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For years, so-called experts and real experts have published ebooks on how to beat the search engines, how to use them to your own ends, and how to perform all kinds of tricks to make your page rank higher.

The truth is, tricks don't work long-term. Search engine spam has been greatly cut down, if not eradicated, by the last change Google made. No one really knows the precise secrets of how key words in text work. And though inbound links are great, when everyone has the same inbound link sources, it starts getting tricky to edge out the competition.

The one proven and consistent way to get great rankings from the search engines is through good, accurate, and fresh content.

What Makes Content Great?

The first consideration for your content is how well it works for people visiting your site, not web spiders. You're not selling products to programs, but to people. The first thing you need to do is write a good article that is pertinent to your site, without worrying about what it may do to search engine placement.

At this point, a lot of webmasters make a serious error: they use a content generator to create keyword-optimized nonsense. No matter how well done this is, it performs two functions: first, it makes the customers mad. If you're depending on affiliate sales, placing third in Google rankings will not do you any good when your potential customers click away in disgust.

The second thing it does is allow the search engines to locate unnatural structures. Nonsense text will have a number of structures within it that are extremely rare in the English language: fig booty, for instance, is not likely to turn up anywhere. By comparing your document with billions of others, search engines can tell whether you have an overly large number of these structures. If you do, your ranking will sink like a rock.

But the text. Once your excellent article is written, you can go through and optimize it for your keyword. Don't aim too hard at a specific number of mentions for your keyword; about 5% is good, but if it doesn't work, don't force it. If you've written your article properly, you shouldn't have any trouble finding places for your keyword. If possible, slip keyword mentions into any header text and into the first and last paragraph.

In addition to this, spellcheck and pay attention to your grammar. A poorly written and spelled article screams amateur, and no one trusts that.

If you don't feel comfortable writing this article, you can hire a professional copywriter for very reasonable prices these days. Look for someone who specializes in web content and keyword articles.

Graphics: Helping Your Placement

Search engines key on text, not graphics, so the more text you have on your home page and subsequent pages, the better you'll do with placement. Even though graphics can be visually appealing, text helps pull in the web spiders. Always try to put your text together first and insert your images last.

When you do insert images, always fill out the alternate text for the image with a description including your keyword. This is a nifty little trick that can also boost your page ranking. And if your images are a critical part of your sales ' for instance, if you sell posters ' always put the name of the work or a description of the product in the alternate text so that the new image search engines can find it easily. Make sure your descriptions reflect the image and don't include inappropriate keywords.