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SEO techniques can backfire if you don't know how to properly use them. This article will give you the best tips to make sure your website is found without causing problems between you and your search engines.



When setting up your site using SEO, don't forget the importance of the site-map. Search engines spiders love site-maps, as do human users. It shows both groups where everything is on your site, and increases the keyword density of your pages. Site-maps also help boost your linkage ratings similarly to backlinks.



Use the right keywords. By researching the right keywords to use, you will make sure that search engines rank you for the subject you want to be ranked for. Do keyword research first to make sure you are using keywords that people actually search for; don't go by your own guesses.



Place links in key places to guarantee they get noticed. They do not need flashing lights around them or obnoxious bold lettering, but it is important to make sure links get noticed. Put them in places that people typically look on a website. This is often near the comments, along the sidebar, or underneath headlines.



Track where people on your site are going. When you determine where people are going, you know where you need to concentrate your efforts. If you have a restaurant, chances are people are checking out your menu. This lets you know that this is an area of your site that you need to keep fresh and updated.



If your site has a defined set of categories, optimize the URLs on your site to contain the keywords associated with the categories. Say you have https://goo.gl/uCMV9R , cats and dogs. Google likes it better if the URLs for such a site are mysite.com/cats and mysite.com/dogs as opposed to something like mysite.com?category=1. Even more importantly, people searching for a keyword associated with one of the categories are more likely to arrive at one of your subpages when you use a logical URL structure.



This seems basic, but a good practice to follow is to constantly monitor your page rank using independent traffic monitoring services. Doing so will help you determine whether your optimization is having any effect on your site traffic. A good site to use is Alexa, which will show an abundance of useful statistics.



Optimizing your website for search engines will improve the profitability of your affiliate marketing programs. By focusing on certain keywords and tweaking the contents of your web pages, you can significantly improve your website's ranking on search engine results pages. This will direct more visitors to your site, increasing your own exposure and pulling in more potential customers for your affiliates.



Because search engines need to be able to navigate your site to index it properly, you should use JavaScript for progressive enhancement only. The entire site does not need to be JavaScript-enabled. You only need to use this for enhanced functionally. When it comes to easy navigation, JavaScript is a big no-no in SEO.






<img src="http://aimhigh-seo.co.uk/news/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/St-George.jpg" />

Pick the right URL shorteners. You want to make sure the search engine still gets credit for finding you, but some URL shortening companies do not allow that to take place. Search out the right ones that give credit where it is due, and your search engine will thank you.



Put yourself in your customer's shoes. If you were looking for your website, what key words would you use? Once you've come up with a list, use them around your website. Include your keywords in the titles of your pages and throughout your content, but don't overuse them. Stuffing your pages full of keywords will cause the search engines to lower your search ranking.



The Associated Press (AP) style of references is great for newspapers, but is not all that Search Engine Optimization (SEO) friendly. No matter what the AP rules say, it's helpful to use full names as references later on in your copy if you're working towards SEO. Keywords in the copy are still important to achieving a higher page rank.



Using descriptive verbs in http://www.practicalecommerce.com/articles/127649-SEO-Google%E2%80%99s-Algorithm-Hasn%E2%80%99t-Changed-or-Has-It to your keywords will catch searches that use the same words. &Soft plush puppy& is very specific, meaning your site will end up at the top of the results far more easily as most other sites that won't get so detailed in their search engine optimization.



As mentioned in the beginning of this article, search engine optimization is no longer a secret. If you know the few simple steps to optimizing your website for search engines, you can easily drive more traffic to your site. Using the tips listed in this article, you will be able to put your website at the top of the list.