SEO tips for the lazy
I can hear many of you saying ” okay, everything you say looks great but give me some tips on how to really optimize my site quickly, without waiting for organic growth”. I agree that not all websites should be built with the future in mind. It may even be desirable in some circumstances to break into the first page of a search engine even if it means oblivion in the long run. In this post I am listing some of the time tested methods which I have personally tried and succeeded.
Building links (not the same as Link building)
One of the most beautiful ways to get people to link is through traditional channels. If you ask me, finding a place in Oprah show would probably be the best way to get people to link feverishly to your site. Even if you are not so fortunate, any television show in your neighborhood channel would work fine especially if your website deals with local issues or sells products to the neighboring marketplace. Radio talk shows come second on my list, primarily because radio has become completely localized. When you get linked from these audiences, a stream of traffic is bound to follow. Besides this, search engines pick you up faster.
Publishing articles in article directories
I like this method a lot because in the process of submitting to article directories you are likely to build a neat nest of content. There are many more advantages to publishing articles in article directories. When others pick up your articles and publish them on their websites, they automatically link to yours. This therefore acts like a nifty link building exercise. Moreover, search engine spiders often crawl through article directories in search of new content. The likelihood of being picked up by search engines therefore increases.
The only limitation in this approach is that you must have some information to offer which can in turn be converted into articles. If, say, you are selling apples on your website, it would be tough to write articles which would be accepted by article directories. Not that it cannot be done – believe me when I say that smart guys can write on anything let alone apples.
Publish on Wikipedia
Frankly, this one is for the serious guys because, Wikipedia folks don’t easily accept content for publication. Having said that, I have known people who have got themselves into wiki pages by using some really nice gimmicks. Remember that search engines like content from reputed sites and Wikipedia is one of them. You may even attain instant nirvana on search engine ranking via Wikipedia. As a consultant, I get many queries from people asking for advice on the subject. Getting published in Wikipedia seems to a well established market.
Yahoo Directory
This may prove to be a great way to get noticed. Getting your link registered with Yahoo directory can lead to direct traffic from it as well as help in getting noticed by search engines as well. Generally, you will find yourself ranked better on Yahoo in case you are on its directory. Possibly, Yahoo search engine has a bias for it which is not surprising.
Send press releases
This can be really helpful in your search engine effort. It has worked wonderfully in several cases and I would recommend this approach without any hesitation. PRWeb is possibly one of the better sites to which you can submit your press releases. Not only is your Press release distributed widely but is quickly picked up by search engines as well. It costs a bit but it is worth every penny you spend on it. PRNewswire is another PR site. I have not tested it personally but am told that it is also effective. There are many other PR sites to which you can send your press releases. With a bit of research you might hit the jackpot right away with your PR effort.
Promotion on video sites
Probably this is another great way to search engine nirvana. I suppose all of you are aware of the secret: YouTube belongs to Google. Obviously Google search engine spider loves its own kin and crawls through it often. I have come across some people who say they got to the first page of Google by uploading their video on YouTube. I will be writing a post exclusively on YouTube but suffice to say that the title, description of your video should be spot on to get the job done. Some of us are scared about creating videos which is actually quite simple and possibly the easiest step in your quest for a better search engine ranking.
How insightful… Thanks for the tips. Can you elaborate more on “Publish on Wikipedia”? Wouldn’t they just delete your post if they see it’s just for SEO purposes?