Top Google in Record Time in 2 Simple Steps!

By Michael Small

I got into search engine optimization back in 1998. It sure has changed a lot since then. Back in the day you could use invisible text, load keywords to the point of overflowing and fill META tags with anything even close to what you had on your page. And you could do well on Google, Yahoo, Alta Vista; all the biggies. Not anymore.

Today SEO is about a 75% / 25% split between links and content, with inbound links being the most important thing. Especially on Google. When all is said and done, you can get to the top of Google in just two simple steps. Seriously. I've done it hundreds of times and it's easier than you'd imagine.

Step 1: Develop Great Content

Writing great SEO content is a snap if you follow this simple 5 step formula...

1.) Write naturally as if speaking with a friend. Record yourself actually speaking to a friend about the topic of your Web page and it will all come together automatically.

2.) Limit each page to 2 to 3 keywords or keyword phrases.

3.) Mention each keyword no more than 4 times per page and split the usage somewhat equally between paragraphs. Two mentions of your most important keyword in the first paragraph is the only real exception. And be sure you mention each toward the end of the page to show overall consistency and topic authenticity.

4.) Try to incorporate the first mention of each keyword into hyperlink anchor text. The link should lead to another page of your site. (Note: The keyword would then be the clickable text leading to your other page.)

5.) Have between 150 and 250 words of text per keyword. So if you have 3 keywords on one page, you will have about 600 words on that page, in total.

That's the quick and dirty SEO content writers course. And believe me, it works!

Step 2: Link Like the Pros (Part 1; Strategize)

Linking is a bit more involved. The main thing to remember is that you want as many high quality, topic relevant links as you can get. And you want them all using the same exact URL since Google sees URLs that begin with "http://www" differently than links that begin with just "www". In other words, even if you have 200 links to your page, if they are split between URL formats, you are not getting full credít for the links.

And forget all that stuff about links to the homepage being "a must." Sure, having inbound links go to your homepage is great but Google has smartened up. They figure your site overall is probably not that great if nobody bothers linking to your actual content pages. While it's true that Google ranks pages rather than sites, they do still base each of your page's worth on its supporting pages.

I won't bore you with a bunch of techno babble. In short, if you keep this in mind, you'll always be ahead of the game:

1.) Inbound links should be from pages containing relevant content of a similar nature.

2.) Links to your pages from outside pages with high Google PageRank (GPR) are most desirable. (Note: GPR is NOT the page's position on Google. It is a value, from 1 to 10, that Google assigns to all Webpages.)

3.) Links from (not to) a homepage are typically most valuable, unless they have a higher GPR page to link from. Focus on the GPR. If you use software like that mentioned below, it will do all this automatically. If you do it all manually, get the free Google Toolbar. GPR is shown for every page (that has any) on the Internet.

4.) Inbound links to your pages should feature your keyword as the anchor text triggering the hyperlink (keyword is the clickable part leading to your page.)

5.) Do NOT use generic text for your link's surrounding content. Make the sentence as relevant as possible.

6.) Use as many variations of your link's surrounding content as possible so the search engines don't view your inbound links as duplicate content.

Step 2: Link Like the Pros (Part 2; Do It)

As far as actually getting great links, avoid the automated script based reciprocal link services. A lot of these services link your pages to "gray barred" pages, which means your site can get kicked off Google as well. And to be honest, reciprocal links are not nearly as valuable to Google as they once were, especially the junk link pages most of these services create.

If you want the "set it and forget it" convenience of a linking service, but not the problems I just mentioned, you might want to try one like 3-WayLinks.com. Although I'm not a fan of any linking service, this one is the best I've come across so far. They set it up so your page links to another, which links to a third, which links to you. There is no direct reciprocal beeline back to your page and each link is counted as a one way inbound link by Google, which is the most valuable type of link.

Of course, natural linking is the way to go whenever possible. Google LOVES links that are part of page content (see the anchor text notes above.) And getting great links like this is easier than ever with the right software so don't sweat the time or effort. Both are minimal.

The product a lot of SEO pros use (myself included) is SEO Elite. It works great as both a full function link building tool and ranking checker for all major search engines. Even if you don't need the app, take advantage of the free videos on the site. They explain special linking considerations, like special reserved commands such as "allinanchor" and how to find Google "Authority sites." You can still benefit from the information, even without the tool.

Big Tip: When approaching other sites for links, try to get your link as anchor text in the actual page content, or a margin. Also do their link that way and explain the benefits and how much Google loves this type of natural content linking.

So there you have it; everything you need to get your pages on top of Google in record time. Best of luck. You'll do great!

About The Author
Mike Small is a ten year veteran SEO specialist with thousands of top search engine rankings to his credít. He is the author of seven SEO books and founder of SEOpartner.com .

Smarter Landing Pages

by Dan "The Man" Lok

Not all landing pages are created equal. How well they convert rests solely on how well you engineer them. Lets discuss thought, design, engineering, and how they make a difference.

Smarter landing pages are 'human friendly.' They're based on what is known about people and what people like and don't like. And that knowledge isn't arbitrary. It's based on research, marketing testing...facts.

In a certain sense your landing pages should be unobtrusive. Your potential customer should feel so relaxed and satisfied with the 'overall' that she just naturally wants to know more and clicks through to your vendor's site.

What elements comprise a smart landing page?

Numerous factors influence what people find appealing. Similarly, there are many ways to subtly influence desired responses in people. Colors, for example. It's known that people tend to respond to different colors in certain ways.

Dark blue tends to evoke feelings of trust. Brighter shades of red are associated with aggression and energy. Shades of gray and darker shades of red are associated more with a sense of 'establishment,' like an established bank.

Carefully consider your target market and who you're sending to your landing pages.

Your copy needs to reflect the appropriate information people need to make a positive decision in your favor. And your copy needs to be in the appropriate amount based on your target market.

Some examples...

Sidebar: The 'need of your reader' refers to what is necessary to make a positive decision. Your landing page should provide enough to satisfy while creating a desire for more, thus producing a click-through.

If you're promoting music, ask yourself what people 'need' and look for when shopping for music, or a music-related service. People looking for mp3's to download, or a download service, need much less copy than people searching for SEO software.

Mp3 downloader's want a good selection of music. They want to know the benefits a particular service offers. Can the service be trusted? How can you let them know if a service can be trusted? Simple. Show them awards and reviews from media like newspapers or magazines. Of course shoppers are always price-conscious. So you could offer them a comparison of different providers.

All that information can be conveyed with a short amount of copy. They don't need to wade through 400 words of copy to make a decision. If you try to force that on them you risk exceeding the bounds of their patience.
SEO software shoppers, for example, are different and need more information.

In this case, more copy is beneficial if it provides detailed information about the software. Tech specs, comparisons with other popular s/w programs, customer support issues and availability, upgrades, etc. There's a great deal more information that, when properly expressed in terms of benefits, will help push your searcher toward a vendor's page or your own site.

On the other hand, you have to find a good balance between presentations.

You want to avoid having all the information from your destination page on your landing page. Putting too much info on your landing page results in significant duplication and will annoy your reader. There'll be a feeling of wasted time. Not good!

So you need to have the right amount of quality information, in terms of benefits, that will 'compel' your reader to desire more and click through.
Landing page layout certainly influences your conversions.

You want clean, simple, smooth, easy to understand pages that minimize effort. I've found having deep links to relevant destination pages dramatically increase conversions through my landing pages. But make your deep links well-thought out. Get inside the mind of your market.
Another copy technique that's very useful is the appropriate use of bullet points.

These devices are great on landing pages. Bullet points are little benefit headlines. Maximum useful information that's easily digested by the reader. They make for very quick understanding, quick scanning, and minimize decision-making time. Your readers will respond better if your bullets talk in terms of benefits, and not features.

Finally, every marketing effort needs to be tested to maximize conversions and ROI. However if something isn't broken, then by all means don't try to fix it. And only you'll know when you reach that point.

Copyright (c) 2007 Quick Turn Marketing International, Ltd.

About this author

A former college dropout, Dan "The Man" Lok transformed himself from a grocery bagger in a local supermarket to an internet multi-millionaire. Discover how you can maximize your website profits in minimum time. For a limited time, you can test-drive Dan's Insiders Club for 30-days Risk-Free and get $1,165 dollars worth of bonus gifts. Rush cover to:http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com/testdrive.html

How To Create High Conversion Lead Capture Pages

By Gabriel Aguinaga

In today's competitive marketing arena, it pays to have an edge. Any business, big or small must be absolutely committed to obtaining a fresh flow of exclusive, interested and responsive leads.

In order to remain competitive in the highly sophisticated and intensely competitive Internet Marketing Niche, savvy entrepreneurs must rely on a dedicated networking scheme. One of the most successful ways to garner a piece of the market is through a lead capture page (sometimes referred to as a squeeze pages).

Lead pages are one-page web sites designed to provide only enough information to attract a users attention, arouse their curiosity and inspire them to opt in to your designated opportunity.
Effective lead capture pages can be built with relative ease and their primary function is to highlight the benefits of your offer, provide an online information form that interested parties fill in and allow you permission to contact them directly with subsequent information. In the industry, this is referred to as an opt-in lead.

You may be asking, why should I bother with constructing and maintaining a one page website whose only purpose is to give users the option of continuing or not continuing with their search? Extensive Market Research has proven what Internet Marketers have known for ages, Users do not always commit to a product or service in their first encounter online. Therefore, providing just enough titillating information on your lead page to pique additional interest will often inspire users to request supplementary information.

Creating lead capture pages from scratch is not hard, but there are several tried and true components that are essential in your design:

Your lead page must contain a synopsis of the most pertinent information relative to your product, while having enough pizzazz to grasp a readers attention.

Bulleted points extolling the benefits of the next click (either by use of a proceed, continue or submit button) will serve to whet a users curiosity, thus bringing the desired traffic to your site.

Employing an auto-responders function is essential at this point in order to expedite immediate response. The follow-up e-mail should be comprised of interesting and compelling data about your product and/or service and should be designed to make YOUR product or group stand out from the crowd, thus generating business back to you.

Easy to use software is available to assist first-time marketers in their production of lead pages that look professional and personalized. Your primary goal is to develop a positive rapport with potential clients, so providing some insightful, personal information about yourself, such as your pets, hobbies, family, etc., can create an aura of bonding with the reader.

Establishing this type of mutuality with the reader intimates that you are a person who is likeable, friendly and able to be trusted, which, in turn, can go a long way in swaying a reluctant buyer over to your side.

Once a visitor provides their contact information, you will immediately receive it. You can then employ your marketing skills to their maximum via email or telephone, where you now have a prime opportunity to promote your particular offer.

As a marketing tool, the lead page performs as a multi-tasking agent for your company. It serves to entice prospective buyers, allows you to elaborate on your product and provides you with information on who visits your affiliate site. Most importantly, you will now have legitimate contact information, which can be used to communicate directly with your intended clients.

About The Author
Gabriel Aguinaga is a professional online marketer and the owner of a very popular website, LeadCapturePageCreator.com. To grab a free list-building course or to grab a copy of his famous lead capture page creator software, visit: LeadCapturePageCreator.com