12 Tips to Optimize Your Membership Site for Search Engines

1. Use unique content wherever possible

PLR and free reprints can be modified to look original to the search engines. To be classed as unique, the copy must be at least 30% different to any other webpage on the internet.
In addition to free reprints and PLR, it pays to also create content for your membership site from scratch. Outsource this task to a ghostwriter to save time.

2. Add new content regularly

To maintain a high page rank with the search engines, and a quality membership site, webmasters need to regularly add new content to their websites. A blog is a great way to add content to your site on a regular basis. Encouraging your members to comment on your blog may give you ideas for follow up blog posts, and will also increase your search engine ranking.

3. Choose the perfect keywords

Select specific keyword phrases that are relevant to the webpage you are optimizing rather than general terms. Although general terms draw more searches, there is a lot of competition for them and it will be difficult to get your page a high ranking.

Specific keyword phrases will get typed in less often, but you will get more targeted traffic and a higher page ranking for these phrases.

Look at what your competition is doing. Check out at least the top ten results for your keyword phrases on various search engines. Look at the source html codes and meta-tags on your competitors web pages to get some ideas.

4. Don't jam in the keywords but consider your keyword density

The optimal keyword density is unclear, but many recommend aiming for 3% and 7% to get the most traffic without being penalized by the search engines. Keep in mind that both search engines and your readers prefer quality content that flows over keyword stuffed articles.

5. Put them where they count - keyword prominence

Prominence refers to where you place your keyword phrases on your webpage. Search engines will put a higher value on keywords near the top of the page, so make sure your first paragraph is keyword optimized as well as all your Title and H1 tags.

6. Keep them together - keyword proximity

While you do not have to keep all the words in your keyword phrase together for search engine optimization, keeping them close together will add search engine value.

7. Don't forget to vary your keywords - LSI

In addition to keywords, search engines look for phrases that they expect to see relating to that keyword on the webpage. The presence of these phrases increases your search engine ranking.
LSI is designed to make sure keywords are used in context and that irrelevant content that is stuffed with keywords is penalized.

8. Dynamic Linking

To achieve a high search engine ranking it is important to get other sites to link to your membership site. These will be one way links, or reciprocal links, where you link to another site in return for them linking to you.

9. Don't make them stop to ask for directions.

Structure your site so it's easy to navigate. If a person can easily find their way, then the search engine spiders will also have an easier time getting around your web pages.

Make sure your membership site has a site map and that all major pages of your site are easily accessible from your members home page.

10. Captivate with attention grabbing headlines.

Use informative headlines throughout your webpage content, including your keyword phrases where appropriate.

11. Tag, you're it.

Include descriptive Alt tags on your graphics. These need to make sense and explain what the graphic is, but you'll want to also include your keywords if possible.

12. Tag, you're it again

Use descriptive title tags on all of your web pages to show what the page is about. Limit these to 59 characters. Add descriptive description tags to all web pages, and limited to 150 characters.