• Sharing My Keyword Rankings In Order To Prove This SEO Stuff Works •
• Let’s Touch Upon The Most Basic SEO TEchniques •

Alright, I’ve given you a glimpse into one of my top-ten rankings keyword phrases in my previous post. Because the explanation of how my Home page ranks #1 for this keyword phrase isn’t beginning basic cut-and-dry tecniques, I thought I’d choose a keyword phrase that does clearly show the most basic level of optimization techniques.

This example couldn’t be any clearer, or easier to explain as to how I hold the #1 ands #2 spots as of today (and have been for quite awhile):

The keyword phrase is: hypertufa recipes

Content … Let Me Talk About That First

Alright, one of the most basic things you need to do with the on-page (your content) optimization in order to try and achieve top-ten rankings is to use the keyword phrase sprinkled throughout the page. I have done that. I also used a variation of the term, “hypertufa recipe (singular). If you review the actual content: Basic Hypertufa Recipes you’ll see what I mean.

Note: If you read through the page, you’ll see I haven’t over-used the keyword phrases … yes they may show up often on the page, but based on the quality level of information I am trying to provide for my all important visitor … the number of times I’ve used the keyword phrases is quite acceptable.

Next … The Title Tag and Description Meta Tag

Next is the issue of properly optimizing the Title tag and Description meta tag with the keyword phrase. Let me show you both of them as found in the #1 ranking position:

TITLE tag: Basic Hypertufa Recipes and Important Mixing Guidelines

DESCRIPTION meta tag: Start with the right hypertufa ingredients. These time-tested recipes will insure your garden art project’s success. Lots of ‘tufa tips & guidelines.

Can I let you in on something about the level of  “expert” SEO of these two tags?  It sort of stinks!  (Did I just say that??)  Yes … I wrote these tags when I first built the website many years ago and well … I wasn’t terribly proficient in SEO, but I was almost adhering to all the basic rules.  What do I mean by “almost adhering”??

I mean that I should have used both words — “hypertufa recipes” – TOGETHER in the description tag.  That’s what I teach all my clients to do.  And for sure, today I would definitely write a better Title and Description but you know what?  If it ain’t broke … don’t fix it!  lol

I’m leaving well enough alone because I am holding the top two rankings!  Why mess with something that is working??

Before I stop for today, I’ll mention one more thing that is causing these two pages to rank as nicely as they do.  It’s because my competition isn’t doing as good a job as I am in all the optimization factors nor are they experiencing some of the other important factors that help search engine rankings (in-pointing links; quantity of quality content, etc).  I’ll teach you about these “advanced” SEO issues in future posts.

I hope you are starting to get an idea of how your keyword phrase has to be focused upon in a number of ways for each page of content on your site.   See you later!

• Baring It All In Order To Prove This SEO Stuff Works •
• Actual Google Top Rankings Screenshots — The Proof Is In The Pudding! •

I promised that this post would be a on-going conversation, a journal of sorts, about how I am able to achieve high rankings and then maintain those rankings. I want to emphasize that the rankings I am sharing and discussing are ones that bring me lots of targeted visitors. These are NOT top-ten ranking keyword phrases that have zero traffic!

I know what the stumbling blocks are to trying to learn how to optimize your website or blog in order that it can rank highly. (Afterall, I wasn’t always an expert in SEO! I had to start from zero knowledge and move up from there.) I hope that what I share with you will really help you be more successful with your search engine rankings … and that means you’ll have much more targeted visitor traffic.

Alright, let me explain more about the keyword I’ve shown down below in the screen shot– the very competitive and good traffic generating keyword: garden art project.

Please note: today I have a #1 position … #2 has disappeared. Oh well … that’s the joy of dealing with the search engines. I’ve done NOTHING at all to change the webpage or the website. I know that this is just something that happens from time to time. Rankings can come, and rankings can go. But the important thing is that I am still #1

OK, let me give you some insight as to how I have gotten this #1 (and most times #2 also) ranking. “Garden art project” sure seems pretty general, doesn’t it? In certain ways it is, thusly it is harder to rank highly for, much harder than if I had targeted it to be a more specific keyword phrase, such as “floral garden art project”.

But, that keyword is one of the main keywords that describes the overall theme (niche) of the website www.The-Artistic-Garden.com So, I HAD to optimize for the rather general term.

How did I achieve and then maintain a top ranking like this for a long time? The simple fact is because I have properly optimized the Title tag and Description meta tag and the content on that page with the term. I will admit there is a bit of “advanced” SEO happening with the optimization technique I have employed in this situation, but not that advanced that I can’t discuss it with someone who is learning about SEO.

I’ll be talking about all the ins and outs, variables and such that can affect your rankings in my next entries. See you soon!

Entry made on: March 20, 2008 @ 13:07

It is one thing to say that you are an SEO expert or guru, but it is another thing to “put your money where your mouth is” and SHOW the world exactly how well the websites that you have worked on fare in the search engines.

I think that it is pretty obvious that the one thing you rarely see is the “SEO expert” laying it out on the table, showing you PROOF that the methods they talk about in their eBooks or manuals really work.

It is one thing to “talk” how to do SEO, but it is a whole ‘nother thing to make it “work”. Meaning … do these “experts” maintain top rankings for keywords that bring them lots of targeted traffic? Or are they ranking for easily gained top-spots in obscure niches because there really isn’t any competition to speak of? Or … possibly, do they not do very well at all when it comes to successful optimization techniques?

Well, tell you what I have decided to do in an effort to show you I REALLY DO know what I attempt to teach you here on my blog and in my most recent eBook: THE SEO EDGE: GET AHEAD OF YOUR COMPETITION EVERY TIME! If you’d like a free copy right now, please go to: “The SEO Edge”.

I am going to put my money where my mouth is, gang. I have been encouraged by my partner Damian Pang to map out, via my own personal SEO high rankings successes, a teaching tool of sorts to benefit those of you who come here to learn.

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words, to which I whole-heartedly agree. So in keeping with that proverb, I tell you what I am going to do for YOU. Yes, you …

In order that I be the very best SEO teacher that I can, I will be showing you actual screen shots of my Google rankings. Just like this screenshot:

Here is proof of my #1 and #2 Google rankings for the very competitive and high-traffic keyword: garden art project. (Results as of 3-19-08)

Please note there are over 2.4-million SERPs. In addition, the #1 listing is for my home page. Not bad, if I do say so myself.

I will be exposing many more of the actual keywords I have used and optimized on one of my websites, www.The-Artistic-Garden.com, in order that I can teach you better.

EGAD, Claudia! You’re going to let the competition see how you’re beating their pants off?? You’re going to divulge your keyword strategies?? Yup … guess I’ll have to if I am going to do what I said I’m going do! And that’s teach by real examples.

So, in the coming days, weeks, and months I will be teaching you through real-time examples, the art of optimization that can allow you to do the same with your sites. Stay tuned, please keep coming back, I promise I’ve got a lot to share.

• You’ve Paid Good Money For A Custom Designed Website Template …
And There Are NO SEO Tags In The Template’s Coding! •

OK, I had to stop what I was doing this morning (working on a mini-site for a new client) and write this post. I am astounded gang! Really … astounded. Why? I’ll tell you …

While doing research on the competition to my client’s niche, I was of course clicking on the competitors sites. Often, if I see a design I like, I’ll click on the designers link too, just to check them out. In addition, I am paying close attention to the search engine optimization of the competitors sites.

What made me stop to write this post is this … I found a particularly pleasantly designed site that was 100% missing the SEO of the Title tags and Description META tags on every page. (I find it amazing in today’s world of internet marketing, that a site designer could be ignorant of the need to include the HTML coded tags for optimization of the pages!)

Since There Was A Link At The Bottom Of The Pages For The Designer, I Clicked On It …

I was taken to a website boasting of the “fantastic” templates you could have designed for you, for a mere $199.00. OK … that’s darn reasonable, BUT!!  How could these designers overlook the simple insertion of the Title and Description tags in the template’s coding?

I guess once more the statement “you get what you pay for” holds true! lol

Egads! I’m going to say it again … in this day and age, how can anyone who claims to be a website designer not be aware of the proper coding needed in the HEAD section of the template? Come on! This is 2008, not 1998!

Well, once again everybody, my words of support continue to hold true to those of you who do pay attention to even the most basic steps of search engine optimization on your site. You WILL be ahead of 90% of the rest of your competition through the attention to SEO.

You know, I come across too many poor floundering sites every day during my SEO research. It really pains me at times when I find another sad site.  Normally, just by looking at the content and presentation, I can tell it is a very sincere person trying to be an internet marketer.  But they’re limping horribly with a totally unoptimized site.  I have to sigh, as I wonder how long it will be before either: (a) they give up (because they have no online presence); or (b) hopefully, the light goes on and they realize they are in desperate need of SEO attention.

Oh well … I’d better get back to my client’s site. And with a smile on my face, I know that by the time I am done putting my SEO magic to it, this client will be leading in the top-ten organic rankings in the very near future.