The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Search Engine Optimization

If you’re like me, you pretend to be “in the know” on all things digital. I’m not saying that I don’t “try” to fully understand; it’s just a bit confusing at times. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of those digital concepts that I just couldn’t quite get a grasp on. So to save you hours of research, I have pulled together a plethora of information that describes the concept of SEO and basic tips to help you capitalize on this marketing strategy.

What is SEO?

SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization, which is the process of affecting the visibility of a website in a search engine’s “organic” (unpaid) search results. The concept behind this strategy is to find ways to increase your site’s appearance in web visitors’ search results. [quote] In laymen’s terms, SEO is an Internet marketing strategy that, if used correctly, will drive more traffic to your site. [/quote]

A Florida Advertising Agency helping you capitalize using SEO:

1.)       Monitor Your Current Standing

Before you change anything on your site, see where you already stand with your visitors. Use tools, such as Alexa and Google Toolbar, to check out your page rank. Make it a habit of regularly checking your referrer log, which will give you insight into where your visitors are coming from and the search terms they’re using to find your site.

2.)       Be Conscious of Keywords

Sprinkle appropriate keywords throughout every aspect of your site. These aspects include: titles, content, URLs and image names. According to Business Insider, “the title tag and page header are the two most important spots to put keywords.” Be strategic in where you place keywords because you don’t want to overdue it. Search engine spiders, which are programs that automatically fetch Web pages and feed them to search engines, are programmed to ignore sites guilty of “keyword-stuffing”.

3.)       Always Link Back to Yourself

The most basic strategy to increase your site’s traffic is the integration of internal links into your site. Make it a habit to frequently link back to your archives when creating new content for your site. As I stated above, don’t overdue it. The last thing you want to do is spam your readers with an annoying amount of links.

4.)       Keep Your Content Fresh

This tip is a given. Updating your site regularly is crucial for increasing traffic to your site. MarktingVox explains, “the best sites for users and consequently for search engines are full of oft-updated, useful information about a given service, product, topic or discipline.” Carve time out of your daily routine to update your site with fresh and unique content.

5.)       Use Social Media to Your Advantage

Distributing links to your content across appropriate social networking platforms will open you up to a new audience that you might not have reached before. Business Insider said, “Whether displayed on your company’s account, or recommended, re-tweeted, and re-distributed by someone else, this strategy exponentially multiplies the number of places where visitors will view your links.”

Now that you understand Search Engine Optimization a little more, it’s time to start implementing it into your growth strategy!

Need help building your SEO? No need to fret. We’re pretty much SEO experts. Give us a ring, we’ll help you out.

Article by Paige Goodwin

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