All Articles
Want to profit from expert articles, tips and case studies on effective keyword research? You'll find every one we've ever published below.
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Interview With Peter Kent, Author of Search Engine Optimization For Dummies by Rachelle Money, 7 August 2008
Peter Kent is a renowned SEO expert responsible for a number of books and articles, as well as CEO of a successful consultancy firm. He talks of his frustrations at an industry he believes is now mostly scam, and of how small businesses can achieve great results without having to rely on expensive or time- consuming content.
Interview With Peter Kent, Author of Search Engine Optimization For Dummies
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Round-Up of Newsletter 11 by Rachelle Money, 7 August 2008
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Specialised Information Publishers Association (Sipa) Annual Conference by Rachelle Money, 7 August 2008
Search Engine Optimization is beginning to creep into all sorts of industries, and the publishing sector is no different. At a major conference in London last month, publishers met SEO specialists and Social Media Marketing to learn more about creative opportunities online.
Read: Specialised Information Publishers Association (Sipa) Annual Conference
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Case Study: John Pye and Sons Auctioneers and Valuers by Rachelle Money, 7 August 2008
In our last newsletter we introduced you to In Good Company Workplaces in New York, a company who gained fantastic media attention by sheer perseverance and good fortune. This time, we want to show you how one company got great press attention after they spotted an opportunity to piggyback the hottest story of the year – the credit crunch.
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Web Content Recipe: Carving Up Mark Nunney by Rachelle Money, 7 August 2008
Regular readers will know that in the past few newsletters we have published three different articles on our SEO expert Mark Nunney. Believe it or not, all of these articles came from one interview. In this chapter of our Web Content Recipe book, I want to show you how you can get as much content for your site from one interview.
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Case Study: In Good Company by Rachelle Money, 22 July 2008
SEO is about the off page factors as well as the on page factors - small businesses usually neglect the former. Getting external sites to write about you, especially top news sites, can do wonders for your inbound links and as a result improve your search engine rankings. Here’s how one company got top rate media coverage.
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Chris Garrett Q&A by Rachelle Money, 22 July 2008
Chris Garrett is a professional blogger and co-author of the recently published ProBlogger: Secrets for Blogging Your Way to a Six-Figure Income. Wordtracker's journalist Rachelle Money caught up with Garrett to pick his brains on how to crack the mini industry of blogging.
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SEO Expert Series: Using An SEO Agency And What To Expect 22 July 2008
As our expert interview series begins to wind down, Rachelle Money spoke to Wordtracker's SEO expert Mark Nunney about what people should look out for when recruiting and working with an SEO agency who you want to work on your website.
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Web Content Recipe: Observation by Rachelle Money, 22 July 2008
Every day we make observations, basing important decisions and forming judgments as a result of them. The power of observation is another one of those off the page processes we go through which can determine the content we choose to put online. In the latest chapter of our Web Content Recipe book we look at how active observational skills can enhance the direction and quality of your website's content.
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Round-Up of Newsletters 9 & 10 by Rachelle Money, 22 July 2008
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Interview with Larry Chase, Founder Of Web Digest For Marketers by Rachelle Money, 26 June 2008
The Web Digest for Marketers has been in existence online for 13 years. At first Larry Chase, founder and editor of the newsletter, had just one topic to cover – online marketing – but as the industry went forth and multiplied, online marketing expanded to cover 52 different niches. Chase's staying power comes from his ability to explore these niches and create great content for his subscribers. Here he tells us everything there is to know about creating longevity through long tail content for newsletters.
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Mark Nunney's 12 Most Common SEO Mistakes: SEO Expert Series by Rachelle Money, 26 June 2008
Have you ever embarked on some SEO work and got that sinking feeling that you might be doing something wrong? You're not alone. Our expert Mark Nunney gives us the dirty dozen top mistakes he sees being made in SEO, as well as tips on how to negotiate the pitfalls.
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Web Content Recipe: Inspirational Quotes by Rachelle Money, 26 June 2008
Inspirational quotes can come from just about anywhere – a book, a song, something your grandma used to say. As long as it gets the cogs in your brain turning, it probably has the potential to inspire an article.
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Round-up of Newsletter 8 - Rand Fishkin by Rachelle Money, 26 June 2008
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How Quality Newspapers Can Be A Rich Source Of Keyword Ideas by Ken McGaffin, 25 June 2008
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eCommerce help on the radio 23 June 2008
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Viral Marketing Insights From WillItBlend.com by Rachelle Money, 11 June 2008
Creating great content means you have to look beyond the norms of written articles and blogs. Extending the possibilities to video can be a valuable and rewarding platform (and it doesn’t have to be expensive either), as the phenomenal success of Blendtec’s Will It Blend? has proven.
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Case Study: White Hat Media by Rachelle Money, 11 June 2008
Search Engine Optimization is never black or white, or is it? We talk to White Hat Media's Romain Romagnan about black hat and white hat SEO, and on how to avoid rogue traders.
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SEO Expert Series: Mark Nunney by Rachelle Money, 11 June 2008
Wordtracker would like to introduce our very own expert in Search Engine Optimization, Mark Nunney. Journalist Rachelle Money kicks off a special interview series with Mark, in a Question and Answer article where she picks his brains on top tips for SEO work, emerging trends and advice.
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Web Content Recipe: How To Get Ideas by Rachelle Money, 11 June 2008
Wordtracker has been busy cooking up a new Web Content Recipe book for our readers to glean ideas for content for their website. The second in our series is an article about where ideas come from and how to act on them.
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Round-Up of Newsletter 7 by Rachelle Money, 11 June 2008
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A Journalist's View of Wordtracker's course on Search Engine Marketing Essentials by Rachelle Money, 10 June 2008
Wordtracker sent me on a two-day course called Search Engine Marketing Essentials. In this article I want to tell you how useful I found it from a journalist’s perspective and what I think newspapers should be doing online.
Read A Journalist's View of Wordtracker's course on Search Engine Marketing Essentials
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Rand Fishkin Interview - Social Media Marketing And Viral Marketing by Rachelle Money, 20 May 2008
Rand Fishkin is a popular speaker at search engine optimization conferences – not so much for his trademark yellow sneakers – but for his direct and uncompromising advocacy of social media marketing. His strategy is to focus on the ‘linkerati’, the new breed of bloggers whose approval is often the first stage in launching a successful campaign, and he insists the quickest way to kill a viral campaign is by giving it to your public relations department. Fishkin explains his approach and gives top tips on social media marketing.
Read Rand Fishkin Interview - Social Media Marketing And Viral Marketing
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Online Journalism: An Introduction to the Blog by Rachelle Money, 20 May 2008
In journalism, the question of how print reconciles itself with the challenges online news has brought is a hotly debated topic. In our new blog on online journalism we will be joining the conversation and looking at what newspapers are doing to grab online readers, but first here's an introduction to what you can expect from the blog.
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Web Content Recipe: How to Write a Book Review by Rachelle Money, 20 May 2008
Generating good content for your website is key to search engine optimization. And writing a review of a book that your audience will find useful is a great strategy. In this article, our own journalist Rachelle Money explains her approach to writing the Microtrends review and gives you a step-by-step guide with some handy tips on how to write your own.
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Can Microtrends Tell You Where Your Market Is Heading? by Rachelle Money, 20 May 2008
A good keyword researcher spots emerging market trends before the rest of us. How do they do it? Not just by doing keyword research but by keeping tabs on all sorts of published information. One such publication that caught our eye was Microtrends by Mark J Penn, the man who coined the phrase ‘soccer moms’ for Bill Clinton. In his book he draws on years of experience to describe over 240 emerging market trends. It contains enough inspiration and ideas to kick start any online marketing campaign.
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Case Study: Travel Intelligence by Karen Durham-Diggins, 20 May 2008
The web has spawned many great ideas. But great ideas on their own do not create great online businesses. TravelIntelligence.com is a collective of some of the most popular travel writers in Europe and together they have created over 8000 pages of excellent travel writing. But not a single page was optimized and as a result, readership and the business returns it could create had fallen well short of potential. Enter a hard-nosed business brain and an experienced SEO, and things started to change.
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Figuring Out The Words - The Seth Godin Interview by Rachelle Money, 12 February 2008
Our reporter Rachelle Money managed to connect with Seth Godin - probably one of the most famous and prolific modern marketers - in a cab on the way to LA Airport at seven in the morning. Author of ‘Permission Marketing’ and ‘The Idea Virus’, Godin has just published his latest book, ‘Meatball Sundae’ and so he’s a pretty busy man.
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Five Tips To Maximise The Long Tail Of Local Search by Daniel Bower, 12 February 2008
Local search is fast becoming the most exciting search vertical on the web. Recent research by the Kelsey Group reported that 70% of Americans consult the web before making local buying decisions, while 36% of search engine queries now request local results. By exploring local search, small business owners and marketers can benefit from both direct lead generation and general brand awareness. Brushing up your local keyword research skills is the place to start.
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50 Keywords – 50 First Page Results On Google by Rachelle Money, 12 February 2008
Vegetarianism continues to power a growing online business market. There are now estimated to be around 12 million vegetarians in the US, and 4 million in the United Kingdom where the total vegetarian food market has been put at £670m per year. It’s moved from counter-culture to a mainstream way of living, which also means more people are searching for advice and nutritious vegetarian recipes on the web. Rachelle Money talks to SavvyVegetarian.com, a content rich site that now appears on the first page of Google search results for over 50 keywords.
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Using Keywords: Identify And Exploit Niche Markets by Ken McGaffin, 12 February 2008
If you want your business to succeed online, you too must find the niches that exist within your market and decide the specific ones you want to target.
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Keyword Order, Word Count And Search Engine Optimization (SEO) by Shari Thurow, 18 December 2007
Many keyword researchers and copywriters automatically assume that searchers type in a natural word order all of the time. Not so, according to SEO Expert Shari Thurow who explains how accommodating different word orders can bring you a valuable traffic bonus.
Read Keyword Order, Word Count And Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
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Choosing a Domain Name? Do Your Keyword Research First by Rachelle Money, 16 December 2007
As the ancient Chinese proverb says; “the beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names.” Choosing an appropriate name for your company takes careful thought and picking a domain name for your website is just as important a decision, especially when taking into account how fiercely competitive the world wide web is. Joshua Sloan, director of online marketing for the world’s most popular web host company, 1and1.com explains…
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Research and Preparation Are Essential in Good Web Copy by Rachelle Money, 15 December 2007
People expect accuracy in your web writing. Getting things wrong not only damages your credibility, it may get you into hot water with some company’s legal department. Journalists in busy newsrooms have to face this problem every day. How do they cope and what can you learn from them? Our resident journalist explains…
Read Research and Preparation Are Essential in Good Web Copy
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The Weather Channel® Creates A Storm With Web Content by Rachelle Money, 14 December 2007
weather.com has over 300 million visitors monthly who want to know how the weather is going to affect them. Whether you want information on how to keep your pets cool in a heatwave, how to drive safely when the roads are icy, or even if you want marine forecasts they’ve got it covered. There are fifteen main content areas on the site, each with its own product manager who have essential keyword research at their fingertips. We talked to search marketing manager, Derek Fulford about his operation.
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Using Keywords - A Primer. Part 2: Generate Search Engine Friendly Content by Ken McGaffin, 14 December 2007
Keyword research tells you what people are looking for on-line and therefore it is one of the best ways to find ideas for content on your website. But many people only use keyword research to polish content after it has been created. This is at best time-consuming and at worst creates roadblocks to getting your content out where people can find it. It is much more sensible to do your keyword research before you start any writing.
Read Using Keywords - A Primer. Part 2: Generate Search Engine Friendly Content
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How To Use Wordtracker, Google Adwords And Web Analytics To Identify The Best Keywords For Your Site by Sally Kavanagh, 14 December 2007
We may all know that thorough keyword research underpins the whole foundation on which all online traffic generation is based. But how do we separate the wheat from the chaff – the keywords that deliver quality not just quantity, customers not just visitors?
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Building a Radio Show Audience One Keyword At A Time by Brent Leary, 13 December 2007
The majority of small businesses are not high flying tech companies or web savvy start ups. They’re largely traditional companies in low tech industries. And that’s the audience Brent Leary and Michael Thomas set out to reach when they launched their radio show, ‘Technology For Business Sake (TFBS)’. And how did they find their audience? Through keyword research, of course.
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Park Seeds: Sowing The Seeds Of Success On The Internet by Neil Davidson, 31 August 2007
Park Seed is a multi-million dollar gardening business that had built its incredible success on print-based catalogs. So starting business on the internet seemed like a leap into the unknown. But there was a link between these different worlds...
Read Case Study: Park Seeds Sowing The Seeds Of Success On The Internet
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TrustyGuides.com Uses Wordtracker As A Market Research Department by Neil Davidson, 31 August 2007
In 2004, Christopher Cummings had a big idea for a new website. Then he realized that success depended on much more than a big idea. And it was something very new to him, the intelligent use of keyword research data.
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Keyword Inspiration - Aaron Wall Of SEOBook.com Shares His Secrets by Aaron Wall, 31 August 2007
Keyword research often starts with a seed list - a quick brainstorm of keywords that might be important. The better your keyword seed list, the greater your opportunity to generate a comprehensive keyword portfolio. Aaron Wall, author of SEOBook.com shares his secrets for generating a fantastic seed list every time.
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Pushing Your Keyword Research Beyond The Norm by John Alexander, 22 July 2007
If your web pages are not focused on the right keyword phrases then you may find that other pages are much easier to find in the search results than yours.
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Using Keywords - A Primer. Part 1: Optimizing Your Current Web Content by Ken McGaffin, 22 July 2007
The first quick win of doing keyword research is to get maximum value from the work you've already done - the web copy that you've published on your site. You need to make sure this is optimized and bringing you traffic before you even think about creating new content.
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MumsTheWord.com - Keyword Strategy Inspires Niche Business by Neil Davidson, 22 July 2007
Finding a niche business is often the key to online success. Andrew Smith thought that most of the competitors for his new online baby store seemed to ignore the needs of mothers. In this case study Smith focuses his keyword strategy on the needs of mums, not just babies.
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Keyword Basics Part 4: Using Keywords In Website Copywriting by Ken McGaffin, 4 April 2007
So you've done all your keyword research and you've found the best keywords for your website. How do you use these keywords to improve your website copywriting so that you rank well on the search engines and attract the type of customers that you are after?
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Using Top Search Keywords In Online Public Relations by Greg Jarboe, 4 April 2007
SEO-PR has been offering optimized press release services since March 2003. But, the first time my online public relations firm recommends using top search keywords in headlines and at least the first hundred words of optimized press releases, I can't tell you how frequently new clients are surprised. Many people mistakenly believe that search engine optimization and online public relations firms can magically optimize a press release - without modifying any release content - by adding invisible Meta keywords tags. So, they are shocked, shocked to find that their top search keywords actually need to appear high up in very visible locations.
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Leading Las Vegas - How Keyword Insight Drives A Serial Entrepreneur by Neil Davidson, 4 April 2007
Keyword research insight is now being used by many entrepreneurs. Clarke Walton, the owner of several Internet-based businesses in Las Vegas, is one of these trailblazers, using it to help him in different ways every day.
Read Leading Las Vegas - How Keyword Insight Drives A Serial Entrepreneur
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Keyword Basics Part 3: Choosing Your Best Keywords by Ken McGaffin, 22 February 2007
You know how sometimes you make a list of say, three things and then by the time you get to the end of the list, you remember that there’s something you really must include and your list of three becomes a list of four.
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Stop The Slaughter Of Innocent Copy! by Karon Thackston, 7 February 2007
It's one of the worst things to ever happen in the search engine copywriting field: the discovery of keyword density. Without any regard to flow or customer experience, website owners around the world began shoving keyphrases into their copy like wild men.
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High Quality Writing And Keyword Research Create The Definitive Caribbean by Neil Davidson, 29 January 2007
James Henderson, an award-winning writer and an expert on the Caribbean is also the author of the Cadogan Guide to the Caribbean and The Bahamas, now in its sixth edition. He was in the perfect position to create a content rich site.
Read High Quality Writing And Keyword Research Create The Definitive Caribbean
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Keyword Basics Part 2: Discovering The Keyword Matrix by Ken McGaffin, 28 December 2006
A simple method for expanding your lists of profitable keywords. The secret of writing great online copy is simple: use keywords - the words people use when they search - in your copy.
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Three Good Reasons To Target Long-Tail Keywords! by Stephen Mahaney, 22 December 2006
Seasoned professionals in the arena of online marketing know it's clever to use keywords that target potential customers who are "late" in the buying cycle. So, how do you find out what these keywords are? ...and why are they so important?
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Keyword Research Guide 24 November 2006
We created a fictional company, Virginia Veg, and asked experts to provide real answers to the problems facing its CEO, Susan Webster. The result is an e-book packed with insight, tips, and techniques on keyword research that you can apply easily to your own website.
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What You Can Do With Wordtracker by Ken McGaffin, 24 November 2006
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Not This Saturday by Ken McGaffin, 24 November 2006
The last thing Susan Webster wanted to do this morning was to go into the office. Susan was in the habit of going in every Saturday to plan the week ahead. She liked the silence, and the atmosphere of her oak-paneled office helped her to think. But after what she’d been through in the last seven days she just couldn’t face it. She was determined to have some time to herself and relax with the weekend papers and a cup – no, make that a large pot – of strong coffee. Susan had given up her job on Wall Street to become the new CEO of the family firm, Virginia Veg.
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Convert Traffic Using Wordtracker by Bryan Eisenberg, 24 November 2006
*Email* *From:* Bryan Eisenberg, Future Now, Inc *To:* Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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It Ain’t the Meat, It’s the Emotion by B. L. Ochman, 24 November 2006
*Email* *From:* B. L. Ochman, What’s Next Online *To:* Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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Gauge the Size of the Market by Stephen Mahaney, 24 November 2006
Email From: Stephen Mahaney, Planet Ocean Communication To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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In Paid Search, Keywords Are Key by Kevin Lee, 24 November 2006
Email From: Kevin Lee, [Did-it](http://did-it.com/) To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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Find the Keywords and You’ll Find the Marketplace by Ken McGaffin, 24 November 2006
Email From: Ken McGaffin, [Linking Matters](http://www.linkingmatters.com) To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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The Wordtracker Breakthrough by John Alexander, 24 November 2006
Email From: John Alexander, [Search Engine Workshops](http://www.searchengineworkshops.com) To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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Adopt a Healthy Position by Neil Davidson, 24 November 2006
Email From: Neil Davidson, Freelance Writer To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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Designing an Online Marketing Strategy by Robin Good, 24 November 2006
Email From: Robin Good, [Master New Media](http://www.masternewmedia.org) To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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Only People Buy by Nick Usborne, 24 November 2006
Email From: Nick Usborne, Copywriter To: Susan Webster, Virginia Veg
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Where To Use Your Keyword Phrases - A Checklist by Ken McGaffin, 24 November 2006
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Keyword Basics Part 1: How Search Engines Work by Ken McGaffin, 24 November 2006
One of the most frequently asked questions from website owners is, "Why can't my site be found on Google?" They know it's important to appear in search engine results but they just don't know why it doesn't happen to them.
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How To Build Genuine SEO Skills That Will Impact Your Online Sales by John Alexander, 24 November 2006
A beautiful website with no traffic or visibility can't survive in the business world. But a high ranking website that gets tons of traffic, but where no-one is compelled to make a purchase or take action, won't work for you either. Think "visibility PLUS a solid call to action."
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Exploring Beyond Keywords Into Behavioral Research by John Alexander, 22 November 2006
If you have ever studied search engine optimization, then you'll know that most educators place tremendous importance on performing good keyword research. But for many Web site owners, their source of traffic is an after-thought.
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Search Engine Optimization For Dummies by Peter Kent, 15 November 2006
This is a free chapter on keywords from the search engine optimization for dummies book.
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Demystifying The Radically Different Keyword Results Provided By Overture And Wordtracker by Robin Nobles, 28 October 2006
The root of all success in search engine marketing begins with keywords. Period. Get them wrong and virtually everything about your online endeavor will fail. So do so many – professional and amateur alike – buy keywords based on highly skewed numbers?
Read Demystifying The Radically Different Keyword Results Provided By Overture And Wordtracker
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An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker… that’s actually easier too! by Robin Nobles, 25 October 2006
You'll find most of your 'revelations' or 'insights' by using the Comprehensive Search feature of Wordtracker. Try entering one part of a search phrase and let the tool figure out the best 'full use' of the phrase.
Read An Ingenious Way to Use Wordtracker… that’s actually easier too!
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Keyword Quality And The Wordtracker Database by Ken McGaffin, 6 October 2006
Search engines get bombarded with automated queries from ranking monitors, popularity analyzers, bid optimizers and other tools. This deluge of non-human activity distorts keywords counts and if it is not identified and eliminated will leave you with very poor keywords.
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Keyword Creativity In Web Design by Ken McGaffin, 5 October 2006
"Keyword Creativity" is the process of understanding customer behaviour through keyword research and using the insights gained to drive the creative process.
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When Keywords Don't Deliver by Nick Usborne, 25 November 2005
If you've been working with keyword optimization for a while, you know there are times when some great keywords drive tons of traffic to your site, but the resulting conversion rate is terrible.
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How To Choose Keywords Before They Skyrocket In Popularity by John Alexander, 25 November 2005
Long before the days of researching phrases with the helpful online resources of today, keyword selection was often left to guesswork. However, guesswork is just not good enough in highly competitive standards.
Read How To Choose Keywords Before They Skyrocket In Popularity
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Why Keywords Matter by Ken McGaffin, 23 November 2005
Why do some sites get a lot of traffic and others zero, the following diagrams helps to show why this happens.
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The Ultimate Keyword Primer by Stephen Mahaney, 27 October 2005
Every aspect of crafting a website-for-profit revolves delicately around carefully chosen and strategically placed keywords. Behind the scenes of every top-ranking sales page lies a company's systematic campaign to win dominance in an escalating battle over specifically targeted keywords. The stakes can be high. Billions of $$ have already been earned and billions more are in the queue waiting to be tapped.
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Keyword Phrases In Linking Text by Ken McGaffin, 27 October 2005
Often simple things really matter. And the use of keywords in linking text is one of those simple things that turn out to be hugely important. Linking text, sometimes called anchor text, is the clickable text that takes people to another page or resource. You need to choose that text carefully.