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Search Engine Optimization Step-by-Step

By Susan Ward, About.com

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Test your chosen keyword phrases.

Search engine optimization step-by-step.

Overture search for keyword "optimize".

The phrases you have used when writing your page may not be the best phrases to use for search engine optimization. You'll probably want to do some rewriting once you figure out what the best keyword phrase for that page actually is.

One way to come up with strong search phrases is to research the phrases that people are actually searching for. A tool such as the Overture Suggestion Tool will show you how many people searched for a particular keyword phrase in the last month.

(Wordtracker is another tool you can use to research keyword phrases; although it's a paid service, a free trial is available. You may also wish to use Digital Point's Keyword Suggestion Tool, which will show you a comparison of Overture and Wordtracker data.)

For instance, the original intended keyword phrase for this page was “optimize a page”. But as you see below, the Overture Suggestion Tool shows me that people aren't even looking for that phrase, and only 121 are searching for the similar phrase “internal optimize page” – which I can't even figure out how to use in a sentence!

When you’re working on search engine optimization and your search results are this dismal, you'll want to rethink and find new phrasing for the page so you have a keyword phrase that people are actually looking for.

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