Most of you might have noticed that when you type in a keyword or phrase in any of search engines, you would see URL and a short description. This description is taken from Meta Tag's tag.

Instead of targeting a highly competitive keyword, try to broaden your reach by targetting smaller keywords and phrases as well. This way, although you might not rank good on one keyword, chances of your site showing up for other keywords related to florists are pretty good.

3. Robots: Robots, or Bots as they are usually called are scripts which are programmed to "crawl" websites and collect information from site's meta description tags. These bots then store information on their servers and index according to keywords. Consider this example: If you had a site dealing with flower delivery, and your keywords were related to just "roses" and "lillies" then chances of your site showing up for roses or lillies are much higher than showing up for keywords "florists" Keep in mind that you have different kinds of people using search engines. Some may type in word roses to research on that flower, showing up your site for this keyword under this scenario might not be what you intended it to be. The catch phrase here is to target your keywords appropriately.

The bots are smart but not intelligent. You would not want your contactus.html page to show up on search engine. Or any other private page which only you have access to. Or you would not want a page which is under development to show up. By setting up robots.txt file you can specify what directories within your root directory to be indexed. This way you can hide your other pages from showing up on search engine.

4. Link popularity: I came across this very cool definition of Page Rank, or Link Polularity. Conside a community of people. Let's say you have a person A who knows B. B introduces A to C and it goes on upto Z. During this process what happens is that popularity of A increases giving A a higher link polularity or a page rank.

Similarly, you need to link your site to other sites. What happens is that a search engine will promote your site within listing if you have a higher page rank, or in other words, higher popularity. While you might be thinking that you can get this done by linking your site to every other site you come across, keep in mind fact that some search engines actually give you a rank only from relevant sites. So if you are a florist, then dont entertain idea of linking to sites dealing with medical or healthcare. It would be sensible if you went a step further and linked to sites dealing with stationery, gifts, chocolates, etc.

SEO is a field that is gaining recognition. Companies have been built solely relying on SEO by offering its services. Instead of spending money and let someone else do work at which you have absolutely no clue, it is always good to start it on your own and then if need arises call in for a professional. This way you will exactly know strategy and you would be in control rather than being taken for a walk.

John Benjamin is the CEO of ProMinds Inc an Internet marketing agency having more than 2 years of experience.

ProMinds Inc http://www.promindsinc.com/

Author’s Tip: Readers want concise, digestible information, especially on internet.

5. Illustrate a need or benefits. Whatever your article’s topic, show your readers why they need your information. If you have written a book on listening for couples, in your short article, discuss how much is at stake for not listening, such as divorce.

6. Give a brief background of problem or situation you will solve. One book-coaching client wrote a book, The Cure for Multiple Sclerosis. In it she shares that over 2 million people worldwide with Multiple Sclerosis are diagnosed incurable, that doctors are pressured to use pharmaceuticals, and that health industry is not about getting people well, but about making money. One of her article’s openings included this background.

7. Share problems that result. In The Cure for Multiple Sclerosis, problem is that most people rely on western medicine, which does not have answers. Big money is not spent on alternative or complementary ways to prevent and cure chronic diseases, so people with problems get drugs that deplete immune system.

8. Give solutions. Your book offers solutions to problems, just as your article must. Show your readers how to get excellent health, how they can write a book, make more money, or have better relationships. You may write a tips article with numbered short tips.

9. Show them where to get solution and how. The article, "How to Listen at Work to Raise Career Success," needs to suggest where to go or what to do next to learn skills. You may name a quality book to read (maybe your book!), mention a seminar or training, or recommend a coach. You may even mention a Web site address or 800- number.

10. Place your article on as many high traffic Internet sites and opt-in ezines as you can. People are looking for free information. That's major reason they visit Web sites and subscribe to online ezines.

So, now that you know major points on how to write a short article, put it to work for you to promote your book.