Last October, I got the chance to read David Viney's "Get to the Top on Google". Fortunately for you, the whole book can also be read online.
In the last chapter of the book, Viney summarized his top tips for search engine success in 7 points and I added my insight to each:
- Find a great niche and create good content
I believe that this is important especially when you get more serious in your publishing endeavors. Tools like WordTracker becomes like a daily companion when figuring out topics to write about and the correct slant to approach it based on what user wants.
With the right content, traffic can also come naturally. Attaining a certain number of visitors in a month will require content build-up dedication and this is a big challenge that even I had to overcome. - Lay the right foundation
If I'll create a blog or site all over again, I will visit blog directories or advertising programs and figure out how blogs are classified. This I will use as a guide when creating my site structure. I will likely invest in a domain name right away at the minimum. - Do everything you can with your assets under control
This includes fixing your sitemap, monitoring analytics, enhance your tags, improve page size, caching, among others. - Spend more time on directory submissions (paid, reciprocal, free, deep linking), article writing, and online press releases.
This means all ways possible to get your site linked or be featured. Of course, this anchors on having good content in the first place. - Use paid advertising to complement organic search campaign
For paid advertising, focus on long tail keywords (3 words and up) and must have a decent landing page that allows you to achieve your goal. - Put focus if website has a local angle
Tap into local directory listings, geographic targeting, language enhancement, among others. - Promote your site with Web 2.0 tools
This includes having a blog, use tagging, and really simple syndication (RSS). Target wikis, lenses, and social networking sites to further secure your ranking.
Indeed, in this book, David Viney has proven that SEO is not rocket science. In fact, I could even say, "David Viney brings sexy back to SEO".