Have you been trying to work for quite a while are still quite baffled about SEO (search engine optimization) this this article is perfect for you.  In this article, we will explore  how you can use it effectively, and what you need to do to ensure you don’t get your site booted by the search engines.

(First, you  may want to take a look here:, Conquest Authority is an online training product that will go over SEO in full detail, but for starters, you should begin here.)

As stated above, SEO stands for search engine optimization. The biggest question new online marketers have is what is a search engine? I know this is extremely basic, but this is where you must start.  Once you learn the absolute basics, when you begin to discover more on the topic of SEO, you will have a full grasp of exactly what it is.

All a search engine is, is a place you go when you are looking for a direct subject online. In example, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc. Those sites are all search engines. When you are looking for an answer on the internet, you go to a search engine, type in the keywords you are searching for, and presto! The search engine “searches” the web for you and brings up a page of all the sites online that are relevant to your keywords.

Now you know what a search engine is, and you know what SEO is, let me get into the meat of things and explain how SEO works.

The most important thing you should do before any optimization, is you must determine the targeted keywords you will use for your site. To be more specific, finding the terms you want your site ranked for with the search engines. An example of this would be:

You have a website about fixing computers. People who are looking for information about repairing their computers might search for these phrases: what’s wrong with my computer, what does a blue screen on a computer mean, or where can I get my computer fixed. These would all be considered long tail keywords, and these are what you would want to target, because they are the actual terms that people search the search engines for.

Be aware when deciding on your keywords or key phrases, they are real terms that get looked for, otherwise you will get no traffic. (Another tip is to be sure you pick keywords that don’t have lots of other websites targeting them. You may still never get traffic if there is too many sites competing.) I highly recommend using a keyword research tool to really find some hidden ones. You can use Google’s free keyword tool, or Wordtracker’s free tool if money is an issue. They are perfect starter tools, and they do the job just fine. Once you start making some money, I really do recommend you get a paid tool because they are so much more effective, and you can really find some good keywords.

Here you can read more about finding good keywords here.

Okay, now that you have your keywords, the next step is to be sure your site is optimized for those keywords. So how can you do this? It’s pretty simple really.

The first rule is always make the title of your page or post (if it’s a blog) isthe exact key phrase or word you are targeting. This is known as your title tag. Title tags have a huge influence on the search engines when they visit your site, so whatever your title is, the search engines will assume it is a keyword and you want to rank for it. This goes for your domain name as well. Your page/post title and your website title (domain name) are very big factors in the SEO world.

aAfter you have purchased your domain (known as the URL), and you have chosen your targeted key phrases or words, the next phase is to add content to your website or blog. Write an article that is at least 400-500 words, and don’t forget to include your targeted keywords or phrases at least 2-3 times in the content. Be careful not to go overboard with this, or you can get penalized. Keepin in mind the keyword density is not over 7% (amount of keywords vs. actual words on page). Staying below 6-7% is much better. If you go over this recommended safety net, the search engines may see you as “keyword stuffing”. Keyword stuffing means using your keywords too many times in one page, and your site will pay for it if you do that, I promise.

The longer the page and content, the better chance you have of being able to get all your keywords in and not make it look like you are keyword stuffing. In other words, keep your posts and pages long, and you can get all your keywords in. Search engines favor long text articles and unique content.

Do not worry about getting every keyword phrase in your article multiple times, because the search engines are smart, and if you have a quality site, Google will rank you for keywords you never even thought to rank for. The highest goal is sticking your main phrase in 2-3 times, and the others at least once.

There ya go!  That’s SEO in a nutshell. Teach yourself as much information as you can about the subject, because it truly will benefit you in the long run.  To learn SEO takes some time, but soon enough you’ll be an SEO pro.