DIY SEO: Where Do I Begin?

Posted on March 27, 2012 by

How much traffic is your website getting? If the visitors you're pulling in are embarrassingly miniscule, or if your numbers have grown stagnant, search engine optimization (SEO) may be the push your website needs to really start working for you.

What Is SEO?
Many SEO practices become easier to understand, even common sense, if you understand exactly what SEO is and how it works. When you optimize your website for search, you are actively giving search engines clues about what you are posting about. The better a search engine can understand your page, the more effective it will be at matching you with the right audience.

Some SEO tactics will also help search engines determine the quality of your site. For example, if a search engine crawls a page that gives little content outside of advertisements, it will typically assume that the page's primary purpose is to make money rather than provide value for searchers.

The Best Beginner SEO Practices
When you're just starting out, try these easy SEO techniques to get your feet wet and grab an initial increase in traffic.

Carefully choose your keywords and phrases. Each page on your website should have at least one relevant keyword or phrase that a reader might search for. The best keywords to choose have few existing results in search engines (under 20,000), but a high amount of monthly searches (over 2,000). You can research keywords with Google's keyword tool. Slip in your chosen words or phrases a couple times in a post, but don't overdo it.
Evaluate your titles. The most important place to put your keywords and phrases is in the titles of your posts. This is where search engines tend to look first for the best matches for search queries.
Update regularly. Websites that haven't been updated in months could be seen as abandoned or outdated. Search engines typically prefer a regularly maintained site that presents the latest information.
Don't try any tricks that could be considered dishonest. Don't try to lure in readers with false keywords that don't match what you're actually offering them. If readers are leaving your website too quickly, search engines will notice and lower your rank.

Using SEO techniques on your website or blog is not a one-time task. Moving your site up the results pages and maintaining a good ranking will require many tweaks and trial and error to get it just right. Let us help you. Membership will provide you with new resources and a network of marketing professionals who are willing to share advice and tips. Learn more about joining us today.

Posted in More, SEO and tagged American Marketing Association, Florida, internet marketing, search engine optimization, SEO, Tampa Bay