Google vs Bing; Your Best SEO Bet

I got into search engine optimization when Yahoo was king and Google was a gleam in Larry Page's eye so I've had a front row seat to all the big doings. And one thing I can tell you for certain is Microsoft just took off its kid gloves with the release of Bing and is looking for a shot at the reigning champ Google.

This article will show you how to hedge your bet with both contenders and come out a winner while these two Goliaths slug it out.

Round One:

First and foremost make sure you follow the one major rule that will apply to both engines; Content is King!

Although we don't yet have a clear picture of how Bing will react to all situations we do know that, since it is being touted as the first decision engine, it will focus greatly on quality of content. That said, be ready to make your pages a little longer than you did when optimizing for MSN and be certain the copy reads well.

Round Two:

Great content is not enough. It has to be well written and natural sounding. Anything that sounds like it was written for a search bot will not make it into the top one hundred let alone the top ten.

Round Three:

Still dealing with on page content, you need to carefully consider how many times your keyword is mentioned and where it is found on the page text. Both search engines will not only look for your keywords but also the context in which they are found. It is no longer enough to simply have them sprinkled in the text randomly. Now the keywords need to actually flow in the context of the text as well. This is typically taken care of for you when writing naturally but is definitely worth the extra once over before posting the final page live.

Here is a little formula to help...

1. Use one main keyword and up to two supporting keywords per page.

2. Do not repeat the main keyword more than three times on a page.

3. Do not repeat the supporting keywords more than twice each per page.

4. Try to have at least five hundred words per page.

5. Try to place your main keyword at the beginning, middle and end of the page text while keeping the writing natural and flowing.

Round Four:

Get as many high quality inbound links as possible. You already know this but it bears repeating. Search engines today are about popularity of the individual page returns. Having inbound links from Google authority sites will be more important than ever because any other search engine trying to trump Google will also be checking these stats as well as adding a few of their own.

That said, getting links from just the Google authority sites is not enough. You also want to get links from MSN's top picks (which are now Bing's top picks.)

Round Five:

To really hedge your bet, get an early leg up on your competition by becoming proficient in proven SEO software with a good track record on both Google and MSN (The tool at http://www.SEOeliteWeb.com has proven a good pick over the years for its ability to help develop SEO friendly content and locate the most beneficial link partners but there.)

And finally, look for domains for sale that are already ranked well on MSN. This could be the diamond in the rough opportunity of a lifetime for your online business.

By following these simple tips you can outdo ninety nine percent of your competition trying to share in the rewards offered by Google and Bing going head to head.