How To Get Ranked At The Search Engines For Free?
It’s the tweaky wheel…
that gets the traffic!
Short Summary: ... No tweaking to do, since your pages aren’t ranking yet. So start working on link popularity. When your site has reached 10 pages, link with Open Directory (only free directory of the majors) and with one minor directory that is a “theme hub” related to your Site Concept. Remember that links go both ways (IN and OUT).
Ongoing Goal... Add other links (both ways) with major directories and theme- related ones. Trade links with other sites as you discover them.
As your pages start to rank at the engines...
Tweak, Link, Re-submit, Track. Then do it again. When a page hits the Top 10,
STOP. Return a little bit back and create more high-value content and then...
Yup... Tweak, Link, Re-submit, Track.
With these goals in mind...
Web site traffic is not like the weather! You can do much more than just watch and talk about it.
Now that you know how your pages rank for your keywords, and since you’ve experimented (in DAY 6) with a variety of “formulas” while sticking to basic “Search-Engine-sexy” principles, you can start to tweak your pages.
Add an extra keyword to the title. Or increase the amount of content. Or decrease it. The key is to note which pages are doing well and start to reproduce those successes.
So tweak, re-submit, and track. Then repeat. Sooner or later, you’ll start to rank well for more and more pages. Soon after that, you’ll start ranking well for many of your pages at many of the engines.
Bottom line... Try to get half of your pages in the Top 10 in at least half of the engines. At that point... stop tweaking! Don’t try to get into the Top 10 for all pages in all engines. You’ll only drive yourself crazy, wasting time. And if you have a spot in the Top 10 for any page, never try to make that page better... you’ll go backwards more often than not.
“Why be happy with half and half?”
Hey, who asked that? Great question!
I don’t mean to imply that you should be delighted. If some pages are simply off the ranking radar (especially if they don’t score well in any engines at all!), review them to make sure that you are not making any gross errors (see DAY 6's information about how to write a high-ranking page). If you’ve done a good job, and if you’ve tried a couple of times to improve it without results, you’re better off creating more new content.
“Why?”
Another super question!...
Here’s what happens when you write 100 good, solid “one-size-fits-all-engines” pages. The engines shuffle their ranking formulas every now and then. So 20 pages may drop down in Excite, for example. But 15 others move up! And two weeks later, pages that were #100 in AltaVista suddenly start scoring on Page 1!
“Why does this happen?”
Whoever is asking these questions, move to the front!
When engines tweak their ranking algorithms, they can’t just suddenly say, “OK, the Title does not matter any more.” The big picture has to remain the same. It’s the details that they change. So...
Don’t sweat it -- it all evens out. From here on in, your time is best spent creating new pages, rather than tweaking. You can write a good new page far faster than the repeated tweaking cycles each page requires.
“Why one-size-fits-all? Why not create a different version of the same page for each engine?”
OK, now I know we have a “ringer” in the audience.
Yes, some people do go so far as to create a different version page for every engine. Don’t bother. First, it’s not a productive way to spend your time -- much better to write brand new pages. And second, if you do this, you are no longer writing for both humans and engines. You are just playing a game. And these kinds of tricks simply do not last for long. This can actually backfire, big-time.
You’ve heard of K-I-S-S, right? (Keep It Simple, Stupid)
Well.... K-I-S-SE! (Keep It Simple, Search Engines).
One traffic-building action you should consider at this stage is building your popularity. No, not you! Your site!
Let’s get back to thinking like an engine. Pretend you’re a Search Engine... what’s another way for you to tell whether a site is relevant for a concept?
Let’s say that you have a site that is all about porcupines. And further, that you have an excellent page in that site about the mating habits of porcupines (a prickly issue, I agree! Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)
Let’s use that site to see how link popularity works...
How about if you, the engine, could see that lots of sites, all kinds of sites, link to you? Yes, that’s a plus.
What about if many of those sites were from zoos? Better.
What if those sites were about porcupines? Even better!
What if the single most important site in the whole world about porcupines linked to that site? Wow, that’s the best.
What if 100 of the best porcupine sites all linked to it? Whoops! No dispute -- that’s the best.
And your page about porcupine sex would score (geez, sorry about that!) especially well if many of those links came INto this page from other pages about the, uh… reproductive habits of porcupines, and had “porcupine mating habits” in the incoming links!
Bottom line? The more sites that link to a site, and the more important they are, and the closer they are to the theme of that site, even to the topic of individual pages, the more “popularity points” for that site (and page).
Popularity, an “off-page” criterion the engines are using more and more, is still not a dominant weighting factor presently.
Why? Because most sites don’t have many links to them at all. If all sites had hundreds of incoming links, link popularity would be a far stronger tool.
Scoring high for link popularity is relatively more useful if you are trying to win for tough words like “e-commerce.”
Why?...
Well, it’s kind of like the golf pros on the PGA Tour. They are all so good, that the difference is razor-blade thin. Zillions of sites are trying to rank #1 for e-commerce (a mistake, by the way... the concept is too untargeted -- luckily you know to work the niches, right?).
All those experts are working so hard for a #1 ranking. And even for such an in-demand keyword, link popularity is not the “be all and end all.” Try this...
Go to AltaVista and do a search for “e-commerce.” As I do this now, I see that “internet.com” is at #1. Now...
Type this into AltaVista's search box, exactly like this...
link:internet.com - host:internet.com
What does that mean? The search request is asking AltaVista for all the links that point to internet.com (“link:internet.com”) minus those that link to itself (“-host:internet.com”). You can also try it with just...
link:internet.com
Either way, check the link popularity for each of the Top 10 for “e-commerce.”
You’ll find that most of them have thousands of incoming links (internet.com had over 200,000!). But when I did this little experiment, there was one site in the Top 10 that only had a single link in... yes, just one! So clearly link popularity is not heavily weighted or it would have driven that site out of the Top 10.
Now repeat the linking research, but this time search for something much less in-demand. Check out the Top 10 for this search result. You’ll see that the number of links to each of these sites is far less.
Also, if you check out, say, the 100th site in the search results, these deeper sites tend to have fewer links to them. But not by a heck of a lot.
Overall conclusion? Yes, link popularity is a factor. And it is worth building some into your site. But it’s not the be-all-and-end-all, especially not for niche sites, which is what you are creating.
However, link popularity is expected to grow in importance. So it is worth adding a little popularity to your site. Here’s what to do, and what not to do, to get more popular...
1) List with major directories like Yahoo!, Open Directory, LookSmart -- Since their standards are high, the engines “figure” that your site must contain valuable content.
2) List with directories that are specific to your area of interest. These are niche “hub” sites that offer links for little or no money. For example, take a look at this wonderful directory for all things related to mining...
http://goldsheet.simplenet.com/
If you had a site about investing in mining stocks, wouldn’t this make a nice listing for you? Text links are free and a small logo is only $50 per year.
Another question? Fire away...
“How do I find directories like this?”
Answer...
Go to AltaVista. Enter this into the search box...
“+mining +directory” (without the quotes)
Then do it for your own Concept Keyword and Specific Keywords.
OK? Continue on with the third method...
3) One-at-a-time, site-by-site, link exchanging or you can automate your link exchange program. Check out...
http://willmaster.com/master/rlinks/index.shtml http://www.linksmanager.com/
Don’t waste time surfing endlessly for nice sites with good traffic (you can check at Alexa) and a similar theme. In my experience, the response rates to friendly, individualized e-mails requesting a link exchange is almost zero. On the other hand, maybe you schmooze better than I do.
This last point is just personal experience. Maybe if you show them how it could be mutually beneficial with the engines, and if and if and if... who knows? But somehow, I think your time is better spent elsewhere.
However... while I would not specifically set aside time to look for such sites, I would e-mail them as I discovered them in the course of doing other, more productive work. Not much to lose that way.
4) If you have several domains on related topics, don’t forget to interlink them all!
5) What’s a definite not to do? Do not do the FFAs. If you don’t know that FFA stands for Free-For-All linking sites, then you’re better off!
One more thing... remember that links go both ways. Create a links page that sends links out to terrific, non-competing, high-traffic (verify with Alexa) Web sites. The best way is to reciprocate on your incoming links (above)...
1) theme-specific sections of the major directories,
2) theme-specific minor directories (“theme hubs”)
3) theme-related, non-competing, sites (as you happen to discover them – don’t spend time searching just for this).
4) links to your other domains on related topics.
Why do this?
Linkage counts both ways with the engines, INcoming and OUTgoing. Remember to code your HTML so that you open a new window with these links, so you don’t lose anyone who links out (your page will be there, underneath, when the other window is closed). If your outgoing “linkees” have affiliate programs, even better!
Yes, Site Build It! even allows you to do this as you create your pages. No worries about the HTML. It does it for you. If, for some reason, you don’t want to open a new window, that’s OK -- you have the choice.
http://buildit.sitesell.com/
So... both linking in and out counts. And, to strengthen the impact of those links on your ranking results, include your Specific Keywords both in the links out, and in the links that come INto you.
Time to summarize the process for building traffic through the Search Engines...
Tweak, Link, Re-submit, Track. Then do it again. When you’ve got it right… Create more high-value content and then...
Tweak, Link, Resubmit, Track. Then do it again. When you’ve got it right... STOP TWEAKING. Instead...
Yup... back to DAY 6. Create new content!
That wraps up building traffic through Search Engines. I sincerely hope that you believe that you can do this. Because you can.
It takes really smart people to trick the engines.
But if you follow this honest, high-value, WIN-WIN-WIN-WIN approach, if you OVERdeliver to your readers, if you simply write and tweak your high-value content pages fairly, and if you experiment until you get it right...
You’ll do as well as the pros... with far less aggravation.
Before proceeding to DAY 9, please complete your DAY 8 Goal-of-the-DAY, and take note of your Ongoing Goal...
Goal-of-the-DAY... No tweaking to do, since your pages aren’t ranking yet. So start working on link popularity. When your site has reached 10 pages, link with Open Directory (only free directory of the majors) and with one minor directory that is a “theme hub” related to your Site Concept. Remember, links go both ways (IN and OUT).
Ongoing Goal... Add other links (both ways) with major directories and theme- related ones. Trade links with other sites as you discover them.
As your pages start to rank at the engines...
Tweak, Link, Re-submit, Track. Then do it again. When a page hits the Top 10,
STOP. Return a little bit back and create more high-value content and then...
Yup... Tweak, Link, Re-submit, Track.
Consider doing this with Site Build It! It makes the whole process so simple...
http://buildit.sitesell.com/
FFA's (Free For All Links)
For those of you who don't know what an FFA site is, it's basically a website where you can post a link to your website for free. Generally it is also posted to many other sites at the same time and hopefully somebody sees your link...free advertising in other words. When you post a link, you are also giving permission (whether you know it or not) to receive confirmation e-mails back from the site owner.
What seems to happen though, is many people see this as free
advertising and get angry when not only do they not see a flood of sales come pouring in, but they start receiving other people's offers.I know when that first happened to me, I couldn't figure out what was going on and was frustrated.
Let's back up a moment and look at the bigger picture of what an FFA site is and its TRUE purpose. The true purpose of an FFA site is for the owner of that site to promote his/her business. It's really not just because he's a nice guy giving people a free advertising place. (If it was such a goldmine in pulling in sales, he would be doing it himself). That is just the bait, getting people to his site to post their links, thinking they are getting free advertising, so he can respond with "confirmation" of your link, and his business ad.
Those confirmation e-mails are NOT spam. You had to agree to receive them in order to post your link. Who is reading these ads anyway? Is posting to FFA's a total waste of time? Not neccesarily, you do get an occasional sale, people do go to post their links and sometimes take a quick look through the links to see what's there while they're posting.
So what's the answer? Get your own FFA site to promote your business. There are many excellent resources out there. I have found from personal experience however, that many of the services offering FFA's sites, offer a free version or a paid upgrade. The phrase "You get what you pay for" comes to mind with these. I've used several kinds and found that the paid upgrades more than paid for themselves in spades. Shop around however to compare between companies.
There are many other really good ones out there.
You can promote any product through this method; information products, crafts, vitamins, whatever. You could have the very best on the entire internet, but if nobody sees your offer, it's not going to get the sales you desire. It takes traffic to get sales. These sites are options for driving those numbers to your site. Free classified ads sites are also in this same category with the same purpose and can be worth pursuing.
Best wishes to your promoting!
Start An Article Trading Center
A great way to improve your search engine ranking and attract more visitors to your site would be an
Article Trading Center. This is where you would swap articles with other webmasters/article authors in order to benefit both parties. This is done much the same way as exchanging links but with far more effective results ( in my opinion). There are many benefits to adding an article center to your site:
*Adds content to your website
*Builds your reputation and online presence
*Provides readily available ezine content
*Improves your search engine status
*Establishes you as a reliable online presence
*Increases your circle of contacts and networking
What you need to do is trade articles with quality, websites that compliment, not compete, with your
website. Join some of the article lists to find the type of article you are looking for. You can also visit websites with article directories.
Article Lists:
mailto:article_announce-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mailto:ArticlePublisher-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mailto:articlesubmission-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Free-Content-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Free-Reprint-Articles-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
mailto:Free_eContent-subscribeyahoogroups.com
Article Sites:
(http://www.ideamarketers.com)
(http://amazines.com/)
(http://www.ebusinesshelpsite.com/articles.htm)
(http://www.boazepublishing.biz/articledir/)
When you find the articles you are looking for, contact the author and explain your offer. Let him/her know the benefits of trading articles with you. Be selective in choosing the articles. You want well-written articles that contain helpful information and/or resources.
Compiling a vast and varied Article Center will draw more visitors to your site as well as improve your ranks in the search engines. Having your articles posted all over the net will help build your reputation and increase your online success. Get started today on your new Article Trading Center!
Are You Viral?
No, I'm not asking if you have a cold. Or if you're spreading a computer virus.
I'm talking about your business. Do you have hundreds of visitors to your website everyday? Are you making lots of sales? Can you afford to quit your day job?
If the answer to these questions is "no" maybe you need to revamp your business plan.
A fellow ezine publisher recently asked me how I get new subscribers to my newsletter.
The key is to PROMOTE, PROMOTE, PROMOTE! And when you're done, PROMOTE some more! I can't stress that enough.
You don't have to be an ezine publisher to use these resources. They pertain to running any internet business. Everyone needs to get VIRAL!
What exactly does that mean?
It means spreading the word about your business every possible way and everywhere you can. It means making your name and your website known to the world! There are many ways to do this.
Advertising in ezines gets good results because they have targeted audiences. Subscribers are reading the information provided so they can learn. They're also looking for quality money-making opportunities, good advertising resources and tools to help them with their businesses.
There are many directories available to find quality newsletters and ezines. This is just a small sampling:
(http://ezinexchange.com/index.html?m=56364207) (http://www.freezineweb.com/more-directories.html) (http://www.ezineworld.com/index.php3?refid=1208)
Banner exchanges are a good way to advertise, too. We all see banners displayed at just about every website we visit. If a banner catches our attention we click on it, don't we? Get the point?
A banner exchange means your banner is displayed on other websites in exchange for displaying their banner on your website. It's a free service.
Here are a few sites that offer banner exchanges:
(http://freeautobot.com) (http://www.adtactics.com/index.php?ac=itsallfree2002) (http://QuickPayPro.com/x/qpp.cgi?adminid=1946&id=40550&pid=0)
This website is just FREE banners for you. No exchange is necessary. Check it out here: (http://www.unlimitedbanners.com/?a=gifts_n_things2002)
Many websites offer banner displays for a fee, also. If you don't have your own website you may want to buy some banner displays as an alternative since you can't display other people's banners.
Banners get attention, and you want attention! Here are some good sites to visit for paid banner ads:
(http://QuickPayPro.com/x/qpp.cgi?adminid=1946&id=40550&pid=4597) (http://www.autohtml.com/a.cgi?id=itsallfree2002)
Most duplicated websites come with banner URLs and information explaining how to use your banner for exchanges. However, if you don't have a banner for your business or newsletter, or if you'd just like to have a different one, you can make them here for free:
(http://www.addesigner.com)
Do you have a knack for writing? If so, consider writing articles to submit to ezines. Most publishers accept guest articles from their readers. At the end of each article you can add a resource box containing your name, business name and website URL or newsletter subscription information.
Other sites to submit your articles:
(http://www.MakingProfit.com) (http://www.ideamarketers.com) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/articlesubmission) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/freezinecontent) (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/I_Need_Content)
Submitting your site to search engines and directories is a MUST! If you don't, you're losing potential customers because they can't find you!
But please submit your website only once every 30 days or so. Otherwise, the search engines think you're SPAMMING them.
Here is a good way to put your search engine submissions on autopilot:
(http://www.worldwidepromoter.com/?itsallfree)
Other types of advertising include safelists, classified ads, FFA (Free For All links) pages and ad or message boards. This website contains several suggestions:
(http://www.mylinksite.com/tons_of_offers)
Startpage programs will also produce traffic to your website. They can be joined for free and you can purchase more credits if you'd like. Here are a few good ones:
(http://PowerFulHits.com/?ref=200) (http://QuietSurfer.com/?ref=1880) (http://freetrafficboost.com/g.o/itsallfree2002) (http://www.magnetichits.com/default.asp?userid=its_all_free2002)
Some people think startpage programs are a waste of time. But you never know who might see your website!
Exchanging links with other website owners will also bring traffic to your website. This is similar to banner exchanges but these can be either banner or text links.
Each time you visit a site or read an ezine check to see if the website owner participates in link exchanges. Send them an e-mail and swap links with them.
Take advantage of every opportunity you find to send feedback and profiles to ezines that you read. Publishers normally allow a 2 or 3 line signature file with your submission.
If you're an ezine publisher ad swaps are a great way to gain subscribers and visitors to your website. Similar to link exchanges, you simply trade ezine ads with other publishers.
The internet contains millions of websites. Becoming viral means linking to as many of them as possible. The more you link to other sites, the more visitors you'll receive. This will also give you higher rankings in the search engines.
In a nutshell, if you don't make your website well-known, you'll be invisible.
You don't want to be invisible, do you? Of course not!
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