2 Simple Steps to Top Google Rankings

If you've researched SEO and internet marketing at all, then you know that the two things you need to put most of your energy into are great links and great content. Here are some things you need know about each.

1. Great content is a breeze if you follow these five steps:

• Write as though you were talking to a friend about your product or service. In fact, consider recording yourself as you do just that. Then transcribe the recording.

• Use only 2 or 3 keywords on each page.

• Don't mention any of your keywords more than 4 times. Spread your keywords throughout the page, although you can use your primary keyword twice within the first paragraph. Also be sure you use each keyword toward the bottom of the page. This shows search engines that your copy is true to the topic at hand.

• Make each keyword anchor text the first time it appears on the page and use that link to go somewhere within your own website.

• Use a ratio of 150-250 words of text for each keyword. In other words, if a page contains 3 keywords then it should be about 600 words long.

2. Link Well.

Linking can be a complicated process, but you'll be off to a good start if you remember these things:

• Get as many relevant links as you can, and make sure each of them use the same URL. This is important since Google considers "http://www.mysite.com" a different address than "http://mysite.com."

• Be certain that as many inbound links as possible go to content pages rather than your homepage.

• Make sure your inbound links are from related sites and are relevant to your topic.

• Pages with Google PageRank give you your most valuable links.

• Google places a higher value on links from homepages than links from within a website. If the website has a page with PageRank, a link from that page is more valuable than a link from the homepage.

• When other websites link to yours, make sure that they use your keyword as the anchor text

• If a link is located within a line or paragraph of text, make the text surrounding the link as relevant as you possibly can.

• Remember that natural links are always your best bet as far as getting top rankings on Google.

• Stay away from script-based reciprocal link services if at all possible. Google doesn't value these as much as it once did, and you can even risk getting your site kicked off of Google altogether.

• If you must use a linking service, use one that makes inbound links appear to Google as if they are one-way links rather than reciprocal links.

There is also good software available to help you build links and check your rankings on all of the major search engines. You can also utilize the services of an SEO expert or internet marketing professional, some of whom can help you with both website optimization and writing great content. These professionals have years of experience, and many of them have watched the process of optimization as it has evolved over the years. They know which strategies are outdated such as using invisible text and keyword spamming, and which strategies will actually get you results. Keep in mind that some strategies used in the past will count against your rankings and may even get you banned from Google. So if you're not 100% comfortable with creating your content, getting links, and optimizing your page by yourself, you may consider using a professional to get you started or to even do the work for you. Either way, remember that good content and quality links are the key to a successful business website!