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• 90 percent of US consumers use search engines;
• 6.7 billion US searches were performed in July 2006;
• Search engines provide twice the conversion rate for e-commerce transactions;
• 87 percent of commercial search engine traffic searches are organic (natural search results are used).

These ideas are compiled from several sources - most are brought to you from other search engine experts who help organically optimize web sites for a living. A list of sources at the bottom of this article will allow you to follow up further if you are interested.

Tip #1 - Include Your Search Term in Your URL

One of the most often cited ideas from our SEO experts requires examining your domain name. If at all possible, include the search phrase in your URL. For instance if you are selling domain names - endeavor to have the word ?domain? in your URL.

Tip #2 - Include Your Search Term in Your Title Tag

A powerful indicator of what your site is about (at least from a search engine's perspective) is your title tag. The title tag is easy to see in the browser (look in the upper left corner of your browser window), but it originates in the underlying code used to design the Web site. If you right-click on a Web site with your mouse you will see a display box with several menu items listed. If you click on ?view source? you will see a text display of the underlying code for that Web site.

The title tag is proceeded by the ?title? html tag and ends with the ?/title? tag. The text that appears between these two tags is what will appear in the browser in the main display bar at the top. This area should absolutely include your most important search phrases.

Tip #3 - Submit to Directories, Especially the Dmoz Directory

The Dmoz Directory (www.dmoz.com) also known as the Open Directory Project contains search results reviewed and categorized by human editors. The results are popular among a variety of search engines and power various other listings. Therefore, getting listed at Dmoz.com can have a great trickle down effect.

Tip #4 - Pay Attention to Inbound Links

Seek out inbound links from industry authority Web sites. Our experts agree that the quality of inbound links is more important than their quantity. As mentioned above, directories can serve as a source of links. You can also exchange reciprocal links with sites that cover a business topic similar to your own. Don't forget to incorporate text links into any press releases that your company produces. Finally, don't forget comment and forums links. While these links may not be as high-powered, they are usually easier to obtain.

Tip #5 - Beat Your Competition by Reading Online Resources Regularly

Search engines change ranking algorithms frequently and the search engine industry is rapidly changing. Subscribe to online news services and read bulletin boards to keep up with all the changes. We recommend the following resources, some of which may are paid services:

Search Engine Watch: The premier search engine news and tips resource. Offers a free and a fee-based subscription option.
http://www.searchenginewatch.com

Search Engine Forums: A long running search engine message board used by many expert webmasters and SEO professionals.
http://www.searchengineforums.com

Webmaster World: A leading webmaster message board that covers search engines. This site is also used by many professionals. Once in while you can get expert advice from Google employee, Matt Cutts.
http://www.webmasterworld.com

Matt Cutts Blog: Tips and tricks directly from Google's search engine guru, Matt Cutts. Covers tons of important information on getting ranked well on Google - and not getting banned.
http://www.mattcutts.com/blog

Good luck with getting your site moved up the search rankings! And remember, our experts reiterate that good organic search rankings take anywhere from 3 months to 1 year to manifest themselves fully.

By Derek Vaughan http://www.thewhir.com