“How do I get traffic to my website?”  Quick answer…Search Engine Optimization.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO for short) is the  mechanism by which you use the search engines to generate traffic to your site.  Word of mouth is great, but how would you like to have 4 out of 5 visitors find you simply because they are looking for what you are offering.  We’re talking about people finding you and your site NOT just because they heard the name. They found you they were searching for a product, service or information that you offer and the internet told them you were one of the best sources for it!

Today I will walk you through some simple steps that will help you optimize your website.  Much pf this is geared towards blogs since they are my tool of choice, but many of these tips can be used for a standard website as well.

Blog Design and Theme

This is your chance to make a great first impression.  Personally, I’m a fan of Wordpress.  However, no matter the blog publisher or website host…NEVER go with just the standard/default template that is available.  Search for templates and themes that are “clean” and fresh looking.  If you are using a lot of pictures and videos, you may want a theme that is darker in presentation.  Lots of text and information, lighter colored themes seem to work best.

Keyword Selection

We could really spend all day talking about this topic, but for the sake of the article we’ll keep it short.  Effective keyword usage is your way of telling the search engines what information your website contains.  If you are marketing a dog training course, your blog/site should be peppered with the phrase “dog training” through the site.  Never, EVER…do keyword stuffing (using the same phrase over and over) it is a quick way to get your website sent to the bottom of the pack.

META-TAG Optimization

In all honesty, there are some people that say this is unnecessary.  My opinion is that every little bit helps.  Plus, for the most part, once you do this you rarely, if ever, need to go back and update it.  This is the area that you can put your top 10-20 keyword phrases.  Additionally, use a MetaTag description that is a 4-6 sentence description of your website.  Make sure you place several of your keywords in this description.

Link using Keywords

No website should be an island to itself.  No links in or out is a surefire way to make sure you don’t get any search engine traffic.  Whether you are linking to or from your site, use one of your relevant keywords as the anchor text.  Simply using “Click Here” does very little for your SEO and internet marketing.

Link within your blog/site

As you create more articles and post more content, its safe to say that you will discuss the same or similar information in different postings.  Link to other articles and postings within your blog.  Give the search engines every piece of help in indexing your site.

Good Permalink Structure

Again, using every opportunity to get our keywords involved in our internet marketing…make sure that you are using good permalink structure.  What’s a permalink?  The URL for this post is http://kevincrawley.com/2010/02/27/seo-for-blogs-internet-marketing-101  With this URL, my keywords “internet marketing” is getting another opportunity to shine.  Had I not made the change, my URL by default would have been something like http://kevincrawley.com/?p=5

Get a Domain Name

If you are on a budget…fine, get the free option of a blogger.com or wordpress.com site.  However, if you really want to make some headway with any type of marketing strategy for the internet, invest the few dollars and get a domain name.  There are several hosting companies out there.  My personal preference is Global Domains International.  I’m an affiliate and it allows me to build an income by sharing the service which makes my hosting FREE!

These are just a few steps that you should take if you want to improve you search engine optimization.  No, you will not jump to the top of Google rankings on day one, but consistent effort and actions will bring you results that will pay off.

See, when I went to their site to see where I landed in their search results for many of the keywords I am using… I was on the first page.  Look for my name and my business (Traverus)…there I am!  So why would I pay someone to do for me what I am already doing for myself?

So, you’re in luck today because I want to give you 4 quick tips for improving your visibility within search engines, primarily Google.

1. Identify your keywords – What words describe your site?  What search terms do you want people to find you under?  To help you best determine your keywords and how competitive they are, I use Google AdWords KeyWord tool.  I look for words that have a lot of searches but not a lot of competition.
2. Content is king – Now that you have your keywords, your site needs a reason for Google to send people there.  As you are filling your site with content, make sure that you use your keywords throughout your page.  But don’t keyword stuff!  An example of that is pages that have the same phrase repeated over and over.  Google doesn’t like that and will blacklist your site.  Keep your site updated with fresh and relevant content using your keywords.
3. Don’t be an island – It’s called the interNET as in network.  Your website alone is an island out in the middle of a vast ocean.  For your site to be visible, there must be other sites that are connected to it.  Build links to your page to connect them while building links FROM your page.  Post comments (NOT SPAM) on other blogs…place your link in a signature on message boards and forums…post links to other relevant sites, etc.
4. Announce yourself – Don’t just wait for the world to find you.  Tell the world where you are.  Submit your website to many of the top search engines.  It will speed up the time for them to find and index your site.  If your site has good content and strong keywords, you will begin to find yourself in the search results.  You may not hit page #1 all the time, but begin to track your progress.

Honestly, this is just a start there are a host of other tactics and strategies that can help you score higher in the search engines.   These tips are a good start and you should see yourself moving up the rankings.

Success and Blessings,

Kevin

TeleVerus Information

In Network Marketing and MLM, why are some successful while others flounder?  What is it that the top money earners have that others do not?  Here is the thing…It’s not luck!   There are some very tried and true methods of creating success in the Network Marketing industry.

This list could be longer, but i want to give you 5 very quick tips for your success.

1. Treat your business like a…business – This is not a get-rich-quick scheme.  Networking is a business.  Be disciplined about the time and effort you put towards your business.  If you don’t pay attention to your business…no one else will.  Plan your schedule each week to work solely on building your business.
2. Stay focused – Don’t work on more than one business at a time.  Doing multiple businesses dilutes your marketing message.  And if you are working a home business part-time…how much success do you really expect from devoting a portion of your already limited spare time to 2-3 businesses.  Find the company, product, niche that fits you or you see the most potential in, and work it.
3. Be coachable and teachable – Realize that you don’t know everything.  Actually enjoy that fact for a moment.  Find out who the leaders are in your company or industry and pick their brains.  Get their input AND FOLLOW IT.  Follow the successful people and do what they do.  If you want to learn how to make money in this industry, do what the top income earners do.  Your opinion or strategy doesn’t matter, because if it worked you would already be successful.
4. Stay positive – Here’s a fact…you will hear the word “NO”.  You aren’t the first one to have heard it nor will you be the last.  The success comes in how you deal with it.  If you take the NO personally, then you will fail.  But if you realize the person saying NO, is simply saying it doesn’t work for THEM, that’s good!  Now just continue to work to find the people it does work for.
5. Have Fun – I enjoy what I do.  Helping people, changing lives, training, etc.  In my time, I have been approached by one particular company at least 8 times.  They are probably a great company, but because it so closely mirrored the job that I had in banking which I hated, I won’t be with that company.  What I’m getting at is that you have to enjoy what you do.  It is not about the money.  A wise person and mentor once told me…”Help the people and have fun, the money will come.”

Success and Blessings,

Kevin

My Business Overview