It's a jungle out there when it comes to rising up the ranks of the major search engines. Getting your site to show on even the 5th page of results requires a strong understanding of SEO principles and a determination to implement improvements. Here we'll go over a few of tricks to help you become king of the jungle.
After choosing your keyword phrase, purchase a domain name that includes your keyword. It will increase the likelihood of click-throughs, and it will give readers an instant idea as to what your site is about. This is key to rankings and is part of the reason you should always choose slightly less popular keyword phrases so that you are more likely to still find open domain names.
For search engine optimization, you need to add keywords to your website. It is important that the keywords be both specific and broad, and also use synonymous words to expand your keyword list. The more keywords that your site has, the more likely that it is to show up on online searches.
If you are looking for instant gratification in SEO, consider using pay-per-click options. These PPC tools place your search engine results near the top of the rankings (dependent on the price you are paying per click.) Two great options are Google AdWords and Microsoft adCenter. Even if you don't end up spending the money on PPC, check them out, as they offer terrific keyword tools that you can use to your benefit in your own SEO efforts.
Double check that the content on your page only touches upon one subject, and also matches your title and description meta tags. Long, rambling text that jumps from place to place is no good to anyone. Make sure the content you have is concise and informative, and that your page tags are on the same topic.
Stay ethical. Many websites use what is called "Black Hat" tactics, meaning they use unethical practices to hop their sites up on search lists. These include keyword stuffing, "Doorway pages", and many others. Stay away from these, because if a search engine realizes you are using them, they will likely ban your site from their pages.
To know where you stand with your particular niche market, you should check on your page rank at least once a week. By checking your rank, you will find out varying information about how competitors are finding you and you will also realize what you need to do in order to shoot up in the rankings. Your goal should be a page rank of 1.
You aren't going to become king in a day but these tips are going to put you solidly on the way to becoming king of your keywords. Incorporate as many of these tips that you can to see your ranking start to soar. Keep in mind that the more popular your keywords, the harder your fight for status is going to be. Keep following these tips and keep learning new ones to rise above the rest of the field.