When I first began my online business, I honestly thought that moment I uploaded my Web site to host it would magically appear on every search engine in existence. Some of you are giggling. Others are saying, “You mean it doesn’t”? No… it doesn’t.

Let me explain. In one way, search engines operate in a similar fashion to your telephone directory. They both list companies by category. When you got your business telephone number you were probably asked what category you wanted to be listed under. Search engines use much same logic. Rather than categories, they use keywords.

You must consider which keywords your site visitors will use to find you and then incorporate those words into your Web site tags and – more importantly – your copy.

If your site deals with dog grooming, key phrases could be: dog grooming, pet grooming, dog bathing, grooming and boarding.

Your keywords need to be those that most people would think of when searching Internet for a site such as yours. How do you figure out most effective keywords? Let me recommend Wordtracker.(http://www.wordtracker.com).

This site has been a lifesaver for me! All you have to do is type in keywords you think your visitors will use. It will provide all other possibilities that go along with it. Also, it will give you exact number of times that keyword was searched for on Web.

Now that you’ve decided on your keywords, where heck do you put them? As a Web copywriter, I’ve learned that words I wrote had a direct bearing on my client’s search engine success. That meant I had to write a message that made an emotional connection with target audience, promoted product or service AND included necessary keywords that would help get them good rankings. Whew!

Let me tell you what I’ve found that works. These very basic guidelines will help you get more mileage out of your keywords.

1. Most Importantly - Include keywords in your copy. Of course, you’ll need to use your keywords within your copy. Excellent places for keywords include: very top of page (above your logo), headline, sub headlines, first paragraph, and last paragraph.

Keep in mind that search engine spiders are stupid. They are looking for exact keywords, not something that’s close. If you really want to be listed under key phrase of “dog groomer and border”, then that specific and exact phrase must appear repeatedly throughout copy on all pages of your site. Be sure it is included in first paragraph, in first sentence if at all possible.