Keywords, optimization, black hat, pay per click, affiliate links, search engine rank, hits, meta tags, analytics...aaaaahhhhh! What does it all mean? And what does it mean for your new business?

If you're like me, you may be embarking on a new chapter in your professional life, building a career as a consultant. You've probably left your previous position with enough knowledge and real-world experience to fill several books.

It's nothing personal... really. Your article just didn't grab me. And let's face it, there are LOTS of articles out there to choose from. So if yours doesn't make my Top Ten list, don't take it personally. Just take a bit of advice.

For the past few months, I've been building my new consulting business, helping small businesses get launched with business plans, organizational development and marketing advice.

Writer's block --the inability to sit down and start writing --is a tough mountain to climb whenever you face it. And it can be even more difficult if writing is part of your article marketing campaign!

Writer's block is a difficult challenge to conquer because there's no set way to get rid of it. Oh, sure, you can find advice everywhere, and just about any :how to write" website will give you some hints and ideas.

While article marketing is truly an inexpensive and effective way to market your business, you know that time is money. An article marketing campaign quickly loses its tremendous value if you spend too much time toiling over every single word you write. Learning how to write effective articles quickly will help you expand your marketing efforts. These quick tips will help.

Figuring out how to communicate with consumers is one of the most difficult tasks of any business owner. This is of particular concern to those who use the written word to advertise through article marketing. Writing just any old article won't do you any good. You must learn how to speak to the specific audience that will encounter your articles on the web.

Back in the "old" days of a couple of years ago, search engine optimization (SEO) was all about keywords. Repeat the same phrase fifty times on your homepage and your site would pop up when that phrase was searched in Google. Thankfully for consumers and entrepreneurs alike, the search engines have wised up to such practices. With the creation of more detailed and precise algorithms, Google has come up with better ways to highlight the most relevant and trusted websites.

You invest a lot of time in your online marketing campaign. You're doing all the right things, getting your name out to all the right places. But you're still not seeing the results you had hoped for. Are you sure you're not killing your own campaign? Don't squash it before it gets off the ground. Check yourself by reviewing these common online marketing campaign mistakes so you can steer clear of them.

Is your online marketing strategy attractive to Google and Yahoo? Not sure? Do you know how to tell? Do you know where to go from there?

The coveted top ten in the search engine results pages, also known as SERPs, and top-level page rankings of the most popular search engines are not as unreachable as you may think. It's all about knowing the right way to get to the head of the line.

You want back links. You need back links. You dream about getting lots and lots of back links. You want links now and you want them later.

Article marketing can help you get the steady stream of traffic-luring links you desire, if you leverage it to your best advantage. And that's easy to do once you understand the four keys to article marketing success.

Writing great articles for publication all over the Web is a very effective way to get your name and links out there. There are several things you can do to increase your publication possibilities.

First off, you want to hook publishers and readers with a great title. Make it focused and compelling. Which of these articles are you more likely to read: "Weeding and Fertilizing Your Garden" or "Five Easy Ways to Make Your Garden Explode with Color?" Yeah, it really is a no-brainer.

As a small business owner, no one can deny your expertise in your field. That's why you already have so many loyal customers. And this doesn't happen simply by luck -- you earned your customers by exhibiting knowledge and care, and you deserve even bigger returns.

So, why does it seem so difficult to build traffic to your website? Why aren't more customers abandoning your competitors and flocking to your business?

The answer, in all likelihood, is that you're simply not talking to the right people.