Do-It-Yourself SEO Tips
This search engine optimization tutorial is designed to give you some tips for
improving your rankings in search engines that you may be able to do
yourself.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of taking steps to
assure that your site is placed higher in search engine results than your competitors'
websites. Google, MSN and Yahoo have a hold on the vast majority of daily searches
performed on the Internet. In fact, Google's market share of search is so large that most
SEO tips are geared toward them.
Two Types of Search Engine Results
There are two basic types of search
engine results - organic or natural, and paid. Getting listed on the first page of
results is pretty much critical as most people who search the Web won't bother to look
any farther than the first page of search engine results to find you.
You can pay for such high placement through Pay Per Click (PPC) advertising
campaigns, such as Google AdWords or Yahoo Sponsored Search or Microsoft's
adCenter[/link]. If you outbid your competitors your website can get placed on the first
page of search results.
Organic search results are where your website ranks on its own - without ad
payments. Getting your website placed in the top 10 search results for your targeted
keywords can result in increased traffic to your website and consequently, increased
sales for your home business. Organic search engine optimization, then focuses on
improvements in your organic search rankings.
Organic SEO is Both an Art and a Science
Organic SEO of your website for improved search results is both an art and a science,
but it's not rocket science. The science part of SEO lies largely in understanding the
algorithms, or formulas, used by the search engines to determine where sites rank and
making decisions on which keywords - terms or phrases people use to conduct a search - to
target. The "art" portion of SEO is how you go about implementing techniques for search
engines to find you.
Unfortunately, search engine algorithms change constantly and the search engines do
what they can to keep their algorithms and techniques secret. While understanding the
factors that are used for search rankings is akin to cracking a code, there is a wealth
of information available on the web - some of it reliable and some of it not-so-reliable.
The purpose of this search engine optimization tutorial is to provide you with the
important basics of SEO in the form of ten tips you can do yourself.
Keyword research is the process of understanding what search terms or phrases
your targeted site visitors might use to find you, and then selecting the right balance
between keyword popularity - the number of times the word or phrase is used in a search -
and competitiveness - the number of other websites that are trying to rank highly for
those keywords, measured by the results returned by the search engine for the keyword
phrase used. Finding frequently used keywords that relatively few sites are targeting is
the challenge. It is the foundation for all SEO efforts and cannot be overlooked.
Do-it-Yourself or Hire an SEO Pro?
There's no question that an ethical, or "white hat" search engine optimization firm
can work wonders for your website traffic. However, depending on your comfort level with
HTML - the computer language used to create most website pages - there are a number of
things you can do yourself to optimize your site for search and get more traffic without
the expense of hiring someone to do it for you.
Taking your own steps to improve your site's search engine rankings will save you
money. While you may not be able to do all the things an SEO professional could do, even
with this search engine optimization tutorial, if you have a limited budget you'll want
to do what you can to boost your site's traffic. Here are some SEO tips that most of you
can probably do yourself.
10 Quick Tips for SEO
Here are ten basic SEO tips included in the search engine optimization tutorial you
might consider doing yourself to get better search rankings and increased site
traffic:
- Select the right keywords
- Select the right domain name
- Use keywords in file names and folders
- Use your keywords in your page titles
- Use keyword text in your navigation
- Create useful keyword content - repeat often
- Make keywords part of your META Description
- Secure high quality incoming links
- Use keyword text (not "click here") in your links
- Create a site map
While there are other techniques an ethical SEO professional will use to boost your
rankings, these 10 SEO tips that form the basis for the search engine optimization
tutorial will get you on the right track, even with a severely limited budget. Even
eCommerce and other sites that are controlled by a content management system, which can
create its own SEO challenges, can benefit by following these suggestions. And, if your
keywords are highly competitive, you may not ever be able to rank in the top 10 search
results, but you will move up in the rankings and you should find traffic to your site on
the rise.
Patience and Persistence are SEO Virtues
Keep in mind that SEO takes time. You won't see improvements by following the tips in
this tutorial overnight, so don't be discouraged if your traffic doesn't jump through the
roof right away. And, don't expect to use this search engine optimization tutorial tips
once and then forget about them. Make it a practice to keep these SEO tips in mind
whenever you update your website, go through a redesign, or plan a new site. Also,
keyword popularity and competitiveness changes over time, so revisit your targeted
keywords periodically to see if they still draw traffic.
Search Engine Optimization Tutorial and the Bigger Picture
Search engine optimization is just one piece of a large set of tools you can use to
promote your business online. Our complete course teaches you:
- How To Rank #1 In The Search Engines
- How To Drive Traffic To Your Web Site
- How To Convert Visitors Into Sales
If that's what you want, become a member now!