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Creating engaging copy never means making something less readable for the sake of improving SEO rankings. Instead, use the cleverness of subheads to make your keywords leap off the page and into organic searches.

Start Targeting Keywords With the Title

Targeted keyword phrases are best used in subheads because not only does it stand out, but it also saves you the trouble of inserting in every other word. It’s not a matter of repetition, but of making sure you plant those keywords in so many times in an effortless, understandable way.

Whether you’re writing SEO articles or a simple blog, your content should start with the keywords you want to target. It’s just good writing, folks. Creating a title that has nothing to do with the topic -- say, an article about French restaurants that’s titled “Let’s Go Escargot!” -- is not going to get the same number of hits as the easily comprehensible title: “Dining at France’s Finest Restaurants.” While I love a good pun, the joke won’t stick with readers.

Subheadings Help Increase SEO Traffic

The second important bit is how keywords in the subheads of an article or blog will continue to attract SEO traffic without making the article longer. Going back to our snail cuisine title, use a subhead with some keywords attached for a title that is catch and keyword rich. “Top French Fine Dining Experiences,” explains everything and hits the keywords you want to use while restating the same phrases without overdoing it.

When it comes to building links to your website, you have a variety of options. However, without some guidance, you may devote hours upon hours, day in and day out, and get nowhere. Now, I've tried numerous link building methods, but the following are a few of my favorites.

Build Links With Blog Commentary

I covered this one in a previous post, but it's worth repeating. Frequent visits to blogs in your industry is a tried and true method for building links to your website. You also have the opportunity to create relationships with other experts in your chosen field. Leave insightful comments and include your link.

Link Building Through Social Networking Sites

Become and active member of a social networking site, such as StumbleUpon and Digg. Social networking sites are a valuable avenue through which you can get the word out about your website.

With this method, there's a right way and a wrong way. Be sure you understand the policies at your chosen social networking site. The goal is to become a trusted member who makes a worthwhile contribution.

Build Links by Writing Expert Articles

Showcase your expertise in the industry and lease out your talents to other blogs and community websites. Volunteer to write a guest post for an industry blog or submit articles to various community sites, like Ezine and Gather.

You can also take it a step further, by submitting expert articles to the leading websites that specialize in your market. Choosing this route can be a great way to build links and drive traffic to your website -- just make sure you can include your byline.  
 

Making Your Website’s Content Readable

Let’s face it: not all SEO content is as exciting as a deep-sea adventure, or as scholarly as a luncheon with Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt (do you even know what country that guy runs?)*. In fact, much of the writing is as terrifying as a cockroach crawling out of your kitchen sink. The trouble is, sometime it’s not the author’s fault that the writing is as stale as a bitter marriage. If you’re in charge of a company that sells auto parts, for instance, there is probably going to be a sufficient lack of creativity spouting from the young and old minds of writers everywhere.

Research for Creative Content

Making your web content more interesting to read is an art, passed down from writer to writer, in an attempt to keep the world engaged in what you have to say, whether it’s about lighting fixtures or lighting a cigar. The Internet is full of resources to help to find out what people are saying on practically any subject. Use these directories of information as a guide and as your competition. If you write a blog about real estate, find out what other agents, brokers, lenders and real estate companies are writing about in their blogs.

Writing Interesting Content With SEO Keywords

Write down a list of topics that relate to your subject and make sure to create headings and subheadings for those articles or content pages that are packed with keywords. The more useful your content is, the more traffic and SEO attention it is likely to receive. Utilize social networking sites and RSS feeds to the fullest and maximize the number of people in your potential audience. Moreover, let us not forget the undeniably and overwhelming power of the adjective. Buy a thesaurus and relearn everything you forgot from the SAT verbal tests. Remember, a happy website is a site brimming with fresh and readable content.

*By the way, it’s Belgium.

I came across this interview I did early last year and thought it would be helpful to share with everyone... The Topic was "Content Development & Strategy".  The interview was for a super affiliate education center my friends over at MarketHealth.com were creating to help their affiliates become better internet marketers. 

Content Development and Strategy

In the online world, the mantra of “content is king” continues to hold true. The key to building a successful and long-lasting website is to create top-quality content that draws in viewers, improves online visibility, and establishes your site as an authority within your industry. How can you ensure that your website content is achieving these goals? Tom Elliott, CEO of Content Kings Media Group (www.ckmg.com), was kind enough to answer some burning questions about content development and strategy.

Q: What factors should a developer consider when planning and creating Web content?

TE: “Listed in order of precedence:

1) Demographic Identification - Who are you targeting?

2) Content Channel Creation - What are your navigational tabs going to be?

3) Content Acquisition - How are you going to get your content?

4) Content Management Solution - How can you manage your site with minimal time and staff?

5) Daily Content Maintenance - How are you going to update your site on a daily basis?”

Q: Are there any elements that are more important than others?

TE: “The proper identification of demographics is the most important piece as it will be the basis for all content decisions. Similar to how a television network targets a specific audience. Take Spike television for instance; the majority of their shows have a common theme with a target audience in mind. By honing in on demographics, it allows you to provide optimal real estate opportunities for select advertisers. If you’ve ever watched the television shows within Spike TV, you will obviously recognize it’s a network geared towards men, and when you see the commercials that are chosen, you will also recognize how intelligent the advertisers are with their placement.

Once you’ve identified your target audience, you can develop an intelligent group of content channels that will serve as your primary and secondary navigation links within the portal. Each channel will contain subcategories which will intern provide the base for unique articles and content.”

Q: Content developers need to strike a balance between satisfying user needs while still generating great search results. How can content developers balance SEO and user needs?

TE: “Great question, and one that long deserves clarity. First things first, you can develop all the content in the world, but if you are integrating this content into a site that hasn’t been properly architectured, your efforts will go down the drain. What I mean by that is this: there are basic fundamentals that must be applied to each page of your website from the top level down. Each page must be unique and easy for the search engines and users to differentiate. Once you’ve learned the fundamentals of how to architecture a website, there are golden rules I recommend you follow when achieving balance with Content and SEO:

Rule No. 1: Users Come First - I hear people say this all the time and I feel like people say just because they’ve heard it somewhere else… (the buzzword phenomenon). The reality is putting your users first will in return provide you with long term success. Think about this; why do you think companies like MySpace or YouTube developed such a large following so quickly? They put their users first and constantly asked their users to assist them with making their online brands better. You may not have the lofty goals that a YouTube or a MySpace had, but treat your business with the same respect and you will see results.

Rule No. 2: Develop Themes - Each page within your site that is optimized for a keyword or two should have a theme, right? Once you’ve identified the theme for each section, search the web for the most relevant information that you can consolidate into your web page without over-cluttering. The goal is to make that page the most relevant for a keyword. Just because you have a unique article with the proper title and meta information doesn’t mean you deserve to rank number one for that keyword. Ask yourself this question: How else can I help the user gain the information they are looking for when typing this keyword phrase in?

Rule No. 3: Content Housekeeping - Always be improving your web pages. If something happens in the industry you are involved in that directly affects your users or your business you need to cover it. There is always something to write about and if you don’t do it, someone else will. By doing this you are showing that you are one of the most up to date and relevant resources of information on the Internet, which will in turn assist you with achieving top organic rankings.”

Q: How does content development affect online brand recognition?

TE: “Brand Recognition and Content Development go hand in hand. The quality of your content and the frequency of your unique content creation affect how users, publishers and advertisers see your brand. Think about it like this; if a user visits your site and doesn’t find your content compelling, why would they bookmark you, buy something or share your site with a friend? Why would a publisher want to link to a stale site or a site that doesn’t at least provide weekly updates?

If you look at the publishers that generate the largest amount of volume for their advertisers you will notice they are updating their online brands with information on a daily basis.”

Q: What do developers need to do to create a content strategy to enhance their online branding?

TE: “The quickest way to refresh a content strategy is to gather your team together around a white board and brainstorm. Have people throw ideas out for new content channels; as many as possible. Don’t disregard any idea until you have the white board covered with topics. You’d be surprised how much of an impact a simple brainstorming session will have on your content strategy. Too many publishers and affiliates attempt to copy their top competitors rather than develop their own unique strategies.”

My advice: Break the mold and be bold. Forget about what your competition is doing and target your audience with information you know will attract new searchers. Think about how you can separate yourself from everyone else and develop your own niche.”

Q: Are there any content development tools or resources that you would recommend?

TE: “Yes, and they are all over the place. I get ideas from TV, Radio, Newspapers, Restaurants - any form of media that captures my attention. Think about why it captures your attention and what advertiser is placing their brand in front of you. The faster you catch on to understanding the human psyche and how it works the quicker you’ll understand how to develop an online brand that not only generates revenue but attracts the eyes of advertisers looking to get a piece of the action.”

Landing pages are an integral part of generating leads and a good way to ensure that you get the most out of your traffic. It’s important to optimize them in their design to ensure that  potential customers don’t just click away from the page, and you get the crucial information you want. There are several steps you can take to make sure that your potential customer’s have a clear idea of what your offering and are enticed to submit their personal data.

5 Steps to a Better Landing Page

First, it’s important that there be continuity between the newsletter or wherever else they are linking in from and the landing page. You want to make sure that the prospect isn’t confused as to where they are. Even thanking the reader for making it to the landing page, with a statement,  is an effective way of letting them know that they are in the right place.

You want to include fields to capture crucial user data. Rather than just listing the services you provide, it’s more effective to first capture the potential customer’s information. When a user submits their personal info, they enter the sales funnel, and then a more effective process of converting prospects into buyers has begun.

You also don’t want to ask too much of the reader. Having to many form field or too much text to read can be extremely overbearing and inspire them to leave the site. Figure out the minimum amount of information you need to capture and include only those fields on the page. Also, don’t be pushy in the line of questioning. Keep it simple and don’t get too personal.

Make sure to provide a promise of privacy and make your policy clear. If a user feels insecure about giving information out, ensuring them that the information will not be shared  whatsoever can be reassuring.

Lastly, be sure to follow up immediately after one of your leads responds. If a user goes through the trouble of filling out the form, you want to make sure they immediately get some form of response or further information. It is important to keep the prospect as involved as possible, and not letting their focus shift.

 

Press releases are a good way to get the word out about your business and drive traffic to your website. Use the following tips to spread the news and increase the visibility of your business.

What Kind of Stuff Can I Put in a Press Release?

Well, first, let's get something straight. "Press release" is an outdated term that was common during the era of the printing press. The proper expression is "news release," though many people use the terms interchangeably.

The milestones of your business are newsworthy material -- use them to your advantage. Did you recently add a new product or service? Does your website have new features or an entirely different look? How is your company growth at the end of each quarter? Make an announcement that may be of interest to the public and use it as an opportunity to brag about your business.

Online Distribution Services

Use online distribution services like PR Web as a platform to spread the news about your company. In one shot, your news is sent to multiple media outlets. You can increase your search engine visibility and drive traffic to your website.

Reach Out to Local News Outlets

Don't overlook the power of local news. Pick a few newspapers in your hometown and send copies of news release through the appropriate channels. You may be surprised at the reception you receive through local news outlets. And if your story goes to print? Well, that's called free publicity.

When you’re designing your affiliate marketing website, what’s the first thing you think about? Is it where you’re going to get your content? How many affiliates you can partner with? How much traffic you will be able to profit from? These are all important questions, but the most important one might be: What is my site going to look like? If you haven’t been thinking about your web design, stop everything. Without a good design, you might as well just stand out on the street with a sandwich board that says “affiliate space for rent here.”

A Picture Is Worth a Thousand Words

Of course, you want people to read what’s on your website, but first you have to attract their eye. The way you do that is with a captivating web design. If your site is attractively designed, people will want to look at it, even if they are not initially interested in the content. On the other hand, if your site is drab or ugly, even people who can use your content might be turned off. Remember that Internet surfers have a nearly limitless number of choices and a very short attention span. Attract their focus with the cyber-equivalent of something shiny.

Consider the Elements

Visualize your site before you ever start designing. Think about what an attractive color scheme might be. Consider a logo and what it should look like. Think about what you like to see when you surf the Internet. In fact, what you should really do is take some time looking at different web pages, seeing what works and what doesn’t and incorporating those ideas into your own design.

Your Road to Website Success

While aesthetics aren’t the only thing that will get your new website off the ground, it’s more important than you might think. Take the time to create a really great, eye-catching design and you just might find yourself drawing more traffic faster than you thought possible.

 

Remember when MTV used to show videos? You know, the thing their name stands for? I’ve heard that video killed the radio star, but what about everyone else? Despite the growing number of artists, it seems as though the cultural icon has just turned to a long list of reality TV programming.

There’s something to be said for video -- not just musically, but on your website. Boosting your blog’s presence is a multimedia effort. No matter how much content you have up on your site, your visibility will increase with video content.

Using Video Content To Your Advantage

Having a blog is great, and having content on the site is better, but mixing it up with other forms of media is what can increase ranking and get you noticed. Adding video content to your blog is one of the easiest and most effective ways to score SEO points and gain Internet traffic.

Depending on what kind of blog you have, incorporating videos into your posts is also a great way to demonstrate a point. There are blogs in the online universe that exist solely to comb through and find the best videos, whether they are newsworthy, informational or just plain funny. Either way, the blog with the video is more likely to attract visitors than text alone.

Adding video content to your blog is not very hard. If you’re using WordPress, a simple click of the button or HTML code will help you insert your video into the blog. Make your own videos, add them to YouTube and then add them to your site if you like. By utilizing video content, your blog has taken the next step towards become a dynamic multimedia center. Video may have killed the radio star, but it’s giving the blog new life.

When you're researching how to get your website to rank in search engines, what do you do? Do you consult with ebooks? Do you prefer to troll through forums looking for answers? These are all viable tactics to use, but one tried and true method works especially well online: see what your competitors are doing.

Google Search For Your Keywords

Here's your first step: search Google (or whichever SE you prefer) and see what the top organic listings are. Now you know who your top competitors are for those keywords. Go to these sites and see what they're doing to rank so highly for the words that you want. Are they doing something special with their meta? Do they have great backlinks? Do they have lots of fresh content targeting the words?

Look through these sites and you'll see some great new ways for you to improve your site. That's the great thing about working online: everyone's work is on display for you to inspect. You'll be able to benefit from other people's years of experience and use it to help your site.

Beating Competitors, Not Machine

When you're online, you don't need to make exactly what Google wants. Nope, it's much easier than that. That's the thing with Google, Yahoo and the other search engines, they're quite good at what they do and you can't beat machine. Luckily for you, you don't need to beat machine, you just need to beat your competitors. This is why doing a competitor analysis is pivotal for building high ranking websites.

Once you've seen how everyone else is doing it and how they are getting their rankings, all you need to do is do things slightly better. Make yourself stand out from the crowd and you'll start getting those rankings.

When you’re setting up a website, one of the first things you’re going to have to come up with is a domain name, that URL that people need to type in to get to your site. This is a great thing about the Internet.  Nowhere else in life do you get to choose your own address. Well, you may get to choose it, but you don’t get to choose what it’s called. You’re stuck with: 5489 Drab Place or whatever. Online, your address can be whatever you want it to be.

Available Domain Names

Within limits.  You can’t choose anything obscene and for that matter, anything with an “X” anywhere near it has probably already been co-opted by some porn site. Pretty much every four letter or fewer letter combination has already been used, as is probably every word in the English language not in combination with one or more other words.

My Name Is URL

So what’s a name-maker to do? Keep in mind that your domain name is also your URL, the thing people have to remember in order to type it in to their web browser in order to get to your site. Try to make a domain name that describes your product or service without getting too wordy: WeCleanYourDrains.com rather than TheBestPlumberInTheWorldThatOffersaVarietyofPlumbingServices.com. I’d also avoid too many syllables and too much alliteration. ResplendentRedRackets.com sounds like a distinctive name for your site that sells tennis gear, but it may be more trouble that it’s worth. Was it RedResplendent or ResplendentRed? What was that first word again? Try to keep it simple.

Welcome to Your Site

While the choice of a domain name may not seem that important in the greater scheme of things, the fact is, it is your introduction, the first thing people see about your site, and like they say in the commercial, “you never get a second chance to make a first impression."