Do It Your Self SEO

Do It Your Self seo

Part 1

Can you do SEO?

Many people wonder about the wisdom of attempting search engine optimization without professional help. Is it possible and if so, what do I need to know about it?

The reality is you can do SEO yourself because in the open environment we live in now, "how to SEO" information is given out for free all throughout the Web. You still have to read and apply the principles, but it can be done by almost anyone. With the right SEO knowledge and SEO tools, you can do SEO for yourself or for clients.

There’s good news and bad news about DIY SEO. First, the bad news…..it is very easy to begin doing the wrong things in terms of search engine optimization because there is a lot of outdated information regarding how to do SEO floating out there on the net. A lot has changed over the past several years in the world of SEO. When SEO first began it took awhile for website developers and marketers to determine what the search engines were using to rank. While this still goes on to some extent, most SEO is now applying the principles learned from the early discovery years.

Now for the good news! If you are serious about doing your own SEO then there are several great tools and programs available to help you. You can also benefit from the pros because many SEO experts share SEO knowledge through their blogs and websites. The basic principles of SEO can be learned and applied if you're willing to put in some work.

Let’s talk about some of the most important aspects of SEO. Keywords are at the center of a successful SEO program. They drive content, links, social network buzz and much more. Learning how to choose the right keywords and keyword phrases are really critical. How much your rankings improve, and how quickly they improve depends on the amount of competition there is for your keyword phrases. Specific, targeted keyword phrases (like "100 watt equivalent LED spotlights") are less competitive, and will take less to time rank well. Broad, general keywords (like "LED Lighting") are more competitive and will take longer whether you choose a service like SoloSEO or Lotusjump or do everything completely on your own. When you choose a mix of broad and specific keyword phrases you are more likely to achieve excellent results in both the short and long-term.

Content focused on your keywords is the bread and butter of SEO. The more content you provide the greater your exposure. Learning where to post content is just as important. Naturally your website must be rich in targeted content to your chosen keywords but content needs to appear in other places which brings us to….social networking, blogging, PR releases and article directories. You need a way to know when people are mentioning or commenting on content that contains your keywords. It is equally important for you to set the tone and write articles because they establish you as an expert in your field and give you power to influence people and build relationships. In addition, you can also help better promote your brand image as well as defend it from negative publicity by writing honest, responses that address the concern or complaint. Be direct, be friendly and answer the criticism honestly.

You need data to help you manage cometition and understand what you need to do to increase your rankings and attract traffic to your site but the data is only useful if you understand how to interpret and use it.

Linking is another important way of increasing rankings but one must be careful because there are linking and backlinking practices that can get you in trouble.

Because the world of SEO encompasses many different types of tasks and approaches to get good results you need the right tools. Access to educational articles on SEO and SEO tools are critical to the efficient and effective management of your SEO work. Having a toolbox of SEO “tools” and programs to work with will help you get the job done right and get the results you are looking for. The ability to find and manage your keywords, track the ranking and links to your content, manage the link building process from finding links to checking them, and keeping track of your competition's statistics and how they change over time will help you do SEO, and do it efficiently.

SoloSEO is one program that incorporates solid education with a suite of SEO tools to help you manage your SEO.  It is a solid system for the beginner. It allows you to work at your own speed but helps you learn and organize your time and tasks to promote greater efficiency and effectiveness. This tool is particularly useful in learning how to compose content-what you need to place where. For those who are not used to writing content based on keywords and don’t understand much about HTML tags, this feature is especially helpful.

The keyword site scan is also a great feature for finding more “specific” keywords based on a site or URL. Remember-the more specific a keyword or keyword phrase the easier and faster it is to move into the top rankings.

You should read through the features of SoloSEO and other sites before deciding to enroll in any do it yourself SEO software. Most if not all DIY SEO software programs require a monthly or annual fee so make certain you are getting the features you need and want if you choose to use one of these software packages.

SoloSEO

Keyword Features

• Manage keywords from one localized spot
• Organize by topic, popularity, and "top" keywords
• Keyword Suggestion Tool queries multiple sources
• Keyword Site Scan generates keywords based on a site or URL to find overlooked keywords
• Keyword Creator automates adding adjectives and modifiers to keywords such as states, color, and size
• Add keywords manually from other keyword sources

Content Features

• Track backlinks, PageRank for landing pages and other important pages
• Import site pages directly from sitemap
• Create optimized pages step by step
• Download pages you create

Link Building Features

• Manage Link Building from beginning to end (Link Manager)
• Link search tool for finding link opportunities
• Bookmarklet tool for analyzing strength/quality of sites, add directly to Link Manager
• Assign strength rating for each link
• Track status of links (New, Contacted, Successful)
• Weekly check if link still exists

Report Features

• Competitive Analysis Report
• Keyword ranking report
• Schedule reports, be notified by email when complete
• Save Reports for viewing, comparing
• Email reports directly to clients, management, others

Tracking Features

• Weekly site statistics tracking
• Track backlinks, pages indexed, PageRank, and Alexa Rating
• Chart site statistics over time

Learning SEO

• Learning Area within each section
• Explanations and direct links for standard SEO tasks
• Links out to authority blogs and sites on topics
• Up-to-date SEO information from the experts, all in one place

Productivity Features

• Standard Checklists for SEO tasks
• Create and customize checklists for your own SEO workflow
• Task lists for each site
• Maintain active tasks automatically from Task Queue
• Drag and drop task prioritizing
• Task completion date saved for reference, reporting

Management Features

• Manage multiple sites with one login
• Organize sites by topic (theming, siloing)
• Use checklists across multiple domains

Competitor Tracking

• Track your Competition's stats
• Competitor finder tool

Other Features

• Use from any Internet-enabled computer or device (even PDAs, and smart phones)
• Compatible for use with a MAC

Do it yourself SEO is possible but make sure you are ready to commit to the time and resources you will need to do it well. If you are unable or unwilling to do so you would be better served to consider outsourcing your SEO needs.

Do It Yourself SEO

Part 2

As discussed in part 1 of this article having the right tools and access to SEO educational materials are critical to your success as an SEO ”do it yourselfer”.

Here are a few basic things you should know about SEO (Search engine optimization) to help you get started.

SEO is all about attracting traffic to your website to gain high rankings on the major search engines. The more traffic you drive to your site the better the chances are for conversions (sales of products, information etc).

When we talk about major search engines and attracting traffic the two major search engines to begin focusing on are Google and Yahoo. Other search engines include msn, ask, bing to name a few. However, it is generally Google and Yahoo that provide the greatest return on your investment in terms of web traffic. These are the two most common search engines used by people searching the web for information.

SEO includes a variety of different tactics from using keywords to blogging, article writing, backlinking and cross linking, social media (twitter, facebook etc) and much more. SEO is something you must constantly focus on because the criteria search engines use to rank a site change from time to time or are altered in weight as do the algorithms they employ. SEO is about content-and lots of it. In addition, keeping up your brand image and building relationship with your target market sector takes time and effort.

Once you decide to take on the challenge of doing your own website SEO you will want to find the best tools in the industry to help you be successful. This article is directed at those who already have an existing website or a website that is ready to be launched and optimized.

Where do turn for help in managing your search engine optimization? You may want to check out Lotusjump-especially if you have a little experience but need someone to help “remind” you about tasks that need attention. Lotusjump really functions as a project manager for your SEO.

LotusJump is different than other SEO tools because it actually leads you through what to do, where to do it and how to do it. Lotusjump walks you through easy, relevant SEO tasks that are assigned based on your industry and chosen keywords. Up-To-Date automatic software updates ensure you are utilizing the most current SEO methods. The system is transparent. You will always know how, where, and when your site is being optimized. The Lotusjump system also provides guidance in how to utilize expert guides, step-by-step instructions, and industry know-how.  Because this system is more than just a set of tools you receive the information you need to act on as well as help in completing those assigned tasks. It takes away any worry about what or how you should be optimizing your site. It tells you exactly how to optimize your site.

Lotusjump essentially does three major things to help you manage your SEO.

1- Based on the keywords relevant to your site (not all packages allow for the same number of keywords) the Lotusjump program will search websites, blogs, Q & A platforms and news sources for your keywords.

2- Using a powerful algorithm the results are filtered to identify websites that will benefit you.

3- Resources are turned into actions for you to complete and these are sent directly to your account.

The types of tasks Lotusjump will prompt you to complete include:

Social profiling tasks- setting up profiles and sharing information through social media websites like twitter, facbook etc. to build relationships, increase exposure, build relevant links.

Q&A Tasks- Using free sites like Wiki and Yahoo answers to post responses or comments in areas relevant to your targeted keywords.

Social Bookmarking Tasks- Sharing pages you feel are important from your website or another website.

Buzz Tasks- Visit sites where somebody mentions one of your keywords. This is essentially a link building tool.

Content Generation Tasks- Resources and locations where you can add content related to your keywords and embed links back to your own website. Builds trust, expertise and authority within your designated field and helps increase backlinking.

Competitive Backlink Tasks-Lotusjump uses your top three keywords to check out your competition to determine how they are getting their links. You will receive a task to create or obtain links form those same sites. Helps retain your competitive edge and provides another opportunity for new links.

Directory Submission Tasks-LotusJump sends tasks to your account to submit your site to a number of online directories, both free and paid directly to your account. Some directories are more relevant than others soLotusJump allows you to submit to the ones you like and skip the ones you don't. Directory submissions are a part of a diversified link building strategy that LotusJump provides for you.

LotusJump and sites that deliver similar services are very useful and can save you tons of time because they deliver cutting-edge, easy-to-execute internet marketing information, data and SEO tasks directly to you and help you organize and follow through on your daily SEO tasks.  It is like hiring your own project manager or consultant. It is worth the time to review and think about how programs like Lotusjump may fit into your SEO marketing program.