How to Use SEO to Get More Traffic

Everyone is talking about SEO (search engine optimization) these days, but what does it really mean? Basically, SEO is a way of driving more traffic to your website. There are lots of ways to do this, including using key words and manipulating code. As you build and maintain your site, here are some SEO ranking tips from Google's Search Engine Optimization Guide that will increase your ranking in no time.

1. Use Good Code

When creating your site, it's important to make it optimized both for readers and for search engines. It's worth your while to get your own host and control your code. Try to stay away from online website templates that make the tagging difficult to change and interfere with SEO rankings.

2. Fill In Meta Tags

When it comes to SEO, the meta tags can help increase your search engine rankings, so don't ignore them. These are page titles, links, anchor text, and image text that are contained in the html of your site. Writing keyword-based descriptions for these tags is a good practice, as Google will use them in the search results. Make sure to write a specific description and include a few keywords in your tags. You want a description that will grab both readers and search engines. Remember, everything in your site has a purpose, but don't overdo it.

3. Be Smart With Links

Linking to other sites is a great way to optimize your website. You want to analyze which sites to link to, keywords to use, and also decide which sites or places to avoid. When you do include links, pay attention to what you are using for the anchor text. This is the wording that your reader clicks on when wanting to check out the link. It is also the text that is used to increase your SEO ranking. For example: Click here for my amazing website that uses SEO keywords and anchor text to make the search engines and readers happy .

4. Navigation

Both search engines and readers like websites that are easy to follow. Using a site map shows visitors every page and is a great way for the search engines to catch on. Make sure the site map flows in a hierarchy. Some site maps will have the text flowing from top to bottom, while others might have links running from left to right, taking visitors deeper into the structure of the site.

5. Content

When it comes to getting visitors, make sure you give them a reason to stay on your site. If you're just getting traffic, but not doing something with it, increasing your ranking is not going to matter. Make sure your content has a natural flow. Readers definitely don't want to read content that was written with only kewords in mind, so carefully integrate them. Google Adwords has a keyword tool you can use to come up with words and phrases.

6. Promotion

SEO optimization is not just about keywords. Creating a blog and posting comments on other sites will get traffic back to you. As you create your site, integrate social media tools from the start. Share your Twitter posts and Facebook fan pages with readers and entice them to join in. You can also get more website visitors with article marketing, but be smart about it. Be sure to always include a link to your website at the end.