Last week, I mentioned that one of the best ways to know what your readers are looking for in your Web page is knowing where they came from.

You know where your customer is coming from if you attracted them from a specific place towards a specific page. This is what we refer to as "landing pages" or "squeeze pages".

You can attract your readers - a.k.a. your traffic - from multiple sources. You can place ads on other Web sites or in newsletters. You can have keyword advertising campaigns on search engines... or even simply show up as a search engine result.

To use the "landing page" concept, you "simply" need to make sure your ad targets a specific client type with a specific question. Then, you need to write a special page that addresses these particular readers with these particular needs - nothing more. When you put up your ad, you make sure that they end up (they land) on that customized page.

This will make them more responsive to your Web page - simply because they are actively looking for the information you promised in your ad. They'll be more inclined to purchase, providing your Web page can answer their questions clearly and rapidly - before they risk moving on to another Web site.

The technique is a bit different to take advantage of showing up in search engine results. You still need to think about a specific target audience, but you need to write your Web page using varied vocabulary that uses that various related keywords.

There is no reliable magic way to have your Web page show up on top of search engine results. Search engines are constantly working at detecting Web pages who attempt to cheat these basic rules while rewarding Web pages that show relevant content.

The "trick" is simple: write good material, use keywords, keep to one subject and promote your Web site - get your Web site linked from other relevant Web sites.

Next week, we'll look at examples of using contrasts to make relevant bits of text pop up in your Web page.