Learning About Keywords, SEO and Making Money with the 60 day challenge Team

So, I see this 60 day hub challenge and read that this is the second go-round of the event. Making my 50Th hub my first 60 day challenge hub seems only appropriate! I've only been writing on hub pages for 3 months and have loads to learn. I came to HP to 'spill write' primarily. I had lost my spouse to cancer and couldn't find the passion to return to my previously (and quite successful) business career. I ran across HubPages.com as I was looking for something to do with and inspire my life; and possibly give birth to a new passion. So, it was the pen (or tapping keys rather) that drew me to this wonderful place. At first a respite, that has now grown into a desire and a feeling that I may be okay here if I can generate a few more shekels and drive traffic to where I share. Thus providing a place to feed my passion and fill my pockets.

I Have not had a great deal of luck with AdSense and Amazon, but I have continued to plug along. I have found wonderful support from the truly good hubbers, and have used the information they have been kind enough to share. I dug down deep and decided to take the challenge, and suddenly I find myself asking, now what have I done? Yet the expected education of hanging out with the many hub pages writers in participation, makes me feel excited to get started!

Along with learning some new ways to drive traffic to my hubs, I look forward to meeting and following other hubbers. I hope I am not too late to jump on the 60dc charter, because it has taken me several deep breaths and two attempts at the 'publish' button to get this rolling!

The 60 Day Challenge is a group effort to manage and promote the written works of the participating hubbers here on hubpages. Sunforged has taken on the task of helping hubbers who need assistance in learning ways to drive traffic and improved marketing for their hubs (of which I am one). The challenge is broken into two important elements, writing and promoting. The first 30 days are dedicated to writing 30 or more hubs on your best topics. The second 30 days are dedicated to the promoting of those 30+ hubs online.

GOALS

My goals for this challenge

1. Increase traffic to my hubs and increase the views of my hubs significantly!

2. Learn how to effectively link to my blog

3. I would like to learn (i know I'm asking for it) through input from skilled hubbers within the group. I am kind of a sensitive old bird, but I want to improve my writing and become a relavent contributor within the 60dc sect as well as on HP in general.

4. Fully understand SEO, backlinking, Amazon & Google sales.

5. I currently promote my hubs on Facebook, stumbleupon, redditt, Digg and email (friends only). I would like to find a more efficient method of promotion and monetizing these hubs.

I am a very new player here on hubpages and so I am tentative about what I must do next to properly participate in the 60 day challenge. But, I am going to dive in and hopefully if I miss- step, some experienced writer will turn me in the correct direction. (Fastening seatbelt...)

What I write about (I primarily write on three topics)

I will provide 10 hubs within each topic during the 60 day challenge.

• Dogs / pet
• Food / world cuisine
• LGBT / emotional and political issues

I will join the forum on the 60 day challenge topic

• I will participate in conversations in an attempt to help or assist in the promotion of the event and learning opportunities.
• I will try to read, promote and comment on hubs written by the 60 day challenge contributors on a daily basis.

I will expand my knowledge of SEO & back-linking

• I will try to expand my skills at utilizing SEO techniques and back-linking as well as applying those techniques to my hubs and those within the 60dc2.
• I am still unsure of many of the terms and abrieviated tactics, thus I will strive to gain understanding within the spectrum of hub pages language.

The importance of following the plan (click on the highlighted words "this Hub" to see the hub in question)

• Setting goals was clearly the first step. Having something to drive towards in a defined stated manner was like having a 'how to' guide at my fingertips. And my fellow team members became so important on this path. Welcoming and supporting one another became fluid and fed the urge to succeed in the 60dc2. Now this hub was instrumental in directing the team to a positive start.
• As I forged on in the writing of hubs, it became clear that working the designed plan was imperative. As important as writing the hubs, making the proper links and 'tieing' my hubs to others was the key to the kingdom. This hub is a good place to start your quest and can clear up a few questions you may have as a newbie hubber looking to improve your hub experience.
• The 'RSS' feed...this one seemed to give me the most trouble. The trouble was that I was making a very simple task far to difficult. It was my 60dc2 team mates (thank you Shari & Josh) that waved away all of the imagined smoke and mirrors of the rss feed. I think this hub will help you find the clear path to the ease and excellence of the rss feed, when it was sent to me, the sky opened up and the sun shined once more on my hubs....well maybe not that dramatic, but it was very cool! That's it for now, I am off to try and subscribe to Skype,...whatever that is...

Writing and learning

• Week two brought with it a sense of marginal panic. So many hubs to write, keep them quality based and learn the path to linking and marketing.
• Skype is a great tool for communicating with team members when you have one of those, 'I just need to talk' moments. It's a tool that you can use to IM, make phone calls, videos and much more. I did find out that you need a microphone if you plan on having a verbal conversation (Still looking for mine). I was also able to extract clues as to how to find my individual hub stats, with graphs and loads of other cool things.
• I found out (Thanks Shari) that there are stats on every hub I have written, right on the front top page. The drop down window offers insight for keywords, monetizing and even graphs can be found there for watching how up and down things are on the hub. I just went to top left corner of each hub and found the 'stats' drop down window and presto - hub stats!
• I also found a way to pick and choose my own items for marketing Amazon goods. (Thanks Josh) I have been having a blast, it's like shopping without having to have any money! It also allows me to find what I think the really best products or top items are within a topic. You know, offer your readership the benefits of my research. I love that part! Saves people time and gets them to the best stuff faster!
• I am still having a great time learning, and boy is there a lot...A LOT! left to learn...well better get back to it!

SEO and keywords

• Finding the meanings for a variety of terms that all really boil down to marketing your work, was a huge enlightening realization. Search Engine Optimization is now something that I know has to be accomplished with precision rather than by luck.
• Knowing how to get the big engines to shop your site has got to be the goose that laid the golden egg. Without the engines finding you and placing your site on a search list for the searchers to see, you are simply spinning your wheels in place. You may get s few lucky hits but if monetizing is your goal, you won't find many $, £, ¢, or ¥ in your pockets unless you rank high on a search engine listing.
• Key words are the magic we are all looking for, and of course quality content. Having good content and enough information to make it worth the time for the SE to rank you is vital. The more your hub, article, file, site or jpg offers in terms of quantity would seem to have a big impact on the worthiness of your work, where the SE are concerned. More content the better you chance of having good results,...quality content builds reputation, which will build a readership.
• Having something to offer, information, product, research, news, a good story, etc., like any other business will enhance your popularity with the SE's as well. Because I found out that a location on the "world wide web" that finds popularity, is a location that finds the money!
• Next I need to learn how to combine the aspects of "SEO", "keywords", "quantity", "quality", "something to offer" and "popularity" on my hubs so I can have the success I imagine in my online future. The articles linked in this hub have been so valuable to the learning process that its like having a college lecture at my finger tips whenever I get a chance to read and grow my knowledge. It is up to you to make the decision to read your way to a successful online experience, it's all here for the taking!