Search Engine Optimization for Your Small Business or Personal Website

If you own an online business, you have probably heard of Search Engine Optimization -- and if you haven't, you are missing out on an important business opportunity.

Search Engine Optimization (or SEO) refers to the process of streamlining your web site to obtain higher search result rankings in a variety of search engines, including MSN, Yahoo! and Google.

With a high ranking, your page is more likely to appear on the first few pages of a related keyword search. Research shows that most users will not venture past the second page of online search results, so search engine rankings are an important factor in obtaining unsolicited online business.

Unfortunately, optimizing a site can be a costly and time-consuming procedure. Even more unfortunately, major companies have been optimizing their sites for years, making it difficult for small businesses to rank on major keywords at all.

There is, however, a solution. Although professional search engine optimization is far and away the best option for a serious business owner, due to the complexibility and malleability of the methods search engines use to return results, there are some steps you can take at home to improve your rankings.

Begining a link exchange program with other, related sites is the easiest of those options. Best of all, a link exchange program is completely free. In this guide, I will explain exactly what a link exchange program is, why it is beneficial to begin one, how to solicit links, and how to format links for the best possible benefit.

AN INTRODUCTION TO LINK EXCHANGE: What It Is

Link exchange is agreeing to include a link to a related site, in exchange for a corresponding link. Why would any business want to direct their customers to another site in a competitive market?

The answer to this question is simple: link exchange programs can improve a site's search engine ranking, and, when done correctly, will not misdirect users to competitor's sites. How is this possible?