Not all web developers understand search engine optimization. The process is actually easy yet complicated at the same time, but these 3 steps I’m about to tell you will get you started right away.

1. Fill Your Site With Quality Unique Contents

The best thing you can do to prepare your site for search engine optimization is to fill your site with quality contents. Write articles, how-to’s, and other informational contents and post them at your site. Not only you will optimize your site for search engine optimization purposes, you will also entertain visitors and keep them coming back. If your site is an online store, you can still add a blog that discuss products you are selling as part of your site. Remember, the contents have to be unique; if you don’t have time to write them hire freelance content writers to do the job for you instead of going to online article directories and copy stuffs.

2. Update, Update, Update!

One of the key to successful SEO campaign is regular site update. Yes, you still have to cope with maintaining updates according to sets of keywords you are using to keep your site optimized, but you should update regularly. Again, this simple step can also be done with the help of freelancers if you don’t have the time or expertise to do it yourself, and it will keep your visitors entertained while your search engine rankings improve.

3. Use Keyword Phrases In Your Title Tag

This may sounds simple, but pages with keyword phrases in their title tags will enjoy better search engine rankings. Don’t push your efforts too far by spreading keywords all over the content or page; just add it as part of the title tag and present some in the actual content. Don’t worry about keyword placements too much, and keep your contents — and pages — readable to visitors.

Simple, right? Go right ahead and optimize your site for search engine crawlers.

SEO for Dummies: 3 Steps You Can Do to Start an SEO Campaign is a post from ReviewOfWeb

My prediction went true, Google has updated toolbar Page Rank on the eve of new year. Generally it takes about 2-3 days to take effect and to propagate to all websites but this time it seems they have completed it in 24 hrs straight. As Matt Cutts says …

It’s pretty much done now.

Last page rank update fell around September’08 and toppers maintain their position. Google.com and Usa.gov(the official website of US Government) have a perfect page rank of 10.

Yahoo, Microsoft, Facebook, Adobe are at 9 PR while Intel.com is down by 1 point to 8. You can check your Page Rank through the umpteen number of tools lying all over the web.

This blog’s went up by 1 point to become Page Rank 2 now. Did you see any change in your blog’s PR?

As predicted Google has updated Page Rank is a post from ReviewOfWeb

As Matt Cutts noted in his comments on Sphinn – about 88 days back – we can safely assume that the next Page Rank update should be round the corner and should fall around new year. (or as soon as Googlians return from their vacations?) This is what he has to say-

I’m glad that new PageRanks showed up this weekend as expected; after this toolbar update, I expect us to get back to the normal 3-4 month cycle.

So, be prepared. All the Best!

Next Page Rank update should be around new year is a post from ReviewOfWeb

An excusive and exhaustive list of hand picked tools for bloggers. The inclusion of articles and sites would be on an ongoing basis. You might want to bookmark this for future reference.

Create a Back Up of your blog

Blog Back Up Online: A great free resource. Works for blogspot as well as wordpress users.

Free Photos for your blog

Free Photos for blog from SXC One of the best source for royalty free photos.

Free photos for blog from istockphoto

High quality free photos from HP

Huge list of free photography sites

Free icons for your blog

Free Icons from UserInterfaceIcons

Website Icons

Web2.0 like free icons from FreeIconsWeb

Create a free logo for your blog

Logos from CoolText

Web2.0 Styler

Create those 125*125 ads free

Free 125 Banners

Image Editing

Picasa

To enlarge or shorten image use the ‘Stretch and Skew’ option present under ‘Image’ in our very own MS Paint (Windows user )

Track your website visitors in realtime

maps.amung.us

With maps.amung.us you get to see exactly where your site visitors are from – live! These maps update themselves on your site without having to reload the whole page

Check your website rankings on major search engines, the easy way

Google Position Checker Simply Enter a URL and get its current position on Google Search Engine.

Page RankChecker

Pagerank Checker Tool in over 700 datacenters You can check your blog’s PR across 700 datacenters. Handy tool during those freaking PR updation days.

How to check fake page Rank Check if the Google Page Rank for a particular site is fake. This can be especially useful for those who are into buying and selling domain names.

Site Statistics Tools

Sitemeter: Simple and nice interface. 

StatCounter: Similar to sitemeter but have an advantage that you need not show it’s icon on your blog which is mandatory in case of sitemeter.

Google Analytics: Best, but for geeky guys. Otherwise all the options might confuse you.

SEO for Firefox by Aaron Wall: Quickly check your Page Rank, Yahoo Links, edu links, Alexa, DMOZ status, BOTW and what not. Highly recommended.

Grammar Checking Tool: Good writing creates an lasting impression. Don’t let your bad grammar let you down. If you are not sure about grammar skills. Check these blogs.

Check for speeelling and grammar mistaked

40+ Tips to Improve your Grammar and Punctuation – Dumb Little Man

Find out who is hosting a website

whois.sc The best service of all. You can even drill down to find how many other websites are hosted by this person.

Who is Hosting This? Nice intuitive and easy to remember name, incase you forget the one given above. 

Find out how a website is made.

Web Technology Profiler Will tell you the technology used to create a site.

Test your websites in diferent browsers and mobile phone

Test your web design in different browsers – Browsershots Nice tool to check the layout of your blog in different browsers and their versions.

Check your site on mobile phone

Check your Robots.txt for errors

http://tool.motoricerca.info/robots-checker.phtml Excellent tool to check and validate your robots.txt file. Very Impressive.

Web Directories

DMOZ: Open Directory: Considered to be one of the best web directories. Only negative point is the moderators are very slow to respond. It can days weeks even months before your site gets included. 

Free Directory List:Contains exhaustive list of free web directories.

Free Websites Template

http://www.interspire.com/templates/

Determine your internet connection speed

http://www.computers4sure.com/speed3.asp?Sp=379.4

Download entire website on your computer

Webaroo Download entire website on your computer. 

Learn blogging.

Problogger A great source to learn about blogging

Daily Blog Tips Again nice blog on blogging. Daniel- the author is always ready to help you(even on IM’s)  

Yaro Starak Go over any ‘A’ lister’s blog, you will find them recommending his blog mentoring program. For sure, he must be doing something right.

LearnPHP

Learn PHP:PHP For the Absolute Beginner

How to install and learn PHP

For Blogspot Bloggers

Some useful tips to increase your traffic

Recent Comments Widget For Blogspot Users with Source Code

Web Hosting Coupons

Best Web Hosting Discount Coupons

Email Address To Image Converter

Convert your bots readable address to human readable address and avoid spam Must have for every blogger. You have to give give away your address some or the other time on your website. Finally do away with those (at) and (dot)

WordPress Add-In

125 x 125 advertising plugin for wordpress: Not so talked about. 125*125 banners are hot and the best plugin to cooly manage them.

Adsense

A nice list of adsense Alternatives If unfortunately you get kicked out of adsense or denied entry into it.

Should you find a tool/site worthy of being included above please mention in the comments below

You can add me here on StumbleUpon

43 Hand Picked Tools for Bloggers is a post from ReviewOfWeb