Long time ago, search engine optimization was the main factor in determining how websites rank on search engines but due to some spammy techniques used by some webmasters like keyword stuffing and hidden keywords for instance, the search engines have changed their rules and now, the link popularity concept has been adopted and it still plays the major role in determining top search engine rankings.
Hence, search engine optimization is not as effective as before but it's still an important factor to consider when creating your website. Proper search engine optimization techniques can boost your rankings by more than 25%. So it should not be under estimated in any way. If link popularity was the only factor considered, then the website with higher link popularity will always be number one even if a user searches for a keyword that is completely unrelated to this website which comes first.
So it won't make any sense. This is why search engine optimization is still used. You need to focus on building link popularity but not forgeting about optimizing your pages for your specific keywords. This way, you increase your chances much better. You can't use only one and neglecting the other. These two factors go hand in hand.
But building link popularity should be your primary focus for this takes time and you need lots of patience. Search engine optimization can be done more quickly for you are in total control of your site and pages to optimize.
To properly optimize your pages, consider the following tips I am giving you. Put your most important keyword in your site title Include keywords in your description tag Include keywords in your keywords tag but don't stuff the same keywords several times. This is what is called keyword stuffing and the search engines can penalize you for this. Try as far as possible to place your most important keyword at the top of your page and preferably in bold and use heading tags like h1, h2, h3 Place your keywords mostly at the beginning of your body sentences. Those in the middle or at the bottom will be given less importance. Include keywords in your link texts Include keywords in your pages names Include keywords in comment tags Include keywords in image alt tags
Implement these search engine optimization strategies and you will boost your traffic with higher rankings.
About the Author
Jean Lam is the editor and publisher of "Web Biz Secrets" E-Magazine. Receive a FREE gift when you subscribe today at http://www.zineguru.com.
He is also the author of the highly acclaimed eBook "Top Search Engine Ranking Secrets in Google Revealed" and has shown webmasters how to drive massive traffic to their websites from Google. Click here to find out: http://www.top-ranking-strategies.com
jeanlam@zineguru.com