There are literally thousands of websites that are lying there, hidden from visitors, both potential and casual surfers. This guide deals with optimization tips for those sites who would want to improve their site ranking without feeling pinch to their pockets.

There are various aspects to consider for Search Engine Optimization. A field of its own, which was revolutionized by Google. SEO, though looks complicated, is pretty simple. It is a perfect example of "there is no short cut to success" Improving your site rankings is done over a period of time with diligent efforts and patience.

SEO can be classified as follows.

1. Keyword Optimization

2. Meta Tags

3. Robots

4. Link Popularity

Let’s first look at what a search engine is and what it does.

While there are various definitions for this, we summarize it as "A server or a collection of servers dedicated to indexing internet web pages, storing results and returning lists of pages which match particular queries. The indexes are normally generated using spiders. Some of major search engines are Altavista, Excite, Hotbot, Infoseek, Lycos, Northern Light and Webcrawler. Note that Yahoo is a directory, not a search engine. The term Search Engine is also often used to describe both directories and search engines."

So a search engine basically searches on world wide web and indexes sites according to keywords and relevance. Visitors on WWW do not have time or resources to browse through millions of sites just to see site they want to see. Search engines make it easier by indexing websites.

Let’s take a look at various aspects involved in SEO.

1. Keyword Optimization: As title is self explanatory, keyword optimization deals with optimizing your site based on keyword relevance. For example, if you have a site that deals with flower delivery, then keywords to be used would be flowers, delivery, free shipping, etc. Now obvious question that arises is "how do I know if my site is optimized?"

There are various resources on Internet which provide you with free optimization tools. One such example would be overture or wordtracker. When you enter a keyword, it gives you a list of most searched keywords in terms of %age. This will shed enough light into kind of competition you are heading into.

Search engines are smart. If you were thinking of just typing out word "flowers" a hundred times, to increase density of keywords, search engines would simply not index your site. Make sure that your keywords are repeated and most important at relevant. Also keep in mind keyword weight. By weight, I mean to say that your keyword prominence has to be atleast 9-10% in a single page. In order words, out of every 100 words on your page, ensure you have your keyword repeated atleast 9 times.

2. Meta Tags: Meta tags and descriptions that is read by robots which spider websites. These tags are not visible in webpage but only in coding of page. You will find meta tags enclosed within section of your HTML coding. Meta tags can have following. Keywords, description, content, etc.

Whether you have already written articles and published them or not, you may want to check out difference between writing for online ezines and web sites and writing for print media. While some writing concepts work for both, online writing needs a shorter, more focused approach.

Follow these ten steps to write an article top Web sites and ezines will clamor for with a link back to where your book is sold.

1. Choose a topic that relates to your book. Make sure this article has useful, needed, and original information. One site, which markets to professional speakers, published an article "What Makes One Book Outsell Another" that relates to eBook “Write your eBook or Other Short Book Fast.”

2. Know your article's thesis. The thesis is your point of view--what your article will prove. It is major answer for your audience's major challenge your book will solve. In introduction above, thesis is stated in last line, "Follow these ways to write an article top Web sites and ezines will clamor for with a link back to where your book is sold."

Author’s Tip: Remember to write on only one topic for each article. Save other related ideas for another article.

3. Know your preferred audience. Just as your book has a target audience, so should your article. "Sell More Books with a Powerful Back Cover," and "Titles Sell Books” articles are aimed at professionals, authors, and small business people who want to write and sell books fast. You may want to include your audience in title.

4. Write a sparkling title and opening. Like a headline in a press release, on your Web site, or on your book's back cover, your title and your first sentence should grab your readers by collar, so they will keep reading. Include a benefit in your title and keep it fairly short.