ARTICLES FOR WEBMASTERS 
 SEO Tips for More Google Traffic
Every website owner wishes to make money online, whether from direct
sales or indirectly through brand building. Likewise, we know that to
increase website traffic improves the chances of getting more new
business. This is why Internet marketers spend enormous amounts of time
learning how to get to the top on Google. Google alone can serve as a
sales lead generator beyond compare.
Why's it so crucial to rank near the top of Google's search engine
pages? These recent statistics say it all:
- Seven out of 10 consumers searching the Internet immediately
start with Google, bypassing Yahoo! and other search engines.
- Google officially crossed the 70 percent mark for search engine
market share in February 2008. It has grown on average 3 percent per
month since February 2007.
- When it comes to market share gains in advertising dollars,
Google outpaced every U.S. media company in 2007, regardless of whether
they were a Web-based, television, radio, or print conglomerate.
Major advertisers clearly know where the masses' eyeballs are trained.
So, too, must the rest of us who want a slice of the Internet's billion
dollars in e-commerce sales transacted each and every month!
So those who understand the cost-efficiencies of search engine
optimization (SEO) are increasingly earmarking resources to rank as
high as possible on Google. That's because obtaining a top position on
Google's search results pages is beyond compare. A strong SEO-friendly
website or blog is one of your best sales lead generators, and the cost
of making it happen is still relatively low.
In that context, consider that most consumers searching Google rarely
look beyond the first page (maybe two) of results. If your site isn't
one of the first on the search results lists, your chances of
attracting business through organic sales leads are enormously
diminished.
Content is king
When it comes to being able to make money online, it's all about
website content and search engine optimization (SEO). This isn't one of
those tidy little areas where "less is more." In the SEO world, it's a
more is more game.
The more pages your website contains, the better chance you have of
Google and other search engines sending visitors to a particular page
on your site. While the amount of content on your website is important,
so is the quality of your content.
There are several reasons well-written content makes for better search
results. The more generous, beneficial and well-written your content,
the more likely you are to:
- Encourage the reader to spend more time on your site, increasing
your page views,
- Boost search engine rankings,
- Drive more traffic to your website, and
- Increase the likelihood of other quality sites linking to yours.
So strive to offer quality, detailed information that more people are
likely to search for when considering buying a product or service like
yours.
Also keep in mind that online shoppers tend to search using specific
phrases. As an example, more people will search Yahoo! or Google for
"black Ray Ban sunglasses" than simply "sunglasses." So each of your
website pages should provide detailed information similar to this,
relevant of course to your own niche.
You'll also stand out from similar businesses by going beyond simply
posting a standard photo, short blurb and your prices. Make your web
and blog pages helpful and truly informative. Make them meaty and
visually appealing, too.
When creating your content, don't forget about the "long tail"
Make a habit of periodically reviewing your website's log files. You'll
be surprised by the number of hits that come from unpredictable search
terms. Take advantage of the SEO long tail theory by including these
less competitive phrases in your site's content more frequently.
Interestingly, most website traffic comes from long tail these searches.
No duplicate content
If a search engine detects duplicate content on your website, those
pages will not appear in its search results. That's because the search
engines are programmed to deliver the most relevant, quality results
possible. So listing the same pages in their search results doesn't
help Google or Yahoo! accomplish their goal.
Search engines also shun duplicate content because it's a big waste of
resources to index substantially similar web pages. Do everything you
can to make your content unique from one page to the next. Typing the
same pitch information over and over across all your pages can even get
you penalized by the search engines.
Be strategic and link to your keywords
Whether linking within your own web pages or from an external site,
it's smart to use descriptive phrases. Never just hyperlink your
company name. For example, creating a clickable link for "top PR firm
in Chicago" is strategically better than one reading "Jones &
Davis, Inc."
Build a healthy number of links to your top keywords and key phrases
across all your web pages. The keyword(s) contained in each link
informs Google and other search engines of what your site focus on.
Consider this example:
- Wrong way to link: "To book your Caribbean cruise with us, click
here."
- Right way to link: "To plan your trip, visit Caribbean cruise."
Note that Google's search bots give preference to the links that you
make bold or italicize.
Always periodically devote some time to study ways to improve how
search engine-friendly your website or blog is. You'll discover that
spending a few hours each month beefing up your content, adding more
keyword links, and studying the unexpected phrases people used to find
you are viable ways to increase site traffic.
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