Keywords and links?

When you optimize your web content for better search engine results, you need to know how your customers/clients are searching for information. Are there certain terms or phrases that describe what you do and would lead your prospects to find you more easily? Those terms and phrases are called keywords and are critical to your business "getting found."

iMedia Buzz provides Keyword Analysis of your competition as well as a Keyword Search for your business. We will suggest any additional keywords that come up in the search and focus on using the most promising words in the specific areas of your web page where they'll carry the most weight.

The process:

Brainstorming - Thinking of what your customers/potential visitors would be likely to type in to search engines in an attempt to find the information/services your site offers (including alternate spellings, wordings, synonyms, etc).
Surveying Customers - Surveying past or potential customers is a great way to expand your keyword list to include as many terms and phrases as possible. It can also give you a good idea of what's likely to be the biggest traffic drivers and produce the highest conversion rates.
Applying Data Research Tools - Several tools online offer information about the number of times users perform specific searches. Using these tools can offer concrete data about trends in keyword selection.
Term Selection - The next step is to determine which keywords will likely return the best results for your business based on your expertise, past customers and analysis.
Performance Testing and Analytics - After keyword selection, analytics programs that measure web traffic, activity, and conversions can be used to further refine keyword selection. You will continue to refine and tweak your keyword choices over time by watching the results.

Your web content should be well-written with the audience in mind. Be sure to include the information they're looking for in an easy-to-read and navigate format. Using color, style and structure makes a big difference in whether your visitor stays to read the page or decides to click away.

Linkbuilding. After keywords and copy, link-building is the next piece of the "get found" puzzle. Each time someone links to your site, the search engine considers that a "vote" for you, which means a higher ranking in the search results -- and more people seeing your content as a trusted source. This is where social networking comes in...