An Overview of SEO

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SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. While this topic sends shivers down the spines of those not familiar with it
The Benefits of SEO
Your new site can be positively stunning, with high-quality products offered at affordable prices. But if no one knows about it, what’s the use? Yes, it is entirely possible to have a successful website that gains traffic from sources other than search engines (i.e. offline advertising, links from social networks, e-mail marketing, etc.) This is why SEO is merely a subset of marketing; it should not be your entire marketing plan.
That said, SEO can be an excellent way to boost the traffic of any website. More and more people are relying on search engines when interested in purchasing a product or service. Take advantage of this trend, and make a website that shows up when someone searches for your product.SEO is also a terrific way to enhance your brand credibility. Visitors trust sites that readily appear in search results.
Basic SEO Methods
The net is full of articles, quick fixes, and blogs devoted entirely to SEO. Luckily, the basic principles of SEO are pretty constant.
Search engines index web pages with robots called “spiders”, to understand what that web page is about. The goal is to make it as easy as possible for these spiders to know what your web page is about. That way, the search engine will “index” your site, and show it to users who search for terms related to your site.
There are 5 basic categories of SEO tactics. You should use a combination of these tactics to optimize your site:
Using Keywords
Brainstorm for words or phrases that an online user may search for in Google that would lead him or her to your website. These are words that relate to your site’s content, and should not include the name of your business or website. You should have 5-7 main keywords for small to mid-sized sites.There are many online keyword research tools that show you the most widely used search terms based on your site’s content, such as Google AdWords and SEO Book.
Let Search Engines Easily Locate Your Web Pages
Structure your site so search engines can quickly crawl and index your pages. Link your pages to one another with readily visible HTML hyperlinks, and give unique page titles to each page, describing the content on that specific page. Sitemaps are also useful tools for getting both search engines and human visitors to understand your site’s structure. Create a page on your website with a linkable list of your site’s pages. Then, create an XML sitemap using an online tool, and submit it to search engines.
On-page SEO
You should incorporate your keywords organically into your site’s content.Do not pack keywords into your site, and make that the surrounding content relates to your keywords. If you’re using a free website builder, make sure you have control over your site’s title and meta-description.
Links, Links, Links
SEOMoz and Google both have terrific SEO guides for beginners that will expand your knowledge on these basic concepts.





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