In the first of a series of articles on search engine optimisation and web site promotion, we show you the five basic steps to successfuly launching your keyword ranking campaign.

"Fresh, topical content is a great way of retaining visitors to your site and increasing your search ranking. Try and include articles and features that relate to your products and services. This will not only raise the density of keywords that you want the search engines to rank highly, but also provide useful resources to attract a wider audience."

In the ever increasingly competitive world of search engine optimisation and web site promotion, it's important to know how to spot the charalatans. Here we look at some of the more dubious techniques used by some companies to supposedly 'promote' your web site.

"Playing within the rules has become a MUST for anyone that is serious about web site promotion. Be wary of companies that ‘guarantee’ top rankings for your site or choice of keywords on the major search engines. Such a claim is almost impossible to make, and will invariably mean that ‘spammy’ short-term high-gain techniques are being used."

1. Web Master World News - Best on the web for search engine optimisation news.

2. Web Master World Google Knowledge Base - promotion advice for Google.

3. Search Engine Watch - Links to features on keyword ranking for webmasters.

4. Search Engine World - See how your web site appears to the spiders!

5. Jim World Search Engine Forums - Another good source of news and information.