Posted in Internet Marketing Strategy	August 29, 2006

By Kim Mateus , Managing Editor Mequoda Daily and Library

We know that search engines are one of the most important customer-acquisition tools available to publishers in this new multi-platform, or Internet-centric, era of publishing.

But working through the creative-yet-extremely-scientific process of search engine optimization can be a nightmare for most publishers.

So how can we achieve the impressive results other publishers (who devote lots of time and energy into improving their rankings) are experiencing?

• Evaluate the competition. Look at their websites and get a sense of what they're doing, if anything, by way of search engine marketing.

• Do exhaustive keyword research. Use Word Tracker and the free keyword tools offered by the search engines themselves.

• Read reports on searcher's habits. Subscribe to paid newsletters and websites devoted exclusively to search engine marketing.

• Set up your site so that it is easily "crawlable" by the search engine spiders. That means using lots of text.

• Publish frequently and consistently. Eventually, the search engines will learn your publishing schedule and return regularly to crawl your site's new content.

• Provide credible content. Content is king. What's good for the user is good for the search engine. If you can provide content on your site that is pertinent, specific, relevant, informative and generally valuable to the reader, the search engines look at your site as an authority on the topic.

• Keep up with new trends. Keyword development is an ongoing process. What worked yesterday won't necessarily work next month.

• Metrics are crucial. Measure and test everything. Do A/B split testing. Test advertising copy, landing pages, copywriting approaches, headlines and offers. Then test again.

• Use web analytic software. You can't manage what you can't measure.

For more tips on search engine marketing, please reference our InvestmentU Internet Marketing Case Study, available as part of your membership in the Mequoda Library or you may purchase it separately for $47.

For more SEO tips, please join us September 14 - 15, 2006 in Waltham, MA at the 3rd Annual Mequoda Summit. But hurry! Early bird expires tomorrow!

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