[Show Transcript]

I’m Randy Charach from RandyReport.com and THIS is the show that takes you from internet zero to business hero!

In this week’s report you’ll learn the basics of search engine optimization, commonly known as SEO, so your website can be easily found in the search engines. You’ll learn how to make sure your content is appealing to search engines and humans. You’ll also learn offsite strategies like attracting inbound links to your site and using social media to boost your rankings.

Today we’re going to talk about the basics of SEO. I say basics because there are over 200 different ranking factors the search engines use to judge the quality of your site…that’s a lot of time to spend on the computer…a lot of late nights and way too much coffee.

There’s more to SEO than meets the eye. It’s not enough to build your website and wait for the rankings to flood in. No, if you build it…they will not come unless the search engines say so. And, it’s important for you to realize that getting high ranking in the search engines is not just about SEO. In fact, it’s more important that you focus on what is known as SEM, which stands for search engine marketing, and deals with strategies off the page.

While you’re learning more about SEO and SEM, you really have to be careful about sticking with white hat methods. That means you solemnly swear to use honest techniques and follow the search engine guidelines so you’re providing something valuable to the end user.

Black hat SEO and SEM are full of underhanded techniques like stuffing your copy full of keywords or hiding text from the search engines. While most webmasters know better, there are still lots of people who try to jump the line and get ahead by using these sneaky methods to increase rankings. If you’re caught practicing the dark art of black hat SEO or SEM, your site will be penalized and maybe even banned from the search engines, so don’t use and abuse any black hat tactics. Even I, as an ex-magician…stay far away from trying to trick the search engines.

In terms of SEO, the most important thing you can do for your site rankings is to provide unique and relevant content. When you’re writing away, target the keywords you think people will use to find your site and sprinkle them in your content. The search engines use these keywords to lead people to your site…IF you do it right, so learn to speak the search engines language…comprende?

Just don’t overdo it. Keywords should make up no more than about two percent of the content, so don’t saturate your text with a laundry list of related keywords. This is counter-productive to your optimization efforts…the search engines give it a big thumbs down…and it looks artificial to readers.

Read your content out loud afterwards to make sure it flows…read it to your mom, to your friend, to your pet, little yellow canary Poindexter.

Don’t forget to link to other pages within your own site as you’re building your online library of content. Internal linking can be a powerful weapon in your battle for search engine rankings. Refer to an article within your site, and link to other relevant content from some of your internal pages.

Another type of linking that can help you win the war on search engine rankings is outbound linking. When you come across content on another site similar to yours that you feel is worthy, link to it. This is good for rankings and for building a community of resources for your visitors.

Be sure not to overdo it, or link to another site on a page where you’re looking for your visitors to take action…for example…buying a product or filling out a survey. Too many outbound links can lead people away from your site and destroy your marketing efforts.

Another factor of SEO is something called meta data. If you’re using a content management system like Wordpress, it’s easy to throw in meta data on the same pages where you enter your content. Meta data is information you provide the search engines so those creepy, crawly search engine spiders can index it.

If you manage the technical side of your website yourself, you probably have a good idea of what I’m talking about. If you’ve got a webmaster, he or she can do this kind of stuff for you. Any webmaster worth their salt should be able to easily enter meta data for your site.

Anyway, I don’t want you to worry about meta data unless you’re comfortable with it…clear your mind and repeat after me: “this is supposed to be fun”. And learning about meta data…it’s really not – not for most people anyway! The good news – onsite SEO only accounts for about 15 to 20 percent of the whole enchilada, and SEM methods make up the rest.

So let’s talk SEM. Inbound linking is an example of an SEM method…and it’s the lifeblood of offsite strategy. When other people like what they see, they give you an online nod by linking to your site. You may be the master of your own domain, but you have no real control over inbound linking. The best way to get these links is to create search engine gold…that 24 carat content. As you build inbound links, your credibility improves and so do your rankings.

While inbound links are top banana when it comes to SEM methods, trading links with other websites…those are called reciprocal links…can also help your rankings. Don’t bother with link farms or link exchange companies that promise you the world – they won’t help you grow anything valuable. There are tons of spammy sites out there that’ll tell you they can get you hundreds of links overnight, but don’t bite. You may get those links, but they’ll be pretty shabby.

An SEM strategy that has snowballed in the last few years relies on social media. You can use sites like Facebook and Twitter to promote your site and get inbound links. You can also increase visibility and inbound links…often known as backlinks…to your website by submitting your content to social news sites. These social sites compile interesting information for users on every imaginable topic…from the latest stock market news to recent Elvis sightings. If your content becomes popular enough, you can get a tsunami of traffic to your site.

Don’t join these Web 2.0 sites just to promote your own interests, though…users aren’t going to be very interested in what you have to offer if you’re a cheesy salesperson in every submission.

Submitting to directories can also bring you backlinks and traffic. There are thousands, if not millions of directories out there, but all are not created equal. Some are junky sites that just want to rip you off. Focus on the directories that have a number of high quality sites listed in them.

They say patience is a virtue…and in terms of search engine rankings, it’s a necessity. You’re not going to make a few changes, head on over to the search engines tomorrow, type in your target keywords and see your site at number one. It’s going to take time and effort, and repetition, to master the rankings rollercoaster.

So, stick with the tips I’ve given you in this report…if you focus on those, you’ll be able to raise the bar on your search engine strategy and find your site rising and ranking in a fairly short amount of time.

Our question this week comes from Morgan F., from San Francisco, California who wrote:

I have no links coming into my site – it’s only about 20 pages. I’m working on growing it and adding more content, but how can I attract inbound links from other websites?

There are a few ways you can up the ante when it comes to getting other people to link to you. You can do something called link baiting, which means you write content that hooks people in…top 10 articles, or fun quizzes, or useful online tools.

A great way to get links is to use article submission sites…that’s called syndicating your content. The larger article sites are highly ranked, and they can bring you targeted traffic. You can find them at the top of any of the search engines when you type in “article syndication” or “article submission.” You can also check my latest recommendations on these types of things at Randy Report dot com.

Submit some of your articles and see what happens. Don’t forget to rewrite them so they’re unique if they’ve already been posted on your website.

In the end, the best way to get inbound links is naturally, over time, through providing a great user experience and offering useful content.

Well, that wraps up this episode of Randy Report. Since company’s websites, prices and quality of service on the Internet change rapidly, for my up-to-date recommendations on resources and for free tools and training, visit me today at RandyReport.com.

Today you learned:

How to use SEO to improve your website’s position in the search engines and how to attract visitors with quality content. You also learned about SEM, and how to get inbound links through directory submissions and from social media sites so your rankings can rise to the top of the search engines.

Thanks so much for watching. Remember, if you’d like more free reports, resources and training then visit RandyReport.com and join me again next week where you’ll discover How to use PPC to reach lots of potential customers who are searching for the keywords related to your business. Building rankings in the search engines takes time, so using PPC can be a way to fast track your business to the first page of search engine results. You’ll learn how to improve your click through rate, target relevant keywords in your campaign, and optimize your landing page to improve PPC results.

I’m Randy Charach, and this is the show that takes you from internet zero to business hero!

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