Basics of Search Engine Optimization

For this post I would like to cover the basics of SEO(Search Engine Optimization) and clear up some misconceptions that the only thing you must do is gain a bunch of backlinks to rank well in the SERPs(Search Engine Ranking Pages). So to begin search engine optimization is utilizing off page and on page content to rank well in the SERPs. Let me explain if you would like to rank well for the keywords Bass Fishing there will be a couple things done SEO wise to make it possible to rank well for the certain term.

1st. Heading- Your html h1, h2, and h3 tags are important for telling the Google, Yahoo, and MSN search bot's what is important on your page. For this post You will notice that basics of search engine optimization are in the title. I do this to let the bots know what I think is important on my page and what I would like to rank well for.

2nd. Keyword Density- The keyword density is the percentage that either a certain word or phrase is repeated within your page. The tool I use to figure this out is http://www.ranks.nl/tools/spider.html just type what ever page you would like analyzed and it will show the number of times any certain term is repeated as well as the percentage that any certain term is found within the page. You should also consider using this tool on your competitors pages to find what density they are sitting at. One thing for a three word keyword phrase your goal should be 7-8% density a two word phrase should be around 5-6% and a one word density should be around 3-4%. If you stuff your page full of keywords having like 50% one word density then search engines will dock you and you will not ever see the first page of the SERPs. Try to take the time making sure there is a repetition of the keywords you would like, but do not over do it to the point that the readability is jeopardized.

3rd. Meta Tags- Now the majority of us know about them, but if you would like a tutorial on what they are and how to use them try http://searchenginewatch.com/2167931. This will give you a good description and how to utilize them. For this post I would like to explain the importance of using metas. First off they will not help you at all with Google, but if you would like to rank well with yahoo and have people actually click on your page then I recommend using them. The meta description Google still uses letting you explain to people that are searching what your website is about. Yahoo still places importance on all of the tags so make sure that the keywords you are wanting to rank well for are placed throughout your meta keywords and description.

4th. Time- I hate to say it, but you can bust your ass for the first year and not see anything. There are a couple of ways to get around this, but the majority means spending money. This is why the majority of webmasters fail, they forget that there are experienced webmasters that have been around for years in their niche and are not willing to just role over and die opening up a space for your little project. If you actually want to compete within a competitive niche you must be willing to spend the first year constantly building backlinks and also posting new fresh content that is well SEO'd (keyword density is checked and you have the keywords you want within the content repeated). Remember there is over a trillion unique URL's so don't think that your the first with a certain idea, no matter what niche (category of website) you pick there will be stiff competition.

Well these are some basics you should understand if you would like to rank well within the SERPs. Remember these are only the basics so be sure to become a reader if you would like to read about more advanced techniques. Next post I will probably be covering either advanced SEO or the importance of Page Rank. Anyway I hope you enjoyed the post feel free to leave a comment remember that this is a do follow blog so you will receive a backlink. (Please leave a comment about the post not about your website or blog unless it relates)