You already know the basics of SEO, but do you know about these higher-level search engine strategies?
- If you’re already researching good keywords and incorporating them into your website copy, without falling into the trap of keyword “stuffing”…
- If you’ve already got dozens of incoming links from reputable and relevant websites…
- If you know how to structure your site for smart SEO…
…then read on for advanced SEO tips that can have a dramatic impact on your site’s visibility and traffic.
Analyze your impact:
Using Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, Yahoo! Site Explorer, and other free tools, you can measure and track where and how visitors are finding you and understand exactly where your site is well-developed… and where its weaker points lie.
Avoid duplication:
If you’ve thought about duplicating your content or “reprinting” an article from another website, think again. Search engines place a high value on fresh, unique content, and will actually lower a website’s rankings if it contains copied content. Because search engines can’t tell which site had the content first with any degree of certainty, they will lower the ranking of both sites—so it’s wise to set up a Google alert or to frequently search for phrases from your own content in order to catch anyone who might have copied or plagiarized your writing. It’s illegal and it hurts you both, so you’re well within your rights to send a Cease and Desist to anyone website owners who may be using your content. It’s also important to ensure that all product pages contain unique wording, and that printer-friendly pages that duplicate your articles aren’t listed by search engines.
Wear the white hat:website-attraction
“Black hat” SEO approaches, like keyword stuffing and other attempts to trick the search engines, may work in the short run…but they’ll ultimately result in websites getting lowered in rank or delisted from search engines altogether. It’s simply not worth the risk!
Stay in the loop:
Keep an eye on industry and SEO news by following eCommerce experts and industry sites. The search engines are changing every day, and so are the most effective SEO techniques. It’s important to stay current and to refresh and edit your website pages as often as necessary.
Add these strategies to your SEO repertoire, and you’ll find that your site will rise to the top of search engine results…and stay there.