Keyword optimization

finally optimized, now need more

[macrost]

Surprise, surprise, I just checked on msn for my top three keywords. The first keyword I rank 19th, the second 61st, and the 3rd, fourth position! Now, I know I need to focus on the second and first but where do I go from here? I just optimized two weeks ago, and now I'm flabbergasted. I was checking my stats server, and seen so many people coming from msn. Please give me some tips to this nervous person!

Mac

[rossH]

Are you paid for inclusion in Inktomi for these pages? if so, you can make adjustments and check every few days to see the difference. If not, relax and open another beer, adjust at will

If keyword #3 is doing best, you're hitting what I keep finding: the people here are correct when they talk about the "lesser" keywords, and using 3 or 4-word phrases, and optimizing individual pages for each one.

I keep wanting to beat those b*stids in the top slots with the top words, and I do play there, but the fact is I keep watching those lesser keywords they haven't noticed yet send me a steady stream of traffic.

I hate it because it's work, but...

If it's Ink just beat the algo *and* get some inbound links // OR go down the list of keywords and optimize more pages for specific lesser keywords, forget the glory.

[macrost]

rossh,
Thanks for the advice. I just checked on hotbot and for my third keyword(s), (well big widgets), I am 1st! Now, I'm not sure how that happened, in fact I'm really not sure how position is done. Either by keywords which I have, or inward links, (which I have two. Stop laughing people! ;) )
So, I'm not paying ink for inclusion, somehow they found me. Can someone explain some of this to me?

Thanks!
Mac

[rossH]

Can someone explain some of this to me?

Since you're talking MSN and hotbot you're talking Inktomi, and you can find Ink in Forum 1, you should spend some days there:
[webmasterworld.com...]

The big, eternal debate over whether Ink treats pages differently depending if you paid for them to be spidered (and re-spidered every 48 hours), or if they just got crawled and spidered for free - is still ongoing it looks like to me.

The nice thing about a few pages PFI (pay for inclusion) is you can practice optimization for Ink and check your tweaking in a few days rather than waiting maybe months to see if you've changed in the serps - the better thing is when you've figured how to make a page for Ink you can make good pages and pay (quite cheaply I think) to get your name in lights very quickly, and get traffic.

Ink goes up and down they say - I hear Google does too sometimes ;) - they all do

Ink is old news, but it's also brand new news because of all the associated things - MSN sends 24% of SE-driven shoppers to the Web, now Yahoo is starting to run Ink results, Microsoft will drop Ink and go with MSNBot soon - what happens to Looksmart, what about Overture placements, all of these questions and more.

So it's worth following, and IF Ink remains straightforward to optimize for, that suddenly opens up Yahoo...

[JoeHouse]

What's is the best way to get your markets most popular keyword to the top without paying for it?

If I can get this keyword top 10 or 1st page on google or any of these popular search engines I know things will improve for my online business.

Any suggestion how to build just one keyword to the top?