it is easy to translate. Never use slang when writing on your website. Slang is not an internationally understood language and can be difficult when translating.

Also, take into consideration money and number conversions. If you are listing a price for services on your website, be sure to list the currency you will accept or will be using (USD, pounds, yen, etc.) The same goes if you are listing measurements or sizes. Always list the conversions or provide a link to a website for conversions. When in doubt, hire a professional translator.

Your goal is to increase the traffic to your website to benefit you or your business the most. By using the World Wide Web, you will be able to reach an audience of millions, all to your benefit. However, reaching all of these people, in the far reaches of the world requires good communication skills. You must be able to explain who you are and what you can do for the people. Tell them why they need your services above all the others. Be concise and to the point.