The large search engine and website optimization companies would like us to think that the services they provide are so technical and complex in nature that the exorbitant fees they charge are justified. Unfortunately, since the general public are, on the whole, fairly ill informed on this subject matter, these companies continue to get away with these unethical practices. I fell foul of one of these very companies two years ago.

I had just become involved in my first online affiliate program and decided that it was imperative that I had a web presence as soon as possible. Knowing little about the whole website development and optimization process, I started my research into a company who could offer me a suitable website optimization package. I found a company on the web, who seemed very professional, had a selection of high profile businesses on their client list, so I paid my £2500 and they got to work. The weeks and the months went by and I soon realised that my new website was as good as invisible on the web.

It was at this point that I realised that I had made a poor judgement call and so I decided to research the whole website optimization process myself. I came across an American company that offered a whole website builder package and website optimization tools all in one $200 dollar package. This has proved to be the best two hundred dollars I have ever spent.

The myths about website optimization were highlighted and a few basic principles to help achieve ultimate success were made clear. The phrase that was mentioned time and time again was "content is king". This quite simply means that the text that makes up each of your web pages can play a huge part in where the search engines rank your site.

The first process that is critical to your site's success is keyword research. It's a general misconception that you can simply throw a website together and you will suddenly receive an influx of visitors. Well, this could not be further from the truth.

What you are looking for is profitable keywords. By this I mean words and phrases that have a good monthly search volume on the search engines but at the same time do not appear a great deal on web pages across the internet. If you find keyword that fit these criteria and suit your topic, you will stand a greatly increased chance of ranking higher on the search engines.

Strictly speaking, each page of your website should then be focused around each of your selected, profitable keywords and these keywords and variations of them should then be scattered throughout the content of each page. This will help achieve tightly focused content around your subject area, which again the search engines love.

However, one thing that you must never forget is that achieving a high ranking for your website is only one part of the equation. Ultimately your site is going to be viewed by the human reader, so your content should also be original and have a natural flow about it.

As an internet marketer, I come across professional looking websites all the time and rarely do I find one with even basic keyword and general website optimization. A pretty website is as good as no website if no one is finding it. So if you are keen to make a success of your online business, make sure you start with the basics because believe me, the basics can get your site a long way up those search engine rankings.

Start researching the field of website optimization today and you will be amazed at how successful your website can be; if you just adhere to these simple principles.