***Get a lock on keywords

If your small business is dependent on search engine traffic, it is essential in today’s crowded Internet to use all possible opportunities to up your Organic Search Engine* rankings.

Here is a trick I learned from public speaking, but I think is more relevant for webcopy than public speaking--Tell ‘em what you are going to tell ‘em. Tell ‘em. Tell ‘em what you told ‘em.

An easy strategy for successful organic search placement is to place your keywords strategically in the copy of your web pages, especially your home page and blog.

Try to use your main keyword, product or concept in your page title, headline and sub heads. The page title is not the headline; it is the little bar at the top of your browser (Internet Explorer, Safari, Firefox etc) main window. Examples for Impression Engineers include Product Launch | Business Market Testing | Copywriting | Presentation Skills | Business Advisor | Business Automation.

After the headline, in the first paragraph, mention your main keyword again, and then develop the story by weaving the main keywords related to our product, service or concept throughout the copy. Summarize in the last paragraph.

Depending on the length of the article, five to seven of your most important keywords should appear in the beginning of the document, then flow throughout the middle of the copy and again be repeated in your close. Too many keywords can be used, so choose your words and their placement carefully.

One final thought on keyword placement, include keywords in all embedded links in your copy, example; when linking copy text to other pages of your website make a link such as “For more information on our Safety Programs,” instead of “Click here.” Most people now know that the underline is a clickable link. If you must say, “Click Here,” make both the keywords and click here the link, e.g. “For more information on our Safety Programs, click here.” I don’t recommend this method as it just adds more copy to wade through on your page, you have just seconds to keep a readers attention, however I will assume you know your customers best if they need the extra guidance, use it…

Organic search engine rankings do not happen overnight. There are just too many web pages and variables out there to hit number one overnight, but with just a few tweaks here and there you can greatly improve your odds of climbing in the search engine rankings each month.

* Organic Search: Organic search is a search where the end-user or customer uses words in a Search Engine Window they think will find what they are looking for. The “organic” results that you receive are typically right below the “Sponsored” results and to the left of Pay-Per-Click (PPC) campaigns. Organic results are reached by the relevancy of the topic and how well the content within an existing web page ranks given multiple factors within a search engine’s ranking program(s).