Learning the Basics of SEO

What is SEO?

Can I get found on the first page within Google? This is the first question we are generally asked by anyone who rings us. Now if you want to get your website found on the first page of Google the first question is for what do you want to be found? For example, if you are into plumbing business in Sydney and when someone types plumber you want to be listed in the first page. This is not very realistic, it is difficult. Search Engine Optimization (SEO), is a technique which you can use to increase your website or blog’s ranking on a search engines like Google, Bing or Yahoo, so that people can easily find it. The best person to do SEO is you. To do it you do not have to be a programmer or a web designer. What you need is a correct and up-to-date basic technical guide and build on it with clever tips.

There are two types of SEO:

  • White hat is good , the one that Google approves of.
  • Black hat which is basically using crafty, underhand tricks that Google really doesn’t like. If you start tricking Google, it gets smart every day and it will eventually find out and you will get banned. Huge companies like BMW have got banned in the past but was ultimately fixed.

Technicians can also be classified as:

  • On-site SEO: It is basically the changes that you make on your website to optimize it. Factors that make up a decent, well-built on-site SEO are a clean URL, congruent content on each webpage starting from title to the relevant links directing you to related topics.
  • Off-site SEO: It includes quality links from similar, well-respected websites to your website. It also covers social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube etc.

For beginners requires useful tips and tricks. Here are some that will come in handy:

  • You should learn to think like a search engine. If you look at a website from Google’s point of view and try to think of the things Google is looking for and you give Google what it’s looking for then you make Google happy and you rise up in the search engine’s position. It is as simple as that.
  • There are on a number of factors that Google takes into account for ranking. An important thing to realise is that not all of these factors have an equal weight. For instance, if you have a hairdressing company based in Italy but your website cannot be found on the homepage or any of the other pages on Google. Make sure that the important keywords are used in text on your webpage. It sounds kind of obvious and basic but many companies complain of it often.
  • If your competitors are big companies and you are a small one, provide you are committed to your work you are in a better position than they are. You don’t need to have a meeting to change something on the website and can do it yourself if you know the basics of SEO. This means you can react fast and can make regular changes to your website.
  • Make sure your website is listed on different search engines apart from Google like Bing and Yahoo.

A good SEO for beginners requires a timescale of weeks or maybe months as it takes time and effort. If you do your groundwork, be methodical and take it slow then you will really see an improvement in your ranking in the search engines!