You have probably heard and read a lot about the concept of search engine optimization. This is important for all Internet marketers in order to be found by prospective customers online. This is possible through keywords, which are identified through keyword research. Keywords must be relevant to your business since they bring visitors to your website.

For your website to rank high with the search engines that are responsible for bringing focussed traffic, some serious keyword research is essential so that you can find out exactly which ones are used by your visitors. Finding these keywords will also enable you place them in the right locations.

You can shortlist your keywords via brainstorming with peers and friends, competition analysis, and use a keyword research tool for evaluation. What we now want to share with you are crucial criteria to bear in mind when you select keywords to receive targeted website traffic:

• Select key phrases rather than keywords, as you are likely to get better- focussed traffic and appear in more specific results
• Keywords must be related to your website and be relevant to your product or service on offer
• The more specific the keywords, the better the chances of prospective customers visiting your website and the lesser the chances of facing competition
• Pay attention to the variation of keywords used in different locations across the world. Accordingly web pages must be optimized for the audience. The English say ‘lift’ while the Americans call it an elevator - so take care to use the right ones at the appropriate domains.
• You primary keyword can be used for website optimization. The secondary keywords can be used to draw traffic.
• Remember that keyword research tools are effective, but your own knowledge also counts just as much.
• The final keyword list must be tested. This may seem like a tedious process, but it is necessary in order to enable you finalize a list that is effective and ranks well with the search engines
• A variety of relevant keywords is more effective than the same keyword being used over and over.
• Keywords must be located in the title tags, header tags, ALT tags, anchor text, URLs, meta tags and comments. There are efficient tools that help by suggesting the best ways to do this.
• Also add keywords that are spelt slightly differently by users to your list since they are equally responsible for traffic
• By including a site search function on your website you will be able to monitor the keywords being used by your visitors, as well as making it easy for them to navigate your site.
• There are keywords that have a high search rate even though they are low in terms of competition. These keywords are just as important.

To be successful, keywords must have a high conversion rate. This means you must be able to turn your visitors into customers.

Popularity: 37% [?]

All Internet marketers maintain a meticulous action list of the important activities involved in running their business. But there are some crucial mistakes that must be avoided and we have carefully compiled this list. These can make all the difference in making sure your business flourishes. In fact, you might like to even print and use this as a ready reference checklist. Here it is:

• If you are running a particular promotional campaign do not group all the keywords in your list. For example if you short-listed fifty keywords for this promotion split them into smaller subgroups with related keywords. You could even have separate landing pages for each of these subgroups, enabling your focussed traffic to find it easier to navigate. The more specific you get, the more the chances of your niche market reaching you.
• Do not forget to use square brackets around your keywords and key phrases. By using square brackets you can get your ad noticed easily when this particular keyword is searched for.
• Do not set your keywords with Google AdWords and leave it at that. Constant tracking is necessary to know which keywords are profitable. This will help you drop the ones that are not. You can also reallocate your promotional dollar to focus on those that bring in results.
• Do not ignore grammatical errors, dead links and complex web pages. Just imagine visiting a sloppy website where links lead to a 404 error page - it’s the best way to lose a customer. No one has the time to browse around a website that is complicated and ill maintained. Links must point to the intended web pages, audio and video clips.
• Do not underestimate the importance of using reviews as a promotional method. Reviews make you appear as a fair unbiased marketer who prefers to be honest. As an Internet marketer you will obviously use forums and blogs - so make sure writing reviews is a regular activity. And enjoy the sales that pour in.
• If your traffic is not targeted, you cannot have consistent sales and you cannot track your activity. Be wary of traffic sources you did not target - like pop unders, free links etc.
• Not making an action plan is the worst mistake an Internet marketer can make. You cant set up a website, run a Google ad and relax hoping things will take care of themselves. When your customer places an order, they must be directed to your autoresponder. When your visitor asks a question, they must be directed to your frequently answered questions page.
• Do not analyze every how-to ebook or report you read too deeply. The time could be better spent on actual practice and experimentation. In many instances learning is better through action.
• Do not lose focus on the system you have set up after a lot of research. It is necessary to be organized and stay through with what you plan until it runs on autopilot.

It is not unnatural to want to respond to every new strategy that is promoted or launched in the market, but then there will never be an end to it. What is listed above is just a partial list.

Popularity: 34% [?]

In Internet marketing, even though you may not need a website right away, eventually you will have to build one as you grow. The website you build must not only be successful, but also search-engine friendly. We have put together the most vital points that you need to follow to achieve this goal.

Content

This is the most obvious, but sadly the most overlooked. Google and your visitors both love quality content. So make sure that you have plenty of it ready so that you keep refreshing it on your website. Stale content does not work. Google likes ranking a website that frequently has new information with the keywords that the prospective visitor is looking for.

A Website With A Simple Design

There’s a misconception that graphic and html rich websites are best. But that’s not true. A simple professional website that has more text than html is always best. Too many complex components like JavaScript, flash elements etc. can be quite annoying as they take time to load. Can you imagine someone with low bandwidth smiling over this? Also, your website must be viewable no matter which browser is being used by the user.

Smaller Pages That Load Quickly

Size matters - and this time it is small that matters. Your website must load quickly. No one has the time to wait around.

How Much Content

Lots of it. Try and add at least one page per day - a length of 300 to 600 words should be fine. Use your keywords. And don’t forget to use the spell check. Here’s a tip - on your blog, rather than make journal like entries, go for short keyword rich articles.

Keywords

You have short listed keywords relevant to your business. Use them especially in your title and description tag, page subtitles, your URL, on your page in bold, italic and in your content summary at the beginning.

Linking

Within your website, have links between relevant pages. It would be even better if you use your keywords in these links. Link your high-ranking pages with those of other sites. Ensure that the content is complementary.

Site Submission

This is an important activity - you must submit your website to Google, Yahoo, MSN, AltaVista, etc. and other search engines and directories. Keep track and resubmit if you don’t appear on their list in 3-4 months.

Monitoring

Keep track of where your focussed traffic is coming from and which methods for attracting traffic are working successfully.

Anticipate

If you plan to introduce something big, now’s the time to build a web page. Why? Search engines need time to index the page and show it to your prospective customers.

Words, Words

Your visitors want content. Write for them. Research for what they are looking for. Your chances of becoming a top ranking website is greatly enhanced when you add fresh content every day.

Popularity: 61% [?]

One of the worst mistakes in Internet marketing is NOT outsourcing jobs that slow you down and lose money in the process. Your time is precious. Why on earth would you do a job that you could outsource for say $10 an hour when you could be making $ 300 an hour focusing on business development? You get the idea.

The point here is - there are several tasks that can be safely outsourced so that you can concentrate all your time doing what you do best - finding ways to make online profits. Mundane and routine jobs than can easily be outsourced are programming, writing software code, link building, website design, writing sales copy, email marketing, accounting, statistics, search engine optimization, etc.

As an online marketer with a growing business it is ridiculous for you to try and do everything by yourself. The great thing about outsourcing is that it frees up time you can spend on your priorities. This is your business you also need time off to spend with your family, your kids, your hobbies, etc. After all, that’s why you opted to work as an entrepreneur, remember?

Outsourcing in Internet marketing is definitely not new - but there is now a growing awareness of how effective it can be in skyrocketing your profits. Outsource one job at a time. It is necessary to get familiar with the way your contractor works and get comfortable to establish a long-term relationship.

Here are our tips for what you can outsource:

Search engine marketing This is a vital aspect of an online business, yet time consuming. The aim is to drive traffic via search engines to a website. A website must be manually submitted for approval since search engines don’t like automated submissions. This needs someone to monitor the whole process and does not warrant an employee. The job is perfect for outsourcing.

Building Links

This is related to search engine marketing, involving keeping in touch with webmasters constantly to get it done right. Another aspect is to explore other related websites that can be linked with, and can take up considerable time. Building links can be bundled with search engine marketing and outsourced.

Collecting data and statistics

This is yet another task that can be outsourced. As the entrepreneur, you must invest your time in decision-making based on data analyzed. When you outsource the collection and analysis of data, you can focus on your business

Content writing

There are professionals to whom you can outsource your content writing. You can also outsource newsletter campaigns, which involve the process of getting that newsletter out every week, including collecting emails, designing, sending and replying to emails and so on.

Customer support

This is a huge part of Internet marketing where customer queries and emails must be responded and can take up an enormous amount of time. This can be easily outsourced.

Popularity: 20% [?]