Brandon Coppernoll Web content management, internet marketing and social media in Indiana

5 simple steps to improve your search engine rank

I don't have a degree in internet marketing. The primary portion of my day-to-day job is not to improve search engine rank. However, in my spare time I have been blogging, and quietly I've been seeing my traffic improve from only a few family members to others that are starting to find me through search and my social networks.

1. Include your keywords in your title. This is probably the first and easiest step. Actually put what you want to be found by in the title of your page.
2. Include your keywords in your header tags. Many web developers understand what header tags are. I have found the most important tags are <h1> and <h2> tags. These tags not only show that this portion of your content revolves around those keywords, but it also allows search engines to follow an "outline" of your content.
3. Use keywords in your internal links. This is often one of the more overlooked strategies, but I have seen great results doing this. You'll notice most blogging software places the title of your post in a <h1> tag and a link. This is no accident. It's Woofer Time! The Anti-Twitter provides your reader and search engines insight on what the page is about and encourages both to investigate. A poor use of creating internal links is to use "click here" rather than the subject of the page in the link.
4. Find natural ways to use keywords in your content. Do no overuse your keywords. Use them as you naturally speak to your audience. The main strategy I use is to write the post and go back and find ways I can include the keywords without trying to sound forced. If it sounds "forced" then it's probably not the right place to use them. If you can find a way to use your keywords toward the beginning of your content you may be in better shape. It is also recommended to make your keywords bold.
5. Write for your target audience. This is perhaps the least technical advice I could probably give. You have to try to understand what your audience is looking for. It's better to pick an audience for your post and make it known to that audience rather than trying to be something to everyone.

I hope I was able to give some sound advice to those that are interested. By no means do I claim to be the best or have a full grasp of how search engines work, but I do know based on my recent success and experience what has worked for me. I have found these five steps have not only improved my search engine rank, but they have also improved my writing.

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