On-page Search Engine Optimization Best Practices Once you have selected a keyword, there are a variety of on-page optimization tactics that you can use to optimize your content for that keyword. For example, always include your keyword phrase in: » The title of your content » The first sentence of your first paragraph » At least one heading within the content » The page’s URL » The page’s meta description » The title and alternate text field of any images you have included In addition to using your keyword in these specific places, be sure to use it often enough throughout your copy to help search engines understand how your content relates to the keyword. But don’t go overboard — overusing keywords or saturating your content with them (a practice known as keyword stuffing) will negatively impact your search results. Strive for a keyword density — the percentage of times the keyword phrase appears in your content versus the total number of words — of between 1 and 3 percent. 8" Tip: While you should always keyword stuffing, you can use more than one keyword in a single piece of content. One will be the primary keyword used in all of the locations cited above. The other will be a secondary keyword, and can be added anywhere that it naturally fits. Long tail keywords are often formed from a combination of two or more keywords, making the process automatic. 8" In addition to strategically using keywords throughout your content, another valuable tactic that will help boost your rankings is linking to other relevant and authoritative content. Google and other search engines look favorably upon webpages that point visitors to content on other sites or even your own. The key is to make sure that the content you link to is highly relevant. If you are linking to external content, choose great sources. A link to The New York Times, for example, is far more valuable than one to a small, poorly trafficked blog. An added benefit of linking to external content is that the webmaster will be notified, which could incentivize him or her to include a link back to your content on their page. It Takes a Content Factory! | 80