Great Internet Marketing Hints and Tips

With 5 years of experience behind me I've got some great internet marketing tips for promoting your new or existing website on the World Wide Web.

Some internet marketing tips are just common sense, some may be new to you and some tips may just remind you but all of them should help you push ahead of your online competition!

First off.

Google is King of the search engines but your website visitor is Emperor. Forget about your website visitors experience at your site (branding, navigation, product, price, original interesting content) and you can forget about the search engines.

When to comes to playing with Google you will want to ensure your site plays ball here - check out Google's own guidelines to webmasters here:

Google Webmaster Guidelines

For even more detailed information check out: How to get your site listed highly in Google

MSN and Yahoo. They are big players in the search industry in terms of searches carried out per day though nowhere near as big as Google. It's rumoured that MSN can be easier to get listed on than Yahoo. I recommend you pay the $299 to get a listing in Yahoo's directory.

Bite the bullet and pay Yahoo, its quicker, easier and makes your life simpler.

You can submit your site to MSN here

Researched keywords are better than generic keywords

STAND OUT!

Your site should find a niche keyword that very few others are competing for (say under 100,000 websites) and take advantage of this. That is how to quickly gain the attention of a search engine. If your content is niche and there isn't too much for a search engine to list your page would likely rank higher and more quickly. You can then progress from there targeting more competitive keywords.

A search engine's job is to provide relevant data to its users. If it is not relevant then the search engine will keep looking for more relevant results to provide.

So by making your pages MORE relevant you can come out on top far quicker than when you try to target generic keywords that everyone else is targeting.

Ensure your web pages are ethically optimized

I cannot say this enough. It really pays to have an experienced, ethical and talented internet marketing consultant or a search engine marketing specialist to professionally create a web optimisation strategy and optimize your webpages.

They can make sure your website is targeting niche keywords and can structure your pages correctly so as to increase keyword phrases prominence in the page and give greater relevancy to the search engines.

If however you wish to carry this task out yourself I have some further great internet marketing tips below:

Forget the Keywords meta tag as an important factor in Web Optimization techniques. It is not.

Forget doorway pages, cloaking, redirects, hidden comments, pages stuffed full of keywords. They can be easily spotted. There are some secrets out there but if its unethical your site won't likely last long at the top of search engines.

Forgotten? Good, now remember this:

Your main keyword phrase should be included in the Title tag - if it is not then forget about getting ranked highly in a competitive sector.

Craft other variations of a researched niche keyword phrase from your original keyword, for example the term "Internet Marketing Expert" could also become:

"Expertly marketing websites on the Internet"
" experts in consultancy Internet marketing"
" UK internet marketing consultants"
"consultant firm of experts in Internet Marketing"

These SUB keyword phrases can then be employed in your content and tags to cover off a searchers variations of your targeted keywords.

Use the Description meta tag to describe the page content to a search engine bot. Avoid the use of words such as: the best, number 1, the greatest inside the description tags.

Again make use of the keyword phrase you are attempting to get listed for. Do NOT create a list of keywords in your description tag as a search engine can spot this. Make sure it is a unique, creative and original description. Include a call to action if there is space (you want no more than 110 to 160 characters). Some internet consultants say avoid using a call to action inside a Description tag, I beg to differ on this.

You may use the Keywords tag if you wish, though its pretty much ignored by Google - though that may change in time. Do not spam the tag by ramming it full of keywords. 4 to 6 unique keyword phrases in the tag is usually enough.

Using headlines in your content HOLDS a viewers attention

Use headlines within the text you write. Keep AND HOLD your users attention, people read web pages differently than they do printed documents. The majority scan, quickly looking for important extracts. For more details on using headlines in your content and their importance click the link below to find out more :

Using headlines on your webpages and why it works

Produce original content leveraging keywords into the paragraphs you create. If your content is detailed, niche, informative and entertaining to read it will do wel with visitors AND search engines. If the keyword phrase in your content sounds repetitive then reduce the number of occurences or vary the way it is used.

Link to others

Many people hate linking to other websites in the fear their visitor will move away from their website. Get used to it, that's what people do when surfing the web.

If you're going to be remembered by someone leaving YOUR site, at least have them remember YOU were the one who provided a great resource for them.

Sites that are useful in this manner can help to encourage your visitors to return. You do not have to link to all and everyone. Just find high quality sites to a similar nature of yours (if not similar then one that would be of interest to your customers) and use those outbound links to create a good trust feeling amongst your website visitors.

The web is about surfing and finding new information. It is NOT about locking people into your site in the hope they will buy. Believe me, they won't.

Have others link to your site

This is time consuming when trying to get other people to link to your website. It is an important factor in getting a high ranking on a search engine - especially Google.

Mass emails addressed to no-one in particular never usually gain inbound links to your site. Phone or email the website owner directly. Make sure you are aware of their site and pay them a compliment on a certain page deeper down within their web sites structure. Advise who you are and would they consider linking to your equally high quality website?

If they wish to have a reciprocal link and are adamant in that request... well you know what to do... overall you're after an inbound link. Read between the lines here to get the answer. ;)

The more links from high quality sites your website receives the higher your site is (in theory) going to be ranked so start today.

Make use of Social Networking Sites & Online PR

Use social networking sites such as StumbleUpon, Reddit, Digg and Del.icio.us if you have content that would be considered of great interest to their respective users.

A 5 page website selling office chairs is NOT going to work if you have nothing but products in a generic website.

But a highly amusing video of someone using an office chair in incorrect or inappropriate manner, a free Flash game involving chairs (dodgems anyone?) or even a few DETAILED pages on back posture and how to choose an office chair would be of more benefit and have the users of social networks recommend your site and send you traffic your way.

Also do not forget to use Online PR. It's not an expensive process as some may have you believe - in fact some companies can get your online Press Release out across the web for around $20.

For more tips on internet marketing and search engine optimisation please feel free to check out the rest of the All Things Web site.

Great Internet Marketing Tips has been created by Web Optimization Specialist Darren Moloney. Please call +44 (0)1793 729326 if you feel he can be of assisting you in ranking your website higher in search engines.

All Things Web, 50 Sams Lane, Blunsdon, Wiltshire, SN26 7AZ