Take Advantage of SEO’s Unheard-of Tools
Posted: 2011-03-29

Search engine optimization (SEO) comprises of a set of techniques to increase a website’s visibility in the net. For years, webmasters have search for effective SEO tips in the Net only to realize that those articles just rehash the same old information.

 

Here are 7 advanced, highly effective SEO tips that are rarely, if ever, discussed.

 

1. Syndicate articles that link to your sitemap.
One way to have search engine spiders to crawl to your site is to submit an interesting, well-written article to EzineArticles, GoArticles, ArticleCity, and similar sites and place a backlink to your home page.

 

Now, here’s another tactic that can get these spiders get deeper into your site. Just link to your sitemap within the resource box of your articles. Doing so will send spiders straight into a feast of Web content where they can quickly gulp down all pages in your website. The more pages you have indicated in your sitemap, the deeper spiders go.

 

2. Utilize ROR sitemaps
Sitemaps allow spiders to get deep into your website so it can be indexed by search engines. Many sitemaps are specific to one search engine or another. Thus, Google and Yahoo have produced sitemap generators in the recent years.

 

To circumvent this limitation, use ROR sitemaps, which all search engines, not just by Google or Yahoo, can read. ROR is a modern sitemap tool that utilizes XML feeds to define your site. They are in the form of structured feeds, which allow search engines to complement text search with structured information to interpret your site better. In other words, search engines can understand your products, services, newsletters, articles, images, and other content more clearly if you use a ROR sitemap.

 

3. Translate your website into another language.
Google crawls Web pages in 35 different languages, thus it is an excellent idea to be a multilingual webmaster to tap new markets. If your website consists of text in just one language, you are missing out a huge chunk of marketing potential; countless number of people are surfing the Net in a language other than English.

 

Generate traffic by translating your content and registering it in both English and foreign-language search engines and directories. For this, you may need to avail of translation services. Additionally, you can get the services of a programmer to have a translation option in your website.

 

4. Inject more precise keywords or phrases.
Using the right keywords or phrases remains the most important aspect of an SEO campaign. However, targeting very general keywords such as “real estate” or “backpacks” puts you in too much competition with other websites. Yes, it would direct lots of visitors to your website, but because of the overly generic nature of the keyword or phrase, you would not likely rank high in search engines. Even if you do get to the most desirable spots in a search engine results page, the type of traffic you get would most likely produce low visitor-to-customer conversion rates because your keywords do not target prospects.

 

It is better to target specific keyword phrases that are around 3 to 4 words long rather than general ones that are 1 to 2 words long. Think about if: if one wants to buy a 4G iPod Nano online, which phrase would he type in the search field, “iPod” or “4GB Black iPod Nano”? Certainly, the second more specific phrase is much closer to a purchase decision.

 

5. Use GoogSpy
In the world of business, the right information can give you great leverage, and GoogSpy is one such information-gathering tool. GoogSpy is a free research tool that provides you an insight of what keywords your competitors are bidding on. It tracks over half a million keywords every day from Google. Using it, you can also determine keywords with high conversion rates, which you can use in organic SEO or pay-per-click campaigns.

 

6. Include internal links within your content.
One of the most critical elements in your SEO campaign is the navigation of your site. Ensure that every link within your navigational structure (e.g., articles submitted in directories, internal pages, etc.) should relate with a keyword or key phrase that you are attempting to rank.

 

For instance, let’s say you have an online outdoor equipment shop and you have written an article about backpacking. Within the article are several keywords or phrases. By linking the keyword “internal frame backpack” to your product page that features such kinds of backpacks, you enable search engines to crawl over that page. In addition, you directly lead readers to your product page which would most likely pique their interest to make a purchase.

 

7. Use your log files for SEO.
Server logs contain important information about your site. By using server logs properly, you can maximize your site’s traffic and conversion rates. In your log files, you can find search keywords and phrases that most people use to find your website.

 

Inject those words in your content for optimization. Once optimized, the log files will also tell you how many people are finding that particular page. Furthermore, you can use the most relevant keywords and phrases in your paid search campaign to have the best conversion rate.