You all know DABK, right?  Below, I've posted a quick little SEO tips "share"--written by Dusan (DABK) as a favor to me in my blogging efforts.   I am suddenly busy with a slew of unexpected things, and I found myself pining for my WA blogging and buddies this afternoon.  And it occurred to me that it's high time to move on over and give my friend Dusan a shout-out.

No, there's no business relationship here.  Nothing but a lovely collegial, IM-full friendship.  Dusan has, from my very first week in WA, been extraordinarily generous about sharing knowledge, trial-and-error experience, SEO tips, and keyword optimization advice.  And, in case you haven't noticed, he also shares liberally (and astutely) on the forum.  If someone says, hey, anyone mind checking out my landing page and offering a critique, Dusan goes right on in there with a magnifying glass.  ("Elementary, my dear Newbie....")  He analyzes the keyword density, the layout, the copywriting, the links, the headlines, heck, even the colors.

Hopefully ,those getting the critiques pay attention--because the guy is an excellent, knowledgeable "IM editor."  And he analyzes, analyzes, analyzes.  (For us big-picture types, it sure is helpful to have someone saying, REMEMBER, DETAILS MATTER!!!) 

Anyway, Dusan is setting up his own site on marketing (I do plan to be on his list, because he's discerning and gives away good stuff).  Anyway, in his own push to gather and publish helpful material, he's prepared a thoughtful, concise guest post on effective SEO practices for my 100Blogs blog.  It's divided into 2 parts, and I'll publish it to my blog within the next couple of days.  For now, I thought it would be a good idea to share the first part among the WA family.  It's a helpful, concise checklist for those new to SEO--and maybe a good review for  those who are not so new to it.  If you want Part 2, you can PM Dusan (DABK) or wait for the blockbuster sequel on http://100blogsin365days.blogspot.com.

Wishing you all a wonderful day!  (Oh, and I just realized that today marks my 3-month anniversary on WA.  Woo hoo!)

Effective Search Engine Optimization - the Quest for the Holy Grail

Do you think effective search engine optimization is an area of knowledge shrouded in mystery? Many do.  Many business people think effective search engine optimization is something only a few could properly understand, clearly beyond the reach of normal people.

I used to be one of many.  Not any more. Which means that you too can understand and easily implement effective search engine optimization. 

First, search engine optimization has two parts: on-page optimization and off-page optimization. Obviously, for effective search engine optimization you need to have both and both should be fully developed.

On-page search engine optimization seems to account for about 70% of the total optimization effect.  It involves seven small steps.

1.             place the keyword in the URL (it counts if it’s a sub-page; it’s best if the keyword is the URL

2.             place the keyword in the title

3.             place the keyword in the description

4.             place the keyword in the head

5.             place the keyword in the 1^st and last paragraphs

6.             place the keyword several times in the body of the article/post (but no more than 5%, ideally 3-5% or as high as readability allows

7.             locate synonyms and related keywords (if you use the old version of Google’s free tool - https://adwords.google.com/ select/KeywordToolExternal? forceLegacy=true -, these would be the words Google brings in the 1^st section: “Keywords related to term(s) entered)”

8.             use several of these related keywords throughout your article/post (again, aim for high density, as high as readability allows); sometimes, you’ll find that your article/post remains readable with 4 or 5 of these keywords occurring 2-4% of the time, sometimes, you can only have 1 and only 1% of the time.  The point is to have as many as you can without sacrificing readability or annoying the reader.

Most web site owners do not do all of the above, as a result, if you do all of them, your site will leap frog over your competitors, even competitors who have thousands of backlinks for each ten you have.

Of course, this is only 30% of your effective search engine optimization.  Here’s the other 70%: