SEO Basics
SEO Basics
SEO is not synonymous to JUNK EMAIL.
– Matt Cutts
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a term tossed around in any discussion about internet marketing, but few people truly understand what it involves. The purpose of SEO is to rank higher in search engines and draw people to your website. Effective use of SEO content requires more than repeating specific words in a post. SEO is a combination of content, keywords, value propositions, and links. When used correctly, SEO can be a useful marketing tool.
Relevant and Original Content
Search engines look for keywords, but they also search relevant content. Writing gibberish in keywords will not help your SEO. Original content that is in keeping with your website is the best choice to drive visitors to you. When creating original content, do not forget that it needs to relevant, well written, and customer focused if you want people to click on your site.
Tips for writing content:
- Proofread: Numerous spelling and grammar mistakes will distract customers, and, in extreme cases, they make it difficult for the search engines to analyze your content.
- Use titles and headings: Break up content to make it easier for people to skim. Keywords are more effective in titles and headings, so make sure to give yourself opportunities to use them.
- Use short sentences: Online content is not a book. Use short sentences that your audience can read easily.
Keywords
Keywords are words or phrases that people search online. Integrating these keywords into your content will improve your search engine rankings. An effective SEO campaign, however, relies on choosing the correct keywords. For example, keywords that match websites will rank higher in search engines. Additionally, popular searches change, so it is necessary to research the best keywords for your content. Fortunately, there are search tools such as Google Wonder Wheel that will show how the search engine groups keywords and their popularity. Once you choose your keywords, use them to guide your original content. Variations of keywords should be in the title and headings and repeated throughout the content.
Value Proposition
Every company should have a clear understanding of its value to customers and what separates it from the competition or its value proposition. According to Google’s Maile Ohye, failure to provide value propositions is the number one mistake that companies make. Value propositions should not only appear on the company values page. They must be spread throughout your content in the form of differentiator phrases found researching keywords and phrases. For example, instead of simply using the phrase “local cheese shop” add differentiators that describe the business such as “handmade artisanal cheeses.” Integrating differentiators into your content will improve SEO as well as your marketing in general.
Linking
Linking is an important part of the SEO process. Every external link is a vote of confidence in the relevance of the website. The goal in SEO is to gain inbound links to your website. The more inbound links, the better your SEO rankings will be. Fortunately, there are ways to improve the number of inbound links on your site.
Tips to Inbound Linking:
Write: Writing and publishing articles online will provide a link back to your site. You may even make this a stipulation of using the article.
Contact bloggers: Ask bloggers to review products or share information that will lead back to your site.
Send out Press Releases: Include links to your site on your press releases. This will result in numerous links to your site.
If you are willing to spend some money, there are pay per click ads and affiliate sites. These can generate links, but they are in a grey area ethically. Some search engines penalize pay per click ads, so the risk is up to you.
Practical Application
Tim wanted to increase SEO on his website and improve his rankings, so he decided to rewrite the content. He chose to use his company name, Quick Car Repair, as the keyword. He used in the title and every sentence that followed. When he was finished, he did not bother to proof the content. It was filled with mistakes and did not make any sense when read. Tim was surprised when soon dropped in the rankings.
