Are you planning to create a website? You may have heard of SEO without really knowing what it is or what it means. In this article, you will learn exactly what SEO is, why it is important and the exact steps you can take to improve your website.
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What is SEO?
SEO stands for search engine optimization, a set of methodologies that helps search engines to find, categorize and rank your website. Any work that helps search engines to find your site will fall under the umbrella term SEO. An optimized site will have what is known as a high online visibility. SEO is an essential component of creating and maintaining a valuable website that works as hard as you do.
Why is SEO Important?
SEO is important because it is the process of structuring a webpage so that it is found and indexed by search engines in the most efficient manner possible. To help your website rank higher, your first step should be to work out the best keywords to target by conducting mass keyword research and analysis. Keywords are the words you think your customers or visitors will type into a search engine to find your website. An auto shop in Kentucky might target the keywords ‘auto shop Kentucky’, for example.
When Should I Start Working on SEO for My Website?
As Head of Search Spam at Google, engineer Matt Cutts is highly influential. He advises fans and followers via his website and Twitter account, often posting videos on YouTube explaining how Google goes about evaluating and improving their search algorithms. According to Cutts, website owners should start working on SEO from the moment they conceive their website. Their focus should be on creating high quality, original, helpful and useful content based around their keywords.
Which SEO Issues Should I Start Thinking About Once The Site Is Up And Running?
Many SEO methods are underhand or ‘black hat’ techniques such as buying links. Never be tempted by these, as the search engines will penalize your website’s ranking. You may have heard of guest blogging, where a website writes a blog for another site to gain a ‘back link’, a link back to their own site. After Matt Cutts wrote about ‘the decay and fall of guest blogging for SEO’, even this SEO-method is now being questioned. Therefore, once your site is running, your focus should remain on creating quality content. Write informative, regular blog posts. Revise and update the text and information in your website. Ensure that your website remains helpful and relevant. As search engines are constantly revising their algorithms, this is the only ethical and safe way of protecting your search ranking.
How Can I Make My Site’s Design More SEO-Friendly?
The ultimate goal of all SEO methodologies is to help a website land on the first page of search results, ideally in the top slot. There are no shortcuts for successful SEO. However, free services such BoostSuite do make helpful suggestions about changes you could make to increase revenue but they will never help you dominate your segment. The professional version of a program like SEOmoz at $99/month is what you need to analyze your site. Follow the recommendations and use what you learn to inform the new content that you write.