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Truly, the key to success is not in learning little "tricks" to try and fool the search engines, but rather, you want to learn how to build high quality, useful content that is of value to Web visitors and learn how to make it rank based on genuine relevance for your researched keyword phrases. You want to be easily found for important search terms that your ideal buying audience is searching for.

What is it that the search engines themselves want in their indexes? If they are going to remain useful to the searching public, they all want exactly the same thing that the public wants.

The search engines want truly relevant results, useful information and high quality content that satisfies the search.

So then what should Webmasters and SEOs all want to be able to create? If you are practicing search engine marketing, your goal should be to create genuine relevancy with useful information that will not only satisfy the searchers needs, but it continues to remain relevant and stands the test of time in the top rankings.

Defining "high quality" content:

How do I define "high quality?" Let's just say content that delivers some genuine value to your visitors so that when they find it, it will satisfy their search. They will be pleased with what they find and what they absorb will be directly related to what they were searching for.

Okay, so then the remainder of this article is directed at those of you who agree that you are interested in learning how to build true relevancy for high quality content. If you are looking for cheap short cuts or search engine trickery then you can stop reading here, because our focus is only on teaching our students long term strategies for building solidly ranking pages. Do the job right and you don't need to lose sleep at night wondering if your pages will be dropped by the search engines in the morning. If the job is worth doing at all (as they say), then it's worth doing well.

I will give you 5 simple rules that will help you stay on the straight and narrow and should help you improve your results. The first 2 rules have to do with how you choose to build your skills (regardless of your level of experience or practice.)

Rule 1: Choose carefully which voices that you choose to listen to and learn from with respect to SEO principles.

The term "SEO" short for "search engine optimization" is a buzz word today. What I mean is that if you ask the average Web design or Web development company if they can perform SEO, they'll usually tell you "sure...we can get ranked at the top of all the major search engines." Many people know how to talk the talk, but fewer actually know how to get the results for "highly competitive" phrases. Fewer still have ever had any professional training.

Rule 2: Choose to build your SEO skills based upon accurate information.

This may sound very easy, but just where do you get accurate SEO information these days.

Think about it for a minute. If you understand that major search engines guard their algorithms closely then how do you know that what someone teaches you is really the truth based on fact? Can you really trust the advice that someone gives you for free in a forum? Do you really know for sure who that person is when they are using anonymous names. What about online newsletters that may conflict in their theories of what is working and what is not.

Rule 3: Gain a "comfort level" in knowing you can compete BEFORE you take on clients.

With so many Webmasters all "talking the SEO talk" and taking the client's money first without knowing that they can get the results, it typically can end up with a short term, unhappy client. Rather than making a one time sale, why not build clients for life. The secret is gaining your "SEO comfort level" and possessing that" sense of performance" before you throw yourself under the pressures of a demanding client.

Rule 4: Choose an SEO career that's right for you.

Once you have built your SEO skills and have your comfort level in performance, don't forget to consider the full career potential that SEO skills can render to you. Some people are just seeking employment working for a firm. There is certainly a demand for professionally trained SEOs who know their stuff. But there are plenty of other choices too.

-SEO Consulting is a wonderful niche.

-Many SEO professionals are working on an independent career as an affiliate marketer building their own high quality, informational sites and earning a commission without the need of building a client base.

-Some people like building additional revenue streams through Ad sense revenues. There is nothing wrong with creating multiple income streams once you are efficient in your SEO skills.