In the beginning was the search engine.

SEO is not magic! It tends to be looked on as this magical power that certain of us have been gifted with…that at the wiggle of a nose a website is commanded to the lofty heights of the top of the SERPS (Search Engine Results pages). In reality, at the most basic of levels, search engines are machines. They are subject to a set of defined rules. Like any sport, first learn the rules and then train yourself to win within those rules.

So for today…here is a link to the a great compilation of Search Engine ranking factors (mainly for Google)

Google ranking factors

Also, here’s a link to Matt Cutts’ blog. Who is Matt…Matt’s the very candid and verbose googler in charge of Google’s Webspam team. In other words, if Google’s SERPs were a horse, Matt would be Mr. Ed’s mouth :) A great blog to keep up on.

Matt Cutts

Todays TIP: Educate Yourself. READ. READ. READ.

Find good, reputable training, whether it’s a proven blog, self-help cds or training seminars. I used Brad Fallon’s CD’s Stomping the Search Emngines as a start. They really explain the basics of SEO I think that anyone even thinking of trying SEO from scratch should buy and listen to these cds. He gives very practical applications for a lot of the technical stuff. Hey covers everything from selecting a business to promote in search engines to practical methods of going out and getting backlinks. CAUTION: These CDs are 2 years old and some of the practical aspects of his stuff may be a little dated, but the theories will probably hold true for years to come….However it is still and excellent starting point. 

RF

The Basics of SEO…Learn as I learn.

Back to basics

So… you may be sitting there frustrated, pulling your hair out, like I was just six months ago, trying to figure out why I’m not appearing in the search engines for anything other than my domain name in quotation marks – eg. “www.example.com” and you’ve been working very hard customizing pages, putting in keywords, or not even….maybe you don’t even know what I am talking about or where to start. In my SEO blog here, I will always try to cite examples and point you to the useful websites I come across daily in my quest to be a better SEO.

Now before we go any further, you will need to know some basic HTML and at least the basic components that make up a webpage meta, title, body tags. If you need to learn HTML quickly, search “learn HTML” in google and you will be bombarded by a host of free tutorials. A great one can be found at: Learn HTML. Also, for the most part I will be refering largely to google and methods of conquering its Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs)…largely becasue they are the most popular, and they have excellent tools for tracking small successes…plus replicating similar successes in other search engines should either be automatic or a matter of making minor adjustments.

RF