Search Engine Optimization: Introduction to Keyword Density- Part 2

by Alyssa Ast

Last week, during Part 1 of the Introduction to Keyword Density series, we discussed a basic introduction to keyword density, including how to find your density level and how to use keyword density to optimize content. This week, during Part 2 of the Introduction to Keyword Density series, we will cover basic tips that will help you optimize content correctly.

Getting Started
To begin, you will need the title, META description, and the tags section to have the proper keywords/phrases in order for your content to rank properly. As discussed in a previous post, How to Create Killer SEO Titles, here is a brief explanation regarding how to optimize titles.

"Optimizing titles is very simple if you are using a long tail key phrase. All you have to do is simply create a title. Things begin to get a little trickier when you are using two key phrases or a combination of a key phrase and a keyword. When creating titles with either two key phrases or a keyword and a key phrase, never place the two next to each other. You want them to be separated by a word of two."

To ensure you create the best titles possible, re-read How to Create Killer SEO Titles.

META Descriptions

Your keywords/phrases need to be included within your META description. Your primary and secondary keyword/phrase must be included one time each within your META description. If your META description allows more than 50 words, you can include your supporting keywords/phrases as well, but make sure the description flows naturally and isn't stuffed.

All keywords and phrases must be included in the tags section to provide proper indexing.

Tips to Remember

Always include your primary keyword/phrase in the first and last paragraph of your content. If possible, place it in the first and last sentence of the content. If you're able to make the content flow naturally, include the secondary keyword/phrase in the first and last paragraph as well. Make sure you don't cluster your supporting keywords/phrases within the content. Try to have them spread evenly throughout the length of the content.

If possible, hyperlink your keywords/phrases, but only one link per keyword/phrase. Make sure you link to relevant content or you'll decrease your traffic. If optimizing your website or blog, consider internal links used within the keyword/phrase hyperlinks.

Search Engine Optimization: Introduction to Keyword Density- Part 1

by Alyssa Ast

When utilizing search engine optimization, you must use the correct keyword density to achieve high search engine result's page ranking. Plus, the correct keyword density will allow readers to accurately find the information they are seeking. Keyword density is the number of times keywords and phrases appear within content compared to the content's overall word count.

Introduction to Keyword Density

While there's much debate over the correct percentage to use for keyword density, a good percentage to begin with is 3%, unless the client specifies otherwise. The ideal keyword density is debated to range from 2% to 12%. Unless the percentage is specified, you're free to use the density percentage you want. For shorter content, I typically stick with a lower percentage of 2-3% and limit my keywords/phrases to only 1 or 2, but for longer content I choose a higher percentage of 4-5% and use around 5 keywords/phrases.

There are many online sites that will analyze your content for the correct density level, such as SEOTool.com. If you want to try to optimize content with the correct density level yourself, this is achievable as well using simple math. For example, if your final word count is 500 and your density percentage is 3% you would do a simple math equation.

500 x 3%= 15

With these results, you would use your keywords/phrases 15 times within your content. It's best to use your primary and secondary keywords/phrases the most, and the supporting keywords/phrases the least. So, if your keywords/phrases are: "Top SEO Tips," "search engine optimization," "optimizing content," and "increased traffic," you can break down your density as follows:

Top SEO Tips- 5 times

Search engine Optimization- 4 times

Optimizing Content- 3 times

Increased Traffic- 3 times

Remember, use your primary and secondary keywords/phrases within the title, META description, and tags section as discussed in How to Create Killer SEO Titles.

Next week we will discuss other tips that will help you boost your online visibility with keyword density.

Search Engine Marketing: Utilizing Internal Links

by Alyssa Ast

Last week, we discussed how utilizing outbound links is a great traffic booster and increases your indexing within a search engine. This week, we will focus on utilizing internal links in websites and blogs strictly for the purpose of increasing traffic. Internal links increase overall content traffic to an entire website or blog because traffic is not deviated to a third party's web page. By linking relevant pages or content together from the same site, you will boost your ranking in a search engine due to the constant and steady flow of traffic.

Internal links often take the form of anchor links, and work the best when they are used in properly search engine optimized content. As with outbound links, the links should connect to content that is relevant to the original content to avoid confusion and discouraging the reader from continuing their reading on your site.

After you have properly optimized your content, begin adding links about every 50 to 100 words. For the best results, link to your keywords or key phrases. The anchor text the internal link is linked to should describe where the link is redirecting the reader. For the best results, link all pages of a website or blog to one another.

Here is an example of internal linking for a website or blog. For the sake of content length, we will ignore the 50 to 100 word rule for the moment.

"The Fundamentals of SEO is an important aspect needed for increasing online traffic. There are many SEO resources available to assist you with optimizing online content to the best of your abilities. In author Alyssa Ast's book, The Fundamentals of SEO for the Average Joe, there are many helpful step-by-step tips to allow you to correctly optimize content. If you aren't too sure if you have correctly optimized your online content, you can find free SEO review services to offer tips and advice to optimize your content to it's fullest potential. For additional SEO and SEM help, you can contact Alyssa to learn more about this valuable skill."

If you follow the links included in the paragraph above, you will see how well internal links can be used to increase on site traffic to each of your web page's.

Search Engine Marketing: Utilizing Outbound Links

by Alyssa Ast

Increase Your Traffic with Outbound Links

Last week, we discussed search engine marketing and the importance of understanding the basics of hyperlinking in order to increase online traffic and profit capabilities. This included the types of links used. Now that you have an understanding for the basics of hyperlinking you can begin utilizing those skills. SEM consists of inbound and outbound links, which are basically a two way street for traffic. Inbound links draw traffic to your content; thus, outbound links draw traffic to third party content. However, you can use outbound links to increase your online presence, which is the topic of this week's SEM tips.

SEM Tips for Outbound Links

Outbound links often take the form of anchor links and are very helpful for increasing your content's credibility. Plus, you can often use outbound links to link your content to one another, increasing both contents' traffic. This excerpt from The Fundamentals of SEO for the Average Joe will help you understand outbound links further:

"Outbound links are essential for supporting web content with third party websites to provide relevance to your content. They also allow search engines to index your content. Content is considered more reliable if outbound links are included."

Utilizing Outbound Links

There are a number of ways you can utilize outbound links that will increase your online traffic. First, you can link one piece of content to another piece of content that you have authored, but make sure they are both relevant to one another. This will increase your traffic to both pieces of content.

When utilizing outbound links, only link to sites that are relevant to the original content. This will increase the content's credibility. When linking to content, only link to authorative site--sites that are not user generated. Authorative sites generally have a URL consisting of .edu, .gov, or .org.

When linking to third party sites, it is best to use anchor links. Make sure the links are anchored to a word or phrase that accurately describe the link the content will open too. The word or phrase should somewhat describe where the link is directing the reader.

Make sure your outbound links open to a new window. This is absolutly essential because it will keep your content from becoming lost when the reader is directed to another page. If you have your content open to a new window, the reader is more likely to go back to your content; whereas, if the link doesn't open to a new window, you content will disappear and be more difficult to find again.

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Search Engine Marketing: Hyperlinking 101

by Alyssa Ast

Understanding the Basics of Hyperlinking

Hyperlinking is an essential tool needed in the world of search engine marketing (SEM) and the online world in general. Hyperlinking is used to link two pieces of content to one another that are of similar relevancy. By doing this, you increase your ppv's, increase your online presence, and even generate a profit. After you begin understanding the basics of hyperlinking, you can begin back-linking content to increase your ppv's, create a profit by incorporating links within your content, and increase your online presence with a higher SERP's ranking.

Hyperlinking 101
There are two types of links used for search engine marketing: anchor links and naked links. The appearance difference between the two is quite noticeable; however, the benefit results are far greater when you use anchor links.

Anchor links are links that are simply anchored to a word or phrase, which is done using keywords and phrases within search engine optimized content. An anchor link appears as any of the other words in the content but they are often underlined, a shade of blue, and the mouse cursor will turn to a hand when the cursor is moved over an anchor link. An anchor link will often appear as: The Fundamentals of SEO

A naked link is a link that is not anchored to anything. It is simply an URL included within content. An example of a naked link is http://www.fundamentals-of-seo.com/. Naked links are often frowned upon when they are used for SEM.

Hyperlinking Content
Hyperlinking content can be done in a number of ways. Generally, when online you will right click the mouse and highlight the word or words you wish to link. Somewhere in the content producing tool there will be an icon that looks like a globe with a chain link or just a chain link, choose this icon and insert the URL. Many word processors work the same way. Or when using a word processor, you can highlight the word(s) and right click the mouse on the highlighted words for the tool menu to appear and select hyperlink, generally, the last on the list.



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