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SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is never a completely sure thing. If a company claims that it can guarantee to get you to the top spot in the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages) for any given keyword, you should run a mile: they’re blowing smoke.

While this is true however, what is also true is that some methods are more successful than others. And some are more of a ‘sure thing’ than others.

And in that regard, the SEO strategy that is perhaps the closest thing there is to a guaranteed route to success… is split testing.

Split testing essentially means taking a rigorous and somewhat scientific approach to your search engine optimization, which effectively means removing the guess work from the process. In fact, what split testing really amounts to, is helping your site to ‘evolve’ to become the most optimized version of itself.

How does all this work? It’s actually very simple, although not without a great deal of nuance that can determine the success of such endeavors. When done well, split testing can mold any website or blog into a hugely successful titan that catapults every new post to the top of Google. When done incorrectly, split testing can jeopardize all your hard work and risk getting your site removed entirely. It’s high-risk, high-reward; but it’s also perfectly accepted by Google and a skill that’s 100% worth developing.

In this eBook then, we’re going to take a deep dive looking at the power of split testing for SEO. You’ll discover how to use this strategy employing the most effective tools, how to avoid common mistakes, and how to use split testing in a host of other capacities too: such as to help sell a product, or improve engagement with your audience.

Once you master this skill, you’ll be able to take your SEO activities to another level.

Before we go any further, just what is split testing? And what does the term mean in the context of search engine optimization?

Essentially, split testing means taking a product, marketing material, or anything else and creating two slightly different versions of it in order to see which one performs best.

This is used by businesses all the time in the real world and helps them to make smarter decisions and to avoid wasted investments. Let’s imagine for a moment that you own a chain of fast food restaurants that sell only prawn-based dishes (because why not).

Your store has been doing fairly well, but then you hear somewhere that on average, takeaways with red and orange colorschemes on their premises tend to earn more. Why? Because those colors increase the heartrate and make people slightly uncomfortable. Therefore, they are more likely to eat quickly and to leave the area, freeing up the table for the next customer. The result is that such venues actually see a higher turnover of customers, and greater profits. This is just a random example, but it also happens to be true!

The problem is that Prawns4U happens to use a blue colorscheme in its interior design. What if you could increase your daily profits in all stores by coloring the store red?

Problem is, this could just as well backfire. What if you hurt brand recognition and thereby reduce your sales drastically? What if the lack of nautical color theme means that people feel less… fishy? Whatever the case, you now have three choices.

A) Leave your stores as they are and leave potential profits on the table
B) Change the color of your stores and hope that this doesn’t hurt your ranking
C) Run a split test And of course, the last option is the one that will stand to serve you best.

To perform this, you will now instruct just two or three of your 50 stores to change the color of their interiors. You’ll then monitor the progress of those stores for the next 6 months, and then collect all the data together to see what it can tell you.

What you’re looking for, is a sign that the stores that were colored red:

A) Saw a spike in profits and turnover
B) Outperformed the stores that did not change anything

If the change helped to boost your store’s success, then you might choose to adopt the change and thereby roll it out across all your stores – potentially seeing a large spike in traffic.

If the change hurt your store’s success, then you simply change it back and then run the next experiment. The financial damage and the brand visibility will only be slightly impacted, so no harm done. If you had rolled the change out across all stores, then you would have potentially lost a lot of money and created confusion around your brand.

And if the change did nothing, then you can basically choose how you want to proceed.

This is the basic concept behind split testing, and it is something that companies have been using for decades.

Split Testing for SEO

So how does this work in the world of SEO?

Well, while we’ll get into the specifics and the nitty gritty of SEO in a moment, the main thing you need to know at this point is that Google relies on a few factors when determining how prominently to feature a website in the SERPs.

For example, Google will look for the presence of keywords, it will look for the use of H1 and H2 tags (large bold text), it will look for images that have certain alt tags and filenames, and it will look for signals from users – such as the amount of time spent on the page.

The problem is, that no one knows the specifics of the algorithm. We know that Google likes sites that use keywords subtly, and our best guess is that the ideal keyword density is about 1-3% (meaning that the keyword appears one to three times in each hundred words). But we don’t know precisely how many times Google wants us to repeat the phrase, we don’t know where the tipping point is where it becomes too much. We don’t know how much Google wants to see us use related terms, and we’re not 100% sure whether it’s better to focus on just one keyword or to try a few.

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Introduction

We all have goals and aims, and we all have an idea of what we would like our lives to be like. Despite this though, many of us fail to reach those goals or to actualize our dreams.

Why is this?

Or to put it another way, what is it that’s holding you back?

There’s a good chance that you already know what the answer is likely to be.

It’s you.

All of us have at some point been responsible for getting in our own way at one point or another. Either because of limiting beliefs, or because of poor habits and lack of discipline.

How many times have you decided that you want to make a change in your life by getting into shape, or starting a new business, or starting a new job… only to then make zero progress in those areas?

What possible reason could you have for this?

Often it comes down to a lack of faith in yourself. It comes down to limiting beliefs about who you are, what you’re worth… even how you’re meant to behave!
Limiting beliefs are incredibly destructive, largely because we often don’t realize they’re affecting us. They sit quietly in our unconscious brains and gradually prevent us from fulfilling out full potential.

And more than that, they make us unhappy. They give us a sense of pessimism, which can color everything we do in unflattering tones.

These beliefs act as your reference point. They inform every decision and opinion you make. They form your “internal operating system.”

In other words, every feeling, thought, and experience that you have will effectively flow out of these beliefs. If you don’t replace them with positive ones, then you won’t be able to get the most out of life – or enjoy it even if you do.

The good news though, is that the brain is plastic. It is always changing and even our very thoughts are capable of changing the structure of our DNA! This incredible fact means that it’s entirely possible to transform the way you think… to reset that operating system as it were – and to thereby live a happier and more fulfilled life.

Chapter 1: What Are Limiting Beliefs?

I’m going to start out by providing a few examples of limiting beliefs.

This can be a somewhat abstract concept to grasp, but when you see them laid out before you, it becomes much easier to understand.

The Person Who Can’t Start Their Own Business

Let’s say that you have a business idea. You’re going to provide coaching for small businesses and help them get up and started. You’ll charge a relatively low flat fee, but then the company will pay you a slightly larger fee a year later as long as their earnings have passed a certain threshold. Nice idea!

Your model involves selling direct to the customer, and the way you plan to do this is by looking for them on Instagram. You will find people who post about a business plan, then you’ll private message them and simply start chatting. If you spot and opportunity to sell, you’ll pounce. That’s the “soft sell” approach, and it means you can build a relationship and demonstrate your value before you charge.

Here’s the problem though: you’re too scared to contact anyone! Every day you put off messaging your clients out of the blue, and you can’t quite put your finger on why.

Chances are it comes down to some limiting beliefs:

• You don’t believe anyone would pay for your business idea
• You are worried that if you fail, you’ll lose something that has been keeping you motivated
• You are a “shy person” and don’t like to disturb people

Three limiting beliefs, holding you back from capitalizing on your dreams – perhaps even getting rich!

The Person Who Won’t Leave Their Current Job/Relationship

Let’s try another situation. Let’s say you’re in a job or a relationship that makes you unhappy. It really doesn’t matter which, but you know it won’t provide you fulfilment.

But you STAY THERE anyway! Why? Because you feel it’s the “best you’re going to get.” You think that if you terminate the relationship, you’ll end up loveless. Likewise, you’ll find yourself on the street if you quit your current job.

A lack of esteem means that you don’t think you can get “better.” You effectively think you aren’t “worth” more than that. And this then leads you to make some terrible mistakes.

Some people will even stay in abusive relationships because they don’t feel that they will find anything better! Some even feel that they deserve the abuse they receive.

The Author Who Throws Away His Novel

Did you know that when Stephen King first wrote Carrie, he threw it in the trash? It was his wife who retrieved it for him and told him he was being crazy!

Turns out, that we often can’t recognize our own good work – or we’re too scared to believe in it!

Now compare this to someone like J.K. Rowling who persistently kept sending out her manuscript for Harry Potter despite it being rejected over and over! Imagine if Rowling had King’s lack of self belief!

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Introduction – Why Is It S- Hard T- Build Muscle?

Hell- and welcome t- our short, introductory guide on the building blocks of muscle building and increasing strength.

If you’re like many people, myself included, you have a hard time building muscle. You’ve tried every supplement and muscle-building workout routine that promised big, fast gains, but you’re still just as scrawny as the day you decided t- start building muscle.

Don’t worry. You’re not alone. Building muscle is hard, and it’s something many people struggle with.

There are a few reasons why it’s s- hard t- build muscle. The first thing that most people d- wrong is approach it with the wrong mindset. T- put things shortly, in order t- build muscle like you want, you need t- create a muscle-building lifestyle and really get your head in the game. At that point, muscle-building becomes something more than what you d- when you g- t- the gym.

The other reasons people have a hard time building muscle is that they don’t have the right diet and they’re not doing the right exercises.

What you put int- your body will have a huge impact on what your body is able t- do, which is why diet is such a vital part of muscle-building. The right exercises, on the other hand, will properly impact the muscles in such a way that they will gain like you want them to.

The good news is that even if you have n- muscle at all right now, you can gain the muscle you want by starting your foundation off with the advice found in this very book, then moving ont- more advanced theory and programs depending on your individual goals.

Keep reading t- find out everything you need t- know t- get started with muscle building s- you can finally have the muscles and body that you want. If you’re willing t- put in the work, anything is possible!

Let’s dive in…

Chapter 1 – My Current Situation

The first thing you want t- d- before starting any type of exercise routine is an evaluation of your current physical state. While there is quite a bit of self-assessment that will g- int- this, you should als- pay a visit t- your doctor before you start on your muscle-building journey.

Why Visit the Doctor?

Visiting your doctor for a health assessment before starting a new exercise routine is important for a couple of reasons.

First and foremost, your doctor will be able t- tell you if you physically capable of doing what you are setting out t- do. There are some medical conditions that may require you t- d- modified strength-training exercises and your doctor can help direct you in this.

The other reason you’ll want t- check with your doctor before you begin is if you are planning on taking any supplements. While the vast majority of protein supplements are perfectly safe, there are some types of supplements that could interfere with medication or medical conditions, s- you’ll want t- double check with your doctor before starting any supplements.

Self-Evaluation Checklist

As you get ready t- start building muscle, you’ll need t- self-evaluate your physical state. This will help you know how far you’ve come when you re-evaluate every week or month. Without this baseline, it would be hard t- know if you’ve actually gotten bigger muscles or improved your muscle-to-fat ratio, s- be sure t- get as accurate of numbers as possible.

Here is a checklist of everything you will want t- get for a baseline before you begin:

- Body weight
- Body fat percentage
- Biceps measurement
- Triceps measurement
- Quadriceps measurement
- Calves measurement
- Waist measurement
- Chest measurement
- Bust measurement (for women only)
- Neck measurement
- Number of push-ups done
- Number of crunches done
- 1RM for every exercise

1RM stands for one repetition maximum. This refers t- the maximum amount of weight that you are able t- lift with just one lift. Because lifting the maximum amount is dangerous, you should instead calculate your 1RM by doing several repetitions with a weight you’re more comfortable with, then use an online calculator t- find out this number.

Be sure t- keep the list of these measurements somewhere that you can refer t- often as you re-evaluate t- make sure that you’re on track with your goals. It will als- help t- keep these handy when you are setting goals for yourself, s- you know how high t- set the bar for yourself based on where you are now.

Now that we’ve set a path towards muscle building and assessed our current situation the next thing t- get in order is our mind…or mindset t- be a bit more precise, which is what we will cover in the next part.