What is SEO?
SEO is an acronym for Search Engine Optimization. Really it is techniques and methods that people use to help them rank their sites higher in search engines like Google, Bing and Yahoo. There is a lot that goes into optimizing a website but in reality it comes down to two main things:
1. Content on the website
2. The website’s links on other websites (backlinks)
Both these things are very complicated and they can be a little tricky to get it right, since the search engines really want to give their users relevant content.
What Google, Bing and Yahoo really want
As I said before the search engines really want to give their users relevant content so that they will keep using their services.
Check out this Bing Commercial:
The commercial makes fun of the fact that when we search for a keyword we often get sites that use that keyword but really have nothing to do with what we want. What search engines really want and what you need to
become if you want to rank your website up on the search engines is… (insert drum roll here) …to be an authority.
I suppose that the search engines have figured out that the average searcher searches their site for information and really isn’t searching just to find products to buy. Think about it, what was the last thing you searched Google for? You can even go here if you are really curious. If you are like me then usually only 1 in 20 searches that you do is to find something that you want to buy. As a user of Google (or replace Google with your favorite search engine here), you use them for information but as a website owner you see Google as a directory of businesses selling products.
So the trick is to think of your website as an information source and not just a place where people come to buy things.
Become the AUTHORITY
Really what you need to do is create a content rich website, that not only uses your keywords a lot but also uses associated keywords as well. So for example, if I sold “plush stuffed animals” for children, then I should use the words, children, kids, babies, infants, fuzzy, fur, toys, etc. in building my website. I would add new content using my primary and associated keywords each week. That doesn’t mean adding new products with those words, that means creating blog article or a “tips and tricks” section where you add pages weekly. There is a lot more to adding content to your site then that, but that is the gist of it. For a more detailed checklist of what to do join our site.
Also, if you are the AUTHORITY on “stuffed animals” then other sites will talk about you and when they talk about you they will be using your primary keywords and associated keywords as well, and hopefully they will link back to your site. The higher that site ranks the with Google then the better it is for you. These types of links are called “backlinks”. With backlinks their is another thing that you should have and that is backlinks to your backlinks. Backlinking is done in Tiers. Tier 1 backlinks link directly to your site. For example, you create a YouTube video (who owns YouTube? Yep, Google), and you place a link to your site in the video description. Do you think Google thinks that YouTube is a reputable source? Of course they do. So your link to your YouTube video is a Tier 1 backlink. Then suppose someone comes along and sees your video, and they place a link to it on a message board where they talk about “stuffed animals”. That link is a Tier 2 backlink, and Tier 2 and 3 backlinks are normal and what Google expects to see.
So, if you own a website and you wish to rank higher in Google Keywords, Bing Keywords and Yahoo Keywords then you must become the AUTHORITY on whatever it is that you are promoting. Which means build a content rich site and get lots of Tier 1, 2 and 3 backlinks.