1. Choose Good domain name.

Your website should preferably have “cycling” and or “clothes” in the title. If it is possible to get a domain like cyclingclothes.com you will be very lucky. There are many potential variations on your theme. e.g. bestcycling-clothes.com. However, I would recommend choosing a domain name that is relatively short, and doesn’t sound “spammy”. If your domain name is: cheap-best-cycling-clothes.com – It may fit your keyword, but sounds bad to visitors, you will lose authority.

UPDATE: Note it is quite possible to rank highly for “cycling clothes” without the keywords in the domain. I think keywords in the title are less important than previously. The main reason for having cycling in your domain name is that it is easier to get “cycling” as the anchor text in your link.

2. Stick to your Niche.

If your target is cycling clothes you need to focus on content related to the keywords. It will be unhelpful to get distracted from your website’s topic and start writing about politics and the state of the economy.

3. Unique Content

Generating unique content should be viewed as the highest priority for any new site. It is the backbone of the site; without the content there is not much you can do.

For a keyword like “cycling clothes” there may be a limit to how many articles you can write on this targetted niche. However, it would be beneficial to have sub sections of the site, for example; “cycling training”. This expands the scope of the site in a relevant way. It will enable higher traffic and increase the scope for inbound links.

Because unique content is important for the success of a site, it is worth improving your writing skills. Don’t be put off if you don’t consider yourself a sophisticated writer, the best writing is often simple.

5. Keywords in Titles

Choosing the right keywords for titles is important for determining how much traffic will come from search engines. For example, to get a ranking for cycling clothes is very difficult, because you will have a lot of competition for that keyword. However, if have pages like “men’s cycling shorts”, and “cheap women’s cycling clothes” you will have a much better chance at ranking highly. The secret is to choose keywords that people search for, but there is little competition. It is worth using a service like Wordtracker to get best information. In the long run, more traffic increases the scope of getting links.

4. Links.

Inbound links to your site are very significant for determining the success of your site.

Links are most helpful if:

• They are from sites on related themes.
• The site is large and trusted by google(high PR)
• The link contains the anchor text of the keyword.
• They are naturally generated over time. – Google will try to spot link manipulation schemes.

Don’t bother with:

• Buying links
• Links from Linkfarms
• Recipricol links from unrelated sites
• Links from a page with 100s of links, unless the site is very good.

Don’t get obsessed with getting links from high PR sites, I feel that the most important thing is links from related sites.

There are various ways to get inbound links, and this deserves its own post.

• Category SEO

5. Recipricol Links

This is like a trading system. I link to your site, and in return you link to mine. The idea is that both sides will benefit. Recipricol links used to be very popular, but they became abused by webmasters who built up large link pages. However, recipricol links can be helpful if they are from a related site.

A good rule is not to have links pages for the sake of it. If you think a link is actually of use to your visitors then it is worth adding.

6. External Links

The ranking of your page can be increased if you link to authoritative sites related to the page. External links are like references, if you provide these external links, you increase the usefulness of your page, and google will give the page a higher value. It may seem strange, but linking to your other sites can be helpful, even if they don’t link back.

7. Connect with like minded Webmasters.

If you can get to know webmasters in your field, it will be much easier to develop mutually beneficial relationships. To develop friendships it is important to:

• leave comments on relavant blogs
• Follow up comments left by visitors.
• Link to other sites in your field. If you link to a site, most webmasters will feel grateful, it is a good way to create a good contact. But, don’t link just with the expectation of getting a link back.

8. Patience.

Don’t expect results overnight. It takes time to improve get links and improve rankings.

9. Multiple Sites

This is an option if you are really keen to do well for a keyword. This strategy is obviously more time consuming but it can definitely be helpful for very competitive keywords. This strategy will be more successful if:

• The sites are on different IP addresses.
• Each site needs to be a genuine site. I.e. don’t fill it up with duplicated content.
• Don’t link every site to each other like a link factory. For example, you could have all 5 linking at a target site. But, the target site doesn’t have to link back to the others.
• Keep a variety in content, links, e.t.c. between the site.

It is difficult to fool google, but if you can create several genuine websites on related themes, then it can help you do well for your target keyword.

10. Blog.

I think whatever niche you are in, you should make use of the benefits that blogs can offer. Blogs are easier to get links and regular readers. A site doesn’t have to be completely a blog, you can have a mix between the backbone of the site and the blog element.

Conclusion

The 2 main aspects of SEO are content and getting links. Instead of “getting links” it will be more helpful to think in terms of promoting your articles. – This is the best way to get links.

Both require work. It is not enough just to focus on content, you need to also work on self promotion for your site. The balance between the two may depend upon the objectives of your site. If you are lucky, there may come a time when the need for self promotion is no longer necessary; leaving you time to just focus on creating content which automatically draws visitors.

1. They are for the lazy, who can’t be bothered to write a proper article

2. Did William Shakespeare write in lists?

1. To be
2. Or not
3. to be
4. That is the question
5. Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
6. The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
7. Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,

not quite the same ring to it somehow…

3. They reduce arguments to simple statements.

4. I can only think of 4 good reasons, but this is supposed to be a top 10. so the next 6 will just be to fill in the gaps.

5. See number 4.

6. What’s wrong with writing in paragraphs?

7. They encourage mediocrity and the internet needs more quality not quantity.

8. Do we really need another “top 10 wordpress plugins.” or “top 10 benefits of writing in lists” ?

9. Er…

10. I can’t count higher than 10.

If you like this list you will love: Top 10 Reasons not to write a blog post 

Thanks to JP for a similar idea a while back

There are various different approaches that you can take to stand out from the crowd; but it is worth noting that some are more useful than others.

1. Your Personality

The easiest and most logical way to offer a distinctive voice is by injecting your own personality into the blog. This does not mean you need your name in the URL like stevepavlina.com. I would recommend choosing a url with good keywords in. However, a personal approach means that you offer your own experiences, viewpoints and explain what works for you. Injecting your personality into a blog doesn’t mean you share upswings in your personal life. It is advisable to avoid this. What you should work on is developing a distinctive writing style, that does not appear bland and an imitation of others.

2. Humour.

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Feel able be self depreciating. If it is practical, every now and then, to inject humour into your bog then this will provide light relief for any topic. People like to be entertained on the internet. Top 10 reasons not to write another blog post.

3. Don’t sit on the Fence.

On some posts, at least, it is good to offer a strong opinion. Say why something works for you and why it doesn’t work for you. Look at J.Chow’s why not amazon affiliate  vs. D.Rowse’s why I am an amazon affiliate. Taking an opinion doesn’t mean you have to be controversial for the sake of it. Nor is a good idea to do it every time; if you do, you risk alienating your loyal readers. However, you should be able and willing to express opinions where necessary.

4. Bold Titles.

There is a very good post at Copyblogger about the benefits of bold titles. Go Big or Go Home. Never underestimate the importance of titles. It is the titles of a post that determine the success of a blog post on Social networking sites. It is titles that determine whether people will ever read your post. Titles of posts in a way define your blog post. Therefore, don’t be afraid to consider using unusual, eye catching titles. Again, like anything don’t overdo it.

5. Don’t just Follow Other posts.

There is nothing wrong with writing a post inspired by others. However, you also need to be able to write posts that are unique and start discussion, rather than just following others. Don’t be just a follower be an innovator. Now you may feel that every topic has been covered already. If this is the case, try looking at your niche from a new angle.

6. Distinctive Design.

It is content that ultimately determines the success of a blog, but a distinctive design can also help. If you use a bog standard custom theme, subconsciously it shows that you can’t be bothered to differentiate your blog. If that is the attitude to design, then maybe it is also true for the content. This is not always true of course. But, you should try to do something to make your blog stand out.

7. Give Importance to Key Posts.

The average viewer may look at perhaps 2 or 3 pages before leaving. This means you have to highlight your best, unique articles and make them clickable. Every post doesn’t have to be extraordinary, far from it. However, you need to have some key “pillar” articles that stand out from others. When you have written them, work on promoting these articles on both your blog and to other bloggers.

8. Offer advice.

Be generous with links and advice to new bloggers. If you give can combine a post with personal advice to other bloggers it can enrich your blog in a number of ways. Ask Tejvan a question

9. Be an Expert.

It might sound a stupid question, but do you know what you are talking about? The best bloggers are often people who come to the internet with specific skills. If you have expertise in your professional or personal life then use this in your blogging. The best bloggers don’t need to read RSS feeds for inspiration they can get inspiration from other sources.

10. Develop a Brand.

You need to be able to market your blog so it means something to people. This comes over time and is a combination of various factors. It can also be built up through participating in other blog discussions. It is important to stay focused on a certain theme or niche. People need to be able to associate your blog with a certain idea / theme.

How Not to Stand Out from the Crowd.

• Be a comment splogger. Don’t make loads of useless comments just to get to the top of Top commentators list. A good reputation is more important.
• Criticise other bloggers. There is little to be gained from be harshly critical of other bloggers. In the long run people get turned off by negativity.

Whatever is the theme of your blog it is important to be able to differentiate yourself from other blogs. In some topics

Also, as well as page load speed, another factor determining the speed of a site is – how easy is it to navigate? Do you create unnecessary choices?
For example, I always dislike it when sites have a gateway page, which says “click to enter” – What is the point of that? I can never understand.

So many times I don’t bother to “click to enter” – so the website has lost a potential viewer.

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