by Thu Nguyen

Created on: September 21, 2010

As a new writer on the internet, knowing how to bring content to readers should be your main goal. Online this is known as the art of search engine optimization (SEO) which is a term to mean creating content for the web. So in order to truly benefit from the traffic you'll get, it's essential to know what you'll be in for and how websites are made to be found. Therefore, this article will show you some tips through onsite and offsite optimization techniques.

What to Know Onsite

1. Search engines will need to know what content you're providing so having a 'sitemap' will be the first thing you should install. If you have a blog, this can be done through a plugin.

2. Each page is optimized through three areas - title, keywords and meta description. The main ingredient that ties all these areas together is the keyword. You want to put it in the title, 2-4 times in the content and finally in the description the search engines will pick up on.

3. Keywords are the traffic pulling element to a site. However, stuffing the word every other sentence or paragraph can get you banned. So it's better to keep it to a minimal and only utilized 2-4 keywords in any given page.

4. When linking to other sites, consider linking them in relevancy to their site. For example, don't say 'click here to read'. Instead, say 'SEO for beginners article'. Not only will you help the your site rank better but also the 'backlinks' you're optimizing on. This is known as configuring the 'alt tags'.

5. Not only should text be optimized but pictures too. Also add keywords to pictures so that they will be picked up in the search engines.

6. Do not post duplicate content online. When content is found in more than one place, the search engines will be confused on who to optimize from. Furthermore, sites are normally banned this way.

What to Know Offsite

1. Commenting on other sites are one of the best way to bring back traffic to any content. The best part is if they are blogs with Keyword Luv installed, the user can then optimize their site with a keyword. This is also true for ComLuv users who can choose their content to optimize with.

Thus, in the comment form itself, the user is given the option to share their URL. Here is where the backlinks are build. The daily practice of this eventually builds linkbacks that will continue to help the online writer bring back traffic to their content.

2. Article marketing through writing specific content targeted to a specific audience can also help optimize one's site through distributing them into article directories. Some of the most popular sites are Ezine Articles and Helium. These sites allow the writer to hone their craft in SEO and furthermore build a portfolio for future business.

3. Guest writing is also another way to optimize content quickly online. That's because website owners are always open to new writers who would like to take on the challenge of displaying their expertise. Not only that, the writer will often get a link back to their site where new readers can visit. Once again, this is great for future business.

So you see, SEO is not really hard but it's more about the careful placement of keywords as well as the choices in topics. Sometimes popularity counts but with the basic optimization tips above, your content should at least have a kick-start in being found online.

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