Backlink Keywords

Before you start a backlink campaign for your website you must decide which keywords you are chasing. Deciding on the right keywords is a complicated process but for the sake of brevity I'll assume you know the keyword phrases you want people to use to find your site (if you don't know what I am talking about read some of my other articles for help). This is important because each time someone links to your site it gives you a backlink vote. That vote comes with relevancy that is largely determined by what text they use to link to you. You can influence that text by carefully selecting how you title your website and article pages.

If you run a blog chances are people link to you with either your name or your blog's title as the anchor text (the clickable link). You should very carefully select a name for your website using a phrase that you know is a popular search term for your target audience. When bloggers link to your articles they usually use the title of the article so again you must always be on your toes when deciding how to title content in your website.

Although human usability is the most important consideration when choosing titles, choosing the right keywords definitely comes a close second and should always be part of your mental thought process when naming anything on your site. If you can combine a clear title with smart use of keywords then you have a perfect match - optimizing your content both for humans and search engines.

In my article marketing campaign for my blog, Entrepreneur's Journey (www.entrepreneurs-journey.com), I use my blog's subheading phrase - Internet Business Blog - as an alternative link text along with my name or the blog's title as options for linking to my site (I give these options on the page where I request link exchanges). This is good for two reasons -

1. It varies the incoming link text to my site, which is a surefire way to avoid any over-optimization penalties from Google and...
   
2. It gives my site ranking points in the search engines for the term "Internet Business Blog".

You should always promote 2-3 keyphrases rather then focus 100% on only one term or spread to thin and optimize for 5 or 10 or more terms. Over time you can refine your phrases until you find the combination that brings in the most targeted traffic.