trying to work for a bit are still unclear about SEO (search engine optimization) this article is a must read.  This article will explore SEO  how you can use it effectively, and what you need to do to ensure you don't get penalized by the search engines.

(First, you  may want to take a look here:, Goole Conquest Authority is an online training product that goes over SEO in full detail, but, you should start here.)

As I said in the above paragraph, SEO means search engine optimization. The toughest question new online marketers ask is what is a search engine? I know this is extremely basic, but this is where you need to start.  Once you learn the extreme basics, when you begin to discover more on the SEO topic, you will have a full grasp of exactly what SEO is.

A search engine is a website you go to when you are searching for a particular subject on the internet. An example, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc. These are all search engines. When you are looking for an answer on the internet, you visit a search engine, type in the keywords you are searching for, and voila! The search engine "searches" the internet for you and brings up a page of all the sites online that are relevant to your query.

Now you know what a search engine is, and you know what SEO is, let me get into the meat of things and explain how SEO works.

The most important thing you should do before any optimization, is you must figure out what keywords you will use for your site. What I mean by this is finding the terms you want your site ranked for with the search engines. An example of this would be:

Let's say you have a website targeted around repairing computers. People who are trying to find information about fixing their computers might search for these keywords: how can I get my computer fixed, what does a blue screen on a computer mean, or fix my computer. These keywords would all be considered long tail keywords, and these are what you would want to shoot for, because they are the actual terms that people search the search engines for.

Be aware when deciding on your keywords or key phrases, they are real terms that get searched for, otherwise you will get no traffic. (Another tip is to be sure you pick keywords that don't have lots of other websites targeting them. You may still never get traffic if there is too much competition.) I highly recommend using a keyword research tool to help you find some great ones. You can use Google's free keyword tool, or Wordtracker's free tool if money is tight. They are perfect starter tools, and they do the job just fine. Once you start making some money, I do recommend you get a paid tool because they are so much more effective, and you can really find some good goldmine keywords.

Here you can read more about finding good keywords here.

Okay, now you have your keywords, the next step is to make sure your website is optimized for your keywords. How can you do this? It's really simple, actually.

The most important rule is always title your page or post with your keywords. This will be known as your title tag. Title tags have a huge influence on the search engines when they visit your site, so whatever you title your page, the search engines will consider it a keyword and you are trying to rank for it. This goes for your domain name as well. Your page/post title and your website title (domain name) are very big factors in the SEO world.

Once you have bought your domain (your URl), and you have picked your targeted key phrases or words, the next part is to add content to your website or blog. Write an article that is at least 400-500 words, and don't forget to include your targeted keywords or phrases at least 2-3 times in the content. Do NOT go overboard with this, or you can get penalized. Make sure the keyword density is not over 7% (amount of keywords vs. actual words on page). Staying below 6-7% is much better. If you go over this recommended safety net, the search engines may see you as "keyword stuffing". Keyword stuffing means using your keywords too many times in one page, and your site will pay for it if you do that, I promise.

The longer the page and content, the better chance you have of being able to get all your keywords in and not make it look like you are keyword stuffing. In other words, keep your posts and pages long, and you can put all your keywords in. Search engines favor long text articles and unique content.

Do not fret about getting every keyword phrase in your article multiple times, because the search engines are smart, and if you have a quality site, Google will rank you for keywords you never even thought to rank for. The biggest goal is making sure your main phrase in 2-3 times, and the others at least one time.

There ya go!  That's SEO in a very brief overview. Get as much information as you can about the subject, because it really will benefit you in the long run.  To learn SEO takes some patience, but in no time, you will be an SEO pro.