5 steps to prepare your site for SEO

Before you jump right in Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for your web site, there are some very important steps you must take. SEO can provide a very high yield on investment - if done properly. Wasting time and money on SEO has happened to many who have jumped too quickly. The excitement in seeing the ups and sales perceived benefit can blind some people from some important preliminary steps. Prior to retain the services of SEO, ask yourself these questions:

1. I did my research the keywords?

We all want great search engine rankings and drive traffic to our website, but you get very targeted traffic or visitors who could not care less about your product? Choose the best keywords and use them effectively in your copy of the website is essential in order to maximize the effectiveness of a link building campaign. Services such as Keyword Discovery, Wordtracker, and even the Google AdWords Keyword Tool are the best friends of a SEO. We show the current trends of each industry as well as popular and niche keywords we should target. How can we properly optimize a web site, we do not know what our potential customers are looking for? An SEO will do this as part of the campaign, but it does not hurt to use some free services ahead of time to help them reduce their research faster.

2. It's my First Web site content to be displayed to the world?

Have you created a copy and quickly added to your web site just for the sake of "having something up there" for people to see? Have you ensured that the writing is effective and free of errors resulting in a professional editor or copywriter to analyze it? Did you create specific landing pages for different keywords, so that the pages have the best information for visitors? And 'the structure of the site and the technology attractive to search engine spiders? Would not open without a physical store to do well, so do not skimp on the online store.

3. Do I Have a Clue About Web 2.0?

Many people do not even know what Web 2.0 means to say nothing of how the concept can help their web site. Web 2.0, to put it simply, is the move towards more social networking and the opportunity to share information in a collaborative and community-based. By using sites like Del.icio.us, YouTube and MySpace as well as things such as blogs, podcasts, wikis, and online photo albums are examples of Web 2.0. This step is the "old" version of the web, where we had Web sites that act more like brochures or business cards, with ways to really connect with other users online.

So how can you harness the power of the new Internet to help your business? Work alongside your SEO company regularly updating a blog, create unique content that your competitors do not have - if they offer you something different can be "linkbait", which is something that can entice others to link to you, or to create Articles how-to pieces that can be distributed to other important sites in your field, join Facebook groups related to your business and share links with others on social bookmarking. The possibilities are endless if you take advantage of the tools that are out there.

4. I installed the Analytics?

Any reputable SEO company will insist that there is a way to track visitor behavior and statistics. But you can go one step further and install the software before you even start the SEO to get a "before and after" view of SEO efforts. My personal choice is using the free Google Analytics - it's easy to install the small piece of code on your site, and once you get used to the interface online, the amount of information available is amazing.

5. Can I commit company resources for the duration of the SEO campaign?

I've had clients who choose to enter into a contract for SEO services only to find a couple of months do not have the cash flow necessary to continue the long-term campaign. Staff turnover has also hit the go-between if SEO is leaving the company. The gap between you and your SEO can block progress, and in worst cases end up wasting your previous efforts. Search engine optimization is an investment, not a quick fix. Although it may seem expensive, in the early months, a good SEO pays for itself before too long, especially if sales are expensive items like real estate, cruise or tour vacation. The most important thing to remember is backtracking amounts to a waste of time and profits. Get it right the first time and follow these steps before you jump in search engine optimization .......