The Secret Formula for SEO'ing articles to get top SEO ranks

Discussion in 'Search Engine Optimization' started by mark1, Nov 12, 2005.

  1. #1
    I hope the title caught your attention :D

    When you write articles, do you target a specific keyword or do you just write freely?

    I guess for most people who are aware of SEO it probably is the former choice.

    So my question I want to pose to you people is, what do you guys focus on when writing articles, with a focus on getting top serps?

    Is this the steps that I should be taking to optimise my articles?

    1. keyword in the <title>
    2. keywords in <h1>
    3. keywords in nearly every paragraph
    4. keywords in the meta description and 'keyword'
    5. keyword in the alt tags for links
    6. keyword in the title tags for images

    Is there such a thing as overdoing it?
    does search engines penalise 'overdone' pages?
     
    mark1, Nov 12, 2005 IP
  2. l234244

    l234244 Peon

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    #2
    Im not sure about "overdoing it" but I would make sure the page optimisation does not disturb your visitors, i.e make sure the paragraphs flow well. Also, each page should target a number of keywords rather than just the one.
     
    l234244, Nov 12, 2005 IP
  3. Old Welsh Guy

    Old Welsh Guy Notable Member

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    #3
    Write naturally then give it a once over by putting your keywords in the gogle toolbar and hitting the highlight button. This is all you need to worry about honestly.

    Hate to say it, but your thinking too much ;)
     
    Old Welsh Guy, Nov 12, 2005 IP
  4. jazzylee77

    jazzylee77 Peon

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    #4
    I've been basically doing this for some pages, plus doing co-op backlinks with the keyword anchor. New site made PR4 in last update, and is at the top in msn for those keywords. Plus my hair is more manageable.
     
    jazzylee77, Nov 12, 2005 IP
  5. BILZ

    BILZ Peon

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    #5
    I usually try to make my keyword 10% of my content on the page. Which usually works out to less than once per paragraph. Be careful that it fits into the context of your content though - dont forget that your visitors have to be able to read it and enjoy it, not just Google.
     
    BILZ, Nov 14, 2005 IP
  6. dougadam

    dougadam Active Member

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    #6
    Try to aim for a keyword density of 1% to 7%. To achieve 1% you would need to insert your keyword or keyword phrase once for every hundred words. If you only used your keyword once in one thousand words, this would result in diluting your keyword density.

    Don't try to stuff all your keywords together, separated by commas. Search engines may see this as spam, penalizing your rankings.
     
    dougadam, Nov 14, 2005 IP
  7. jazzylee77

    jazzylee77 Peon

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    #7
    Your paragraphs are usually less than 10 words?
     
    jazzylee77, Nov 14, 2005 IP
  8. toni

    toni Active Member

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    #8
    I make sure that I have an keyword or two in the title and h1 tags, but other than that... I just write in naturally. I never pay attention to keyword density and such.

    Here is my formula:

    -Write very good articles, that people want to link to.
    -Keywords in the title, and h1 tag. Sprinkled in natural-ish through the rest of the article.
    -Do use synonyms.
    - Write very long articles (some people don't agree, but this is what works for me).
    - Publish, get backlinks if possible - then forget about it for a while.
    - Start a new article :)
     
    toni, Nov 14, 2005 IP
  9. torunforever

    torunforever Peon

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    #9
    Blog spam works pretty well at SEOing a site.

    Oh wait, no it doesn't. Everyone out there who's spamming blogs, stop it. Stop it now.
     
    torunforever, Nov 14, 2005 IP
  10. Momo

    Momo Peon

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    #10
    I agree with this. Your visitors have to enjoy what they read as well, and be able to learn from it, and not just read a certain keyword being repeated over and over, without really getting any sense from it.
     
    Momo, Nov 14, 2005 IP
  11. jazzylee77

    jazzylee77 Peon

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    #11
    Yeah, after all the header, title, and othere seo stuff, I just try to write something interesting, especially in the meta description. And I write with an attitude of politeness toward the identity. By that I mean, as if in conversation, I use the persons name, mention his children, compliment their hair or clothing. The great thing is, you can write like this about a bicycle and not appear gay*. That and having read a million of these threads makes me naturally hit keywords without counting.



    *No homosexuals were harmed in the writing of this reply...and no offense intended.
     
    jazzylee77, Nov 15, 2005 IP
  12. ken123

    ken123 Peon

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    #12
    That would be difficult to do because if you keep focus on key words, then the article you wrote is a mess.
     
    ken123, Nov 15, 2005 IP
  13. BILZ

    BILZ Peon

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    #13
    Hehe, i guess i didnt do my math right on that one. :) Thanks for pointing that out jazzylee. My main point was: Using your keyword once per paragraph is a good rule of thumb.
     
    BILZ, Nov 15, 2005 IP
  14. mark1

    mark1 Peon

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    #14
    So i guess consensus is that use your keyword once a paragraph.

    Perhaps my "system" can be changed so that I simply write the article first then give it the once over to see if I've actually used my keyword once every paragraph and if not, I'll find a relevant spot to insert it.
     
    mark1, Nov 20, 2005 IP
  15. imwomen

    imwomen Peon

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    #15
    Has anyone had any problems with duplicate content when a lot other sites host your articles or competing against those site for the keywords in the article. Understandably it is great your article comes up but if it is not your site you could lose the potential customer to that site.

    Thanks ever so much!

    IM
     
    imwomen, Nov 21, 2005 IP
  16. Old Welsh Guy

    Old Welsh Guy Notable Member

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    #16
    This is why you MUST get a live link to your site with any article you write. If a site is using your content but not linking back to you, then you should demand they remove the content.
     
    Old Welsh Guy, Nov 21, 2005 IP