Really Quick Internet Marketing SEO Training

So you're ready to start selling on the internet, and you're wondering where to start. There is more than enough information on internet marketing online and off line, so I decided to make this a very short read. No fluff, just information. Reading this short article may be the most significant investment you've made for your online business.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for search engine optimization. You want the search engines, like Google and Yahoo! to list your website, so you have to make your website friendly, or optimize it, for the search engines.

Get Linked

If you click around Google for instructions on getting your website listed in their search engine, you will find that Google wants you to have links from other websites to yours. That's the way they like to find out about websites. All of the search engines work the same way. Even brand new websites that have links from very influential and established websites will get listed in the search engines very fast.

"Who Will Give Me a Link?"

So you have a great new website and you're wondering how to get links from other influential and established websites. That's pretty easy. Craigslist.org and ebay.com are among the worlds most influential and established websites. A link from ebay is cheap, and a link from Craigslist is usually free. Before you do either, you should create a press release at PRWeb.com. These are also free or cheap, and produce a lot of fire power when it comes to links.

"How Can I do That?"

If you don't know how to write an ebay or Craigslist ad, it's very easy to learn at either website. PRWeb.com will also show you how to write a simple yet highly effective press release. Assuming you do know how to place ads, here is what I did to get a top listing on Yahoo!

1. I purchased a domain based on a popular search term, "home based travel business". Just use http://inventory.overture.com/ to figure out what terms people are searching for on Yahoo! The domain I chose was YourHomeBasedTravelBusiness.com. I then used this domain for my Global Resorts Network website.


2. Then I wrote a press release and published it with PRWeb.com. For a little extra, PRWeb will let you create links in your press release. If you are good at writing simple and pointed paragraphs, this shouldn't take more than an hour. However, don't worry if it takes you a whole afternoon. If that's what it takes to get your creative juices going, then that's fine. Publish the press release as soon as it's finished.


3. Next, I bought a classified ad on ebay. You really only need to spend $9.95 per month for a classified ad, but I purchased a few marketing options from ebay to give my ad a little more exposure to ebay customers. As far as the search engines go, I really doubt that the $9.95 or enhanced marketing options on ebay make a difference. All the search engines care about are links from established websites. Click the link to see my ebay ad. As you can see from the ebay ad, the words "home based travel business" are linked to the website I'm promoting.

NOTE: Here is the winning formula: the words linking to your domain should be related if not exactly the same as your domain.

4. The next day, my ebay ad appeared on the first page of search results on Google for the term "home based travel business." This was very, very good. I then copied the ad and placed it on Craigslist under the Small Business section. However, this was not a good idea, because now my ebay ad moved to page 2 of the Google search results. My Craigslist ad also appeared on the second page of search results.

Lesson learned: DO NOT use the same ad on ebay and Craigslist. Mix them up a little, just keep the link to your search term and domain intact.

A Little Refinement

Once I changed the Craigslist ad, my ebay ad moved back to the first page for my Google search term after about five days. By the way, the Craigslist ad shows up on page 2 for my Google search term. This is really good news!

Are We There Yet?

Yes, we are there yet, because for a while, my website, YourHomeBasedTravelBusiness.com, appeared on page 1 at the top of the list for the search term 'home based travel business'. Yes! Type it in at Yahoo.com right now to see where it ranks. MSN has put me in the same number one position. Hopefully it hasn't slipped. On the flip side, I think I'm somewhere on page 18 for the same search term on Google, so I'll need to work on getting more links.

Summary

1. Get a domain name related to your business and a popular search term.


2. Build or purchase a website related to the same search term and use it with your domain name


3. Write a press release and publish it immediately with links to your new domain.


4. Write separate ads for ebay and Craigslist, with your search term linked to your domain.


5. Build links until you get a top ranking for your domain.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Antony Mosley is a distributor for the Global Resorts Network, a seasoned, deep discount luxury resort company in operation since 1986, with a new home based travel business distribution model. You can visit his blog at http://professionalsales411.blogspot.com/. Feel free to distribute this article as long as the Author section is left intact.