One of the most important aspects of being a successful internet marketer is understanding the basics behind keyword research.

Before you enter into any niche you must first clearly identify your target market and what it is they are looking for, be it a solution to a problem, specific products or just everyday entertainment.

The following will take you through some of the keyword research steps & tools I use before entering into any niche!

What Are Your Target Market’s Wants and Needs:

-Use Google to research what is currently online about your niche, so if I was in the dog training niche I would type dog training into Google and see what information comes up the most and write it down on a piece of paper.

-Go to forums in your niche:  to do this just type in “your keyword” + forum into Google.  Here you will be able to find out what questions people are looking to get answers for.  Forums are also a great way to get ideas for your website content, where you can reword the questions and responses and put together a blog post or article.

-Google Insights: is a great tool to use if for researching a niche market especially if you are going into a seasonal niche.  Here you will be able to see what some of the top searches are in Google for a givin niche, where most of the searches are coming from and how popular the niche has been over time.

-Google Trends: is also an awesome tool to use to find out the hottest trends in the marketplace.

-Quantcast: This tool helps you with competitive research so you can find out who your target market and competitiors are in your niche.

-Check out what others are bloging about in your niche!  You can find other blogs in your niche at blog catalog, a niche blog directory, here you will be able to see what they are currently writting about in your niche and also see if you can leverage some backlinks from them.

Once you have researched your niche and found some ideas as to what your target market is looking for its time to do the break down of specific keywords you are going to target.

*For keyword research I use a tool called Micro Niche Finder, which I highly recommend because it simiplifies the research process onto one screen and with the click of a button, this is by far the best keyword tool I have used, for more information on you can check out my affiliate link for Micro Niche Finder.

However, keyword research can be done without the use of any keyword tools it just takes longer to do so.

Keyword Research Steps For Entering Any Niche:

1.) Launch your keyword research tool, if you do not have one a great place to start would be the Free Google Keyword Tool. This will give you the basic information you will need to start your research.

2.) Type in your main keyword phrase into the search box, enter the capcha and press get keywords.

3.) From here you want to look at the results and eleminate words with to much competition and to little search volume, this is where Micro Niche Finder Makes it really simple!

- I typically look for keywords that are at least 3 words, if the competition is low and search volume high I might go after a 2 word phrase.   Also if the search volume is high I sometimes go for 4 word keywords but 5 is getting to be to much.

- For search volume I look at the exact match, if you are using Micro niche finder it is automatically set to exact, if you are using Google keyword tool you want to switch the match type in the upper right corner dropdown box to exact. I go for keywords that have at least 1,000 searches per month.

- For competition I look for keywords that have under 50,000 competing pages in Google, however I will go for 100,000 if the search volume is big enough and I think it is worth while.  To find the competing pages in Micro Niche Finder you just click on the button next to the keyword called get exact phrase count.

If you are using google you want to copy the key phrase and paste it in quotes into the normal Google search for example “your keyword” and click search then in the upper right corner you will see how many search results there are for that keyword.

- I also like to see a estimated cost per click (adsense) of at least $1.00, this is mainly for people who are looking at adsense sites, to find this in Micro Niche Finder it is right next to the key phrase, in Google keyword tool you want to locate the dropdown that says choose columns to display and click on estimated avg cpc, this will pull up the average cost per click.

4.) Once I pick out a couple keywords that fit the decription above I will then research them further to see if they truely are phrases worth targeting

- Check to see if there are currently advertisers in the niche on that specific keyword phrase and how many there are, this tells me if it is profitable, If people are paying for advertising that means its a profitable keyword.  I like to see at least 2 advertisers on the pay per click side in order to go after that phrase.

- Type the phrase into Google itself and see what the top 10 pages on Google currently are and check to see how many backlinks they have coming to them and their pagerank, an easy way to do this if you have firefox is by downloading a free addon called Seo Quake.

I like to see if there are any pages in the top 10 that I know I could out rank, these include web 2.0 sites (squidoo, hubpages,wetpaint, ect), bookmarking sites (digg, stumbleupon, ect), youtube videos, press release sites, ect…

The rule of thumb is that if you notice a keyword where all of the top sites in Google have a high page rank, lots of backlinks and have been online for years (sites like wikipedia, cnn and other big name authority sites) then the chances of you ranking in the top 10 are slim to none, and it’s time to look at another keyword phrase.

A neat little feature that Micro Niche Finder has is there SOC (strength of competition) tool where you click a button next to each keyword it will search Google’s top 10 for you and come back with a number and color telling you if its too competetive or not.

Keyword reseach is the most important factor when it comes to ranking for keywords in your niche.  If you put the time into it and do it right it will start to pay off in the end.  If you do want to save some time be sure to check out Micro Niche Finder, it’s one of the best tools I own.

Until Next Post,

Krista

These days if you are just starting out as an internet marketer or graphic designer you will notice that some of the professional software programs for web/graphic design tend to be a little pricey.  CS4 which includes dreamweaver, photoshop, in-design, and much more cost just over $2000.

Well what if I said you could get products very similar to CS4 for free?  In this blog post I am going to show you free alternative software versions of some of the most expensive design products out there and where you can go about getting them.

List of Free WebApps and Tools

Adobe CS4 Design Software:

GIMP: An alternative to Adobe PhotoShop, basically all the same features PhotoShop, where you can edit photos, design graphics, logos and so much more.  Only difference is that it is Free!

Click Here for helpful tutorials on how to use GIMP

Download GIMP 2.6

Get Paint: Another alternative to PhotoShop, digital editing software that is very similar to GIMP, however many people find paint a little easier to use.  Great tool to use to creating website headers.

Click Here for helpful Paint.Net tutorials

Download Paint.Net

Inkscape: Alternative to Adobe Illustrator and CorelDraw.  This is an open source vector graphics editor

Click Here for helpful Inkscape tutorials

Download Inkscape

KompoZer: Alternative to Adobe Dreamweaver.  This is a WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get) web page editor.  You do not need to know HTML coding to use this software, however if you want you can edit HTML.  KompoZer does not have as many features as Dreamweaver, but it will allow you to build a simple professional looking webpage.

Click Here for KompoZer turtorials

Download KompoZer

XSitePro: This is actually is another alternative to Dreamweaver, however you have to pay for it. This is an awesome web desgin program that is designed specifically for internet marketers.  Very easy to use as compared to Dreamweaver and KompoZer.  XSitePro has so many features it is well worth the price.  If you are looking for a cheaper, easier to use alternative I highly recommend XSitePro.

Go Check Out XSitePro

AJAX Animator: Alternative to Adobe Flash, where you can create animations and embed them into your websites.

Click Here for AJAX Animator tutorials

Download AJAX Animator

PDF Escape: Alternative to Adobe Acrobat, which allows you to add text and edit PDF documents, fill out and design forms.

Download PDF Escape

Scribus: Alternative to Adobe In-Design.  A desktop publishing application, where you can create animated and interactive PDF files, such as posters, brochures, newsletters and newspapers

Click Here for Scribus tutorials

Download Scribus

Picasa: Alternative to Adobe Lightroom, Picasa is a free photo editing software from Google, lets you organize, edit and share your photos through email, print or web.

Download Picasa

Audacity: Alternative to Adobe Soundbooth, where you can record live audio and then edit it. You can also convert tapes and records to digital format and much more.

Click Here for Audacity tutorials

Download Audacity

Blender: This is a free open source 3D content creation suite, where you can make 3D animations and pictures

Click Here for Blender tutorials

Download Blender

Jahshaka: Alternative to Adobe After Effects, where you can create and edit effects, animate, paint and design on moving video and create music.  This is a cool video management software.

Click Here for Jahshaka tutorials

Download Jahshaka

Microsoft Office Alternatives:

Open Office: Alternative to Microsoft Office, where you can create word documents, spreadsheets, presentations, databases, graphics, pdf files, and much more.  You can do almost everything with open office that you can with microsoft office and even more. The best part is its FREE!

Download Open Office

Mozilla Thunderbird: Alternative to Microsoft Outlook, full featured open source email client

Download Mozilla Thunderbird

Google Docs: Alternative to Microsoft Office, where you can make word docs, spreadsheets and presentations, also you are able to upload current docs into Google docs and edit them.

To use Google Docs just sign into your G-mail account and go to Google docs (you must have a G-mail account to access Google Docs)

Preezo: Alternative to Microsoft Powerpoint, which allows you to create presentations and save them to your computer, very similar to powerpoint

Sign Up For Preezo Free

Other Alternative WebApps:

Meebo: Instant Messenger, allows you to sign in to any of your instant messager platforms, without having to download any of the applications.

Go To Meebo

Screentoaster: Alternative to Camtasia, where it records your desktop, microphone, web cam all in HD and then upload them directly to YouTube.

Go To Screentoaster

CamStudio: Another alternative to Camtasia, a screen recording open source software.

Download CamStudio

JayCut: Alternative to Windows Movie Maker, where you can make, edit, add effects and music to movies.

Go To JayCut

CdBurner XP: Alternative to Nero, where you can burn Cds, Dvds, Bluerays, HD-Dvds, you can also create ISOs

Download CdBurner XP

Filezilla: Alternative to SmartFTP, allows you to transfer files to and from your website, FTP client.  Great application if you have your own website.

Download Filezilla

7-Zip: Alternative to WinZip, where you can compress files to send or save on your computer so that they take up less room on your hard drive.

Download 7- Zip

AVG: Alternative to Symantec Norton Virus protection, AVG is one of the most popular anit virus solutions available and it does not cost any money! Pretty much the same features norton has, I actually like AVG better than Norton anyway.

Download AVG

Ad-Aware: Another alternative to Norton, protects your computer against adware and spyware attacks. Download the free version that is all you will need!

Download Ad-Aware

FaxZero: Allows you to send 2 free faxes a day, great application if you still use fax.

Go to FaxZero

UnFreez: Windows applications where you can take different images save them as GIF and then create single animated GIFs from those files and post them to your website.

Download UnFreez

Skype: Skype is an application you can download where you can chat with others for free skype to skype, allows for video chat, Instant messaging , file transfers, and much more great app to keep in touch with others.  Free PC to PC calling!

Download Skype

I hope this information helps you save a little bit of money, if you have any questions feel free to ask me:)

If anyone has any Free web applications they would like to add feel free to make a comment on the post and share your information!

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

One of the main keys to a successful website or blog is knowing how much and where your overall traffic is coming from.  Having this information at your fingertips will allow you to experiment with different traffic techniques and see which one works the best and then capitalize on it.  Without knowing your website statistics you will have no idea what traffic techniques are working and which are not, making it harder to improve your campaign!

Google Analytics, a free service offered by Google, keeps track of your website statistics for you, allowing you to keep track of where your visitors are coming from so that you can adjust your traffic techniques and marketing campaign accordingly.

How To Install Google Analytics

Installing Google Analytics is not all that difficult.  It requires the understanding of some web code, but if you follow the steps below you should have no problem getting it installed on your website or blog.

Step 1:    Go to the Google Analytics website  http://www.google.com/analytics/

Step 2:    Sign up for a Google analytics account. 

- Click on the Sign Up Now link underneath New to Google Analytics

- If you have a Google account sign in.  If you don’t click set up a Google account and follow the steps.

*If you have an account with google analytics sign in by clicking the Access Analytics button on the right side of the homepage.

Step 3:    Create a New Account

-  Once signed into Google there should be a screen that pops up asking you to enter your website address. 

-  Enter your Web address, A name for your account, your Country and time zone

-  Click Continue

-  Fill in your name, phone number(not required), other info

-  Click Continue

-  Agree to the terms and conditions and click Create New Account

Step 4:    Add Google Analytics Code To Your Site

-  Google will then give you code that needs to be pasted into your site so that they can track your statictics

-  Copy all of the code in the box

-  If you have a website paste the code in between the <body> tags, most people paste it towards the bottom, but the code is for Google’s purposes only it will not be seen on your site so as long as it is before the </body> tag you are good.

-  If you have a Wordpress blog sign in to your dashboard –> Appearance –> Editor –> footer.php  Next, paste the code anywhere inbetween the <body> tags, but it must be before </body> tag.  Click save when done pasting and that is it.

Step 5:    Sign In To Google Analytics Account

-  You should see your new account set up, There will be a yellow caushion symbol under status this means Google did not reconize your site yet, this may take a couple hours or days then it should change to active after it reconizes your site.  When it is active you will be able to see your site statistics!

-  If for some reason after a couple days it still does not reconize your site I would suggest contacting Google anaylitic support.

Step 6:  Install Google Analytics Complete!  Congradulations!

Wordpress Google Analytics Plugin

If you have a Wordpress blog you can download the Google Analytics for WordPress plugin, which automatically tracks for blog statistics for you without having to paste code.  This plugin is very easy to install just download the file and save it to your wp-content/plugins folder and you are all set!

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

Is your website getting the traffic it deserves?

You have an amazing product, a excellently designed website and a sales pitch that is right on. You launch your site and await the stampeding crowd…

You wait… and you wait… and you wait…

Meanwhile your competitor next door has people lined up down the block just waiting to get their product.  What are they doing that you’re not?  What is this big trick that you seem to be missing out on?

Well it just so happens that the trick is Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – SEO lets the search engines know that you have what people are looking for, the answer to their question.

However, many people find SEO to be a time consuming and complicated process to learn, if you are a newbie to the SEO world it sometimes can be quite frustrating!

Well today I wanted to share with you a free seo software tool that simplifies the whole process for you!  This free software is called Traffic Travis.

So what’s included in this free seo software?

• Page analysis: Almost like having an SEO expert look at your webpage and tell you what you are doing right, and what you are doing wrong.  This tool does all that, and then gives you solutions for improving your on-page SEO!

• Position ranking: Keeps a daily, weekly or monthly record of exactly where your website is ranked for any search term. Check all the major search engines (Google, Yahoo, MSN Live, Ask and Altavista) and see whether you’re going up in the search engines … or down.

• Keyword finder: A cutting edge keyword finder tool to give you a huge number of relevant keywords.

• Keyword sorter: An essential keyword sorter tool that enables you to categorize extremely large lists of keywords into targeted adgroups for PPC purposes.

• Top sites for keywords: Quickly find all the top sites for your various keywords… then analyze them to see if you can steal some of their tricks.

• Backlinks to site: Who is linking to you? Who is linking to your competitors? What pagerank are they? What anchor text are they using? And by analyzing your competitors with this tool you can find other great sites to buy/trade links with.

• Keywords/details: Discover how many advertisers are advertising on each keyword and whether there’s a heavy turnover in advertisers. This could mean that the keyword isn’t as profitable as everyone thinks!

• Top sites for keywords: Who are the biggest players in your niche? Which keywords are they bidding on? Suss out who your major competitors are, and then analyze their campaign. After all… they must be making money…

• Websites Keyword list: A more indepth keyword snooping tool… this shows you whether competitors keep advertising on a particular word, or whether they drop it periodically. (Consistently advertising on a keyword means it must be really profitable!) This tool also easily shows ad ranking position, so you can see which positions seem to work the best…

I absolutly love this free seo software!  Ever since I downloaded I can not get enough of it, Traffic Travis has literally saved me hours of research, allowing me more time to improve other areas of my business/website, such as the actual web design.

Download the free seo software!

If you currently use Traffic Travis, feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think about it?

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

It is a great idea to add pictures in your blog posts. They not only help attract your readers to read your posts, but can also help you rank higher in the search engines. Pictures are worth a thousand words, so you can see how they help attract readers to actually read your posts, but how can Google and other search engines see pictures as an advantage and rank your site higher up in their search results?

This Brings Us To Our 3rd SEO For Wordpress Tip: How Use The <ALT> Tag For Your Images

You are probably asking what in the world is and ALT tag anyway and how is this going to help me with SEO?

- To keep it simple and ALT tag is simply the description of your picture or image.  This is Not visible to your readers,

However;

- This description will shows up on your readers screen if the actual image for some reason does not load/display on their browser. Your reader will then see the description of the picture where the picture would have been.

- By using this description <ALT> tool will also help people with impaired vision who rely on different screen reading technology in order to view web pages.  Where the screen reader will actually read the text within the <ALT> tags from the image.

Now comes the biggest kicker as to why you should always use the <ALT> tag for your images!

- ALT tags are very helpful when it comes to Search Engine Optimization!

- The search engines use the information you provide in the description/<ALT> tags to further classify the overall content of your blog or website.

- In other words the search engines use the description of your images as KEYWORDS!!!

- So if you want to rank higher on certain keywords then make sure that your main keywords are present within the <ALT> tags or description of your images.

So How Do You Insert A Description Into Your Images?

Well if you have a regular website that uses HTML you can use this code:

<img src=”http://yourdomainname.com/image.png”  alt=”Here is where you put your image description”/>

OR….

Wordpress Makes this process even more simple.

- Use your WordPress image uploader to add an image to your post (This can be done by clicking the Add an Image button right next to the Upload/Insert text within your Add a New Post page, OR by going to media –> add new–>Select Files –>Select your image and press ok

- After you selected your image you want to upload there will be a screen that should pop up that looks like the following:

- In the box that says description you want to type your description of the image this is what will be shown in your <ALT> tags also remember to put your main keyword within this section to help with SEO.

- When you are finished Click the save button or if you insert into post button depending on where you inserted your image from.

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

Everybody hates SPAM!  And no i am not talking about the processed canned meat, however canned meat does not sound that appetizing.  What I am talking about is the annoying comments that are automatically posted to your blog that just contain a bunch links promoting commercial services.  If you own a Wordpress blog and have the comments enabled, which is something I highly recommend, then you are bound to get spammy comments!  However, I have Good News for you!  There is a way to prevent comment and contact form spam…

How To Combat Comment Spam:

There are two great Wordpress plugins you can download to your Wordpress blog that will take care of your Spam problems:

1.)  WP-SpamFree

WP-Spam Free is an extremely powerful WordPress anti-spam plugin that eliminates blog comment spam, including trackback and pingback spam.  This is a Free Wordpress plugin that I use along with Akismet, which I will get into later.   It works invisibly without CAPTCHA’s, challege questions or other inconveniences to your site visitors. The plugin includes spam-free contact form feature as well.  It virtually elimantes automated comment spam send out from bots.

*Download the latest version of  WP-SpamFree

2.) Akismet

Akismet, on of the most popular Wordpress plugins, is a spam filtering service, which filters link spam from blog comments and spam trackback pings.  You may have noticed when you look your plugins menu that you already have Akismet installed in your Wordpress blog, this is because it is highly recommend that you activate and use it! However, you must activate the plugin in order for it to work!

*If for some reason you do not have the Akismet plugin you can Download the latest version HERE

How to Activate Akismet

1.)  In your Plugins menu you must press activate next to the Akisment plugin

2.) You will need a API key:  Every user of Wordpress.com automatically gets a API key (*Note you do not want to share this key with anyone!)

- To find your API key simply go to your dashboard -> click users ->Your Profile

- You should see a sentance that says ” your Wordpress.com API key is ” where your key is the 12 numbers following

- You can see your key at  http://dashboard.wordpress.com/wp-admin/profile.php

3.) If you do not have a wordpress account and still want to use Akismet you can register on Wordpress.com and obtain a API key!

4.) once you have a API key and you activated Akismet then you need to go to plugins-> Akismet-> Configuration and enter your API key and that is it you are all set!

*For any Questions regarding Akismet you can go HERE!

Combat Contact Form Spam:

There are two great Wordpress plugins you can download to help combat Contact Form Spam

1.) Secure and Accessible PHP Contact Form v.2.0WP

The Secure and Accessible PHP Contact Form plugin for Wordpress is one of the best, most accessible, spam proof contact forms out there.  This plugin allows you to add a spam proof contact form to a wordpress page or a template.  It is fully customisable with CSS, and even has a few themes contained to get you started.

2.) cforms II

The cforms II plugin for Wordpress offers convenient deployment of multiple contact forms throughout your blog or even on the same page.  It also allows you to customize the messages, the fields that are required, the email addresses to be used, and even create different contact forms to be used in different locations of the site.  The cforms II allows for spam-free environment and is relatively easy to customize.

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

Twitter has become one of the most powerful social networks around!  People all over the world now participate in this ever growing community of tweets.  It has become an essential networking tool not just for everyday people but for businesses as well.  If you are not yet on Twitter I highly recommend joining, it is very easy to join, just go to Twitter.com.

Twitter is an amazing tool if you use it correctly.  However, Twitter does have a downfall, it does not allow for a very manageable platform.  Once you start gaining more followers it is very hard to keep track of them and their tweets.  So in this blog post I am going to share with you some of my favorite extra Twitter apps that can help you better manage your account!

TOP TWITTER APPS:

1.)  Tweetdeck :  This is probably the app I use most often.  It is basically a personal browser for Twitter.  This is one of the best apps to have to stay in touch with your twitter followers/friends.  It not only allows you to send out tweets right from the app and allows you to shorten your URLs.  This is a great tool to keep your twitter account organized!

2.) TweetLater : This is the second Twitter app I use most often!  Using this app you can schedule your twitter messages or tweets to go out at specific times.  It also allow you to automatically send out a direct message to people who follow you, so you can thank them or ask them to check out your site.  You can automatically follow people who are following your and much much more!  Highly recommended!

3.)  Twitterholic : This site allows you to see who the top 100 Twitterers are on Twitter or who has the most followers.  Great Place to find people to follow on Twitter.  You can also click on the location field and find who is the top twitterers in your area!

4.)  Twitpic : This app allows you to share pictures on Twitter!  People Love pictures, so sharing pics will also allow you to gain more followers!

5.)  TweetEffect : Here you can find out which of your tweets/updates made people follow or unfollow you.  Great tools to see what kind of tweets people are interested in!

6.)  FlashTweet : This is a mass follow/unfollow tool, Lets you see who is following you and who is not, then allows you to mass unfollow those people are are not following you!

7.)  Buzzom : This is a awesome new twitter apps that I use to follow new people!  It automatically picks people you are not following yet based on your profile and the current people you are following!  You can Grow your Twitter account rapidly with this tool.  There are also many other features to this app.  Definitely recommend!

8.)  Digsby : This is not just a Twitter app it works with other social networking sites as well!  Digsby alerts you of new messages or other events you get and gives you a live Newsfeed of what all your followers/friends are up to!

9.)  Twitterfeed :  This tool is great if you have a blog.  This tool automatically twitters your RSS Feeds to your followers.

10.)  TweetValue:  This is a fun twitter app that calculates how much your twitter account is worth!

11.)  Twiggit :  Twitter meets dig with this app, it allows your followers to see what articles you dig.

12.)  TwitThis : This app allows your to put a link on the bottom of your website or blog that says TwitThis so that people can click it and automatically tweet your website/post.

13.) Twhirl : This app is very similar to Tweetdeck but it has some features that tweetdeck does not, such as recording video and sharing it on twitter and post images to twitpic. This app allows you to manage your twitter account more efficiently.

14.)  TwitterCounter : Here you can show people on your website or blog how many followers your have.  It can help you build your followers and track your popularity over time.

15.)  TweetMeMe : This site tracks the different links that twitter users tweet and then posts them based on popularity and category. This site updates on its own every 5 minutes.  Great site to see what the hottest topic on twitter is, and see how many people retweeted that link.

16.)  Twtpoll : Here you can create a poll on twitter.

17.)  Retweetist :  This is similar to Tweetmeme, but it shows all tweets not just tweets with links that are retweeted the most!

18.)  Tweepler : This site allows you to organize your followers and people who are following you, by putting them into buckets.

19.)  TwitterKarma : This site allows you to manage your followers by mass unfollowing people who aren’t following you.

20.)  Tweetburner : Here you can enter a URL you want to share with your twitter friends and you can shorten it and track it!

Other Sites To Check Out For Information:

- For More Twitter Applications you can check out Online Best Colleges Blog on 100 Twitter Tools To Help Achieve your Goals They have a great selection of Twitter apps that I didn’t even know existed, such as a app that allows you to track what you are eating everyday!  There is some great information here definitely check it out!

- Another great site to check out for the most popular Twitter Apps is TechCrunch’s Blog on The Top 21 Twitter Applications.

- Lastly a site that is dedicated to the latest Twitter widgets and Apps is Twittown.

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

Tip of The Day Number 2:  Wordpress All In One SEO Plugin

A great wordpress plug-in that I highly recommend you download for FREE is the “All In One SEO” Plug-in!  This tool will help you with optimizing your wordpress blog, and help your overall ranking in search engine results.

Some of the Key Features of the “All In One SEO” plugin are as follows:

- Home Page Optimization: Allows you to make your home page title, home page meta description and meta keywords detailed and separate from your other pages.

- Per Post Page Tweaking: Allows you to optimize each individual post on your blog (title, description, keywords). Remember what you write in the boxes provided with reflect what keywords the search engines will use to describe your website in the search engine results! So make sure your keyword, title, description properly describe the rest of the content on the site.

- The plug-in also Reorders page titles to optimize search engine coverage.

- Takes care of duplicate content: The “No Index” options prevent the search engines from indexing pages that contain redundant content such as category and tag result pages.

**To Download the “All in one SEO” Plug-in for Wordpress Click Here

Installation directions for the “All in one SEO” Plug-in:

1.) Click the link above to go to the download page

2.) Click the download link on the right side of the download page

3.) Save the Zipped file to your computer

4.) Make sure to unzip the folder and save it

5.) Upload the unzipped folder to your hosting account wordpress folder under:  /wp-content/plugins/

6.) Go to your wordpress dashboard and click on Plugins on the left side of the screen (you should see the “All in one SEO”)

7.) Click activate

8.) Visit the SEO options page (either settings or options – All in one)

*Dave Olsen Consulting put together a great video on how to use this “All in one SEO” plugin.  Check it out!

Till Next Post,

Krista

***If You Like What You Read Feel Free To Share It!

At this blog I will be posting helpful tips and tricks to Internet Marketing and how to become a successful internet marketer! I will also be guiding you through my personal journey to success and let you in on any problems I run into along the way and how I went about solving them!  I hope I can help others who are trying to succeed and make money online reach their goals!

Look forward to getting to know everyone!  If you have any questions or conserns about internet marketing feel free to leave a comment and I will do my best to answer or you can personally email me at kopetsky.krista@gmail.com

Till Next Post,

Krista

Over the next couple of days I will be going through some easy quick fixes you can make to your blog in order to get a higher ranking in the major search engines and get more traffic overall!

Tip of the Day Number 1 : Using Custom Permalinks

What is a Permalink?

Each blog post is assigned their own permanent web site address (URL), this a called a permalink.  This link is automatically generated when you publish a new post.  The default permalink in Wordpress looks like the following:

http://yourdomainname.com/?p=100/

where the p stands for post, and the 100 is just the ID that is assigned to that particular post.

However, in Wordpress you can customize your permalink to be more search engine friendly!

Why Should I Customize?

If you want your site to be ranked higher in the search engines, customizing your permalinks is a must!  When you customize permalinks, you are automatically inserting keywords into the URL of your posts.  This will allow for search engines to reconize the keywords in your post and include your site in searches done on those search keywords.  One of the biggest things search engines look for when determining what sites to put in their results and their ranking, mainly depends on the keyword typed into the search and the keywords the search engine retrieves from different websites.

The default permalink in Wordpress is not keyword friendly what so ever!  It does not contain any keywords at all, its just a number of your post.  If you were to change the default to a custom permalink structure, you can automatically include the titles of your posts, which will then give you that keyword in your URL.  The custom format that I currenly use looks like this:

http://yourdomainname.com/2009/04/09/my-post-title

where when you break down the URL it is, year/month/day/your post title

How Do You Change Permalink to Make it More Search Engine Friendly?

The good news is that this pocess is fairly simple!!!

To choose the permalink settings you want to:

1.)  Go to settings menu (at the bottom of the left side bar in your Wordpress admin dashboard)

2.)  Click on Permalinks (the Permalink Settings page should open it looks like this:

Here you will see the different options you have to customize your permalinks.  You will notice that the default box is selected under the common settings section. This is what we want to change!

3.)  You want to Select the Custom Structure box.

4.)  You can then type in the permalink setting you want. So lets type in the new permalink!

To make the permalink look like this:

http://yourdomainname.com/2009/04/09/my-post-title

Type:   http://yourdomainname.com/%year%/%monthnum%/%day%/%postname%/

**Make sure that you put the slashes before/between/at the end of each tag

**Also by changing the permalink structure will affect the permalinks for previous posted material as well

5.) Click SAVE when you are finished

Below is a quick guide of what you can put in the customize permalink:

%postname%     =    The name of your post separated by hyphens (your-post-name)

%category%      =     The category name of your post

%post_id%          =    The ID of the post (ex. 123)

%author%          =     Post’s author

%year%              =     Year of post

%monthnum%  =    Month of post in numbers (April= 04)

%day%                =     Day of post in number

Hope this helps!

Till Next Post,

Krista

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