This article is going to cover what is sometimes referred to as an "online science". OK, stay with me and don't panic. Those of you who know me by now are aware that I like to keep things as simple and straightforward as possible. So hang on in there, take the next few minutes to read this, and I'm pretty sure you'll be glad you did.

Now, as we all know, one of the main reasons people use the internet is to search for information. By providing people with this information we can make money. We simply find out what it is that people are searching for, and then provide them with it. Simple, yes?

OK, now here's the thing. If you can "optimise" your website to show up whenever people in your niche market search for information on that subject, the potential is there to make a huge amount of money online. For example, if someone typed in "acne cure" and you are the top website (or even in the top ten) in google for that search term, you can pick up loads of free visitors to your site and explode your online income.

You are probably thinking, as so many do, that topping the search engines is the preserve of large companies, or those with massive budgets. So you will be pleasantly surprised when I tell you that the truth of the matter is that it's actually free when you know how. I'm going to show you how to top the results for your keywords related to the service or products you sell. We are going to be able to do it quickly, relatively easily, and most importantly, without spending a single penny.

Right, so where do we start? The first thing you need to do is create a large list of keywords directly related to your niche or service. We do this by using http://www.freekeywords.wordtracker.com So let's say you were selling a product on "How to grow the perfect rose garden". You would go to that link and type in "rose garden". Now make a huge list of all the keywords that show up that are directly related to rose gardening.

Once you have a list of around 50 or so keywords you are ready to start optimising your site for the search engines. Please don't let the name "search engine optimisation" (often abbreviated to SEO) put you off. It's not as technical as it sounds, and you certainly don't need to be a techie whizzkid to be able to do it. Do it correctly and it doesn't have to be technical at all.

OK, you have your list of keywords. What do you do with them? By writing an article focusing around one of the keywords you found, then adding it to your site, you have an optimised web page, that's it in a nutshell. So let's say you wrote an article on "rose gardening design" that was optimised correctly and then added to your site, you can rank well and get free traffic from one 500 ? 700 word article. At the bottom of the article you can link to your sales page selling your product or service.

By writing an article that is optimised for search engines, and adding it on a web page on your site you immediately have a web page that can rank very well. The key to writing good SEO articles is to be true to the subject at hand. Make sure that your article contains relevant information, and a substantial proportion of keyword scattered throughout your article. Include a keyword or phrase in the title of your article. Also include a minimum of two keywords or phrases in the beginning and ending paragraphs of your article.

Finally, scatter keywords in the body of your article. If you have a 500 word article, aim for a minimum of one keyword or phrase per paragraph. Write your article for your product, don't just put keywords in for the sake of it. Do not force the keyword issue. Your articles must be forthright, literate, easy and entertaining to read. Some writers sacrifice grammar and content for the sake of a keyword placement. Don't do that. When searchers are directed to an article of yours that happens to contain sloppy grammar, bad spelling, and an untidy look, they may just decide to look elsewhere.

Article writing is not difficult. However, if you feel that you don't want to do it yourself for whatever reason then it is very easy using one of the many freelance wesites available such as www.elance.com to find a writer prepared to do it for you, the finished article will be yours, with your copyright, and should not have cost a fortune. Articles of between 500 ? 750 words ranging between $1.00 and $15.00. Just be sure to communicate fully with the writer you choose so they are totally aware of your requirements. Don't be afraid to ask for previous work samples, and don't necessarily choose the cheapest. It may be a good deal, but do your homework. One way is to ask him (or her) to provide one article for you, in exchange for which you pay them for that one article and use it as criteria for judging their qualifications.

Well that's one way to optimise your site using keywords. Simply write an optimised article, turn it into a webpage dedicated to that keyword and add it to your site. Try it, the worst can happen is you lose a little time ( but surely learn a lot in the process) but you could well be pleasantly surprised at the results.