Due to the fact that search engines, like Google, Bing, Yahoo, etc., are the primary source of navigation for internet users, it is important to know how to optimize them.

So we get onto the topic of SEO – search engine optimization. Although traffic sounds like an awful concept (for all of us that have sat still on the highway for over twenty minutes), in the internet world it means and measures success. Traffic means that people are drawn to and interested in your content, service, product, information, etc. Therefore to be successful you want as much traffic as possible; this is where search engine optimization comes in.

A search engine is like the roadway that backs up all this traffic for your site and/or page. As a roadway would, search engines lead traffic to a specific destination. In other words, it targets traffic that are interested in your site and/or page. Search engines, like Google, do this by looking for and ranking sites and/or pages based on keywords, amount of traffic, etc. So how do you rank up on these search engines? Here’s five articles that do a great job of explaining how to engage in search engine optimization:

The Beginner’s Guide to SEO

Do you love free things? Because, if you are anything like me – and yes is the answer, this is basically a free online book on exactly what you need to know about and do with search engine optimization. It sections everything in ten separate articles, and provides lots of visual diagrams and photos so that they are all easy to follow and fun to read! This beginners guide starts you with exactly what search optimization is, tells you what steps to take to get there, and then ends with teaching you how to follow up and track your success so it never dwindles. Do me a favor, and check it out. You won’t be disappointed.

How to Write an Article for SEO

If you are looking for something a lot quicker and simpler to read, check out this article. It tells you what you need to know in five simple steps:

  • 1) Outline your article… Why is this important? Well because good content not only attracts more people, but will keep them coming back for more. Take the time to establish your hook, introduction, body points, and conclusion and you’re already on the right track.
  • 2)  Make a list of key phrases and keywords for your article… Key phrases and keywords are what internet users are going to be typing into search engines to find content and information, so make a list of them and use them throughout.
  • 3) Write your article… Make sure it’s grammatically correct. Make sure it has a good title. Include keywords throughout and in the title. Make sure it’s sectioned. Lastly, make sure to bold and highlight.
  • 4) Include hyperlinks… Include links that are relevant to your topic.
  • 5) Build links to your article… Share your content on social media sites. Get on Facebook. Get on Twitter. Get it out there.

SEO Basics: 8 Essentials When Optimizing Your Site

If you still want to keep it short and simple, but would like another opinion, this article tells you eight insightful things you need to know:

  • 1) Your website is like cake… A site and/or page has a infrastructure of its own.
  • 2) What search engines are looking for… A site and/or page with good content, performance, authority, and user experience are the ones that will rank to the first page.
  • 3) What search engines are NOT looking for… Search engines are smarter than you think, so don’t try to trick them. Avoid, keyword stuffing (overuse of keywords), buying links, and too many ads.
  • 4) Know your business model…
  • 5) Don’t forget to optimize for multi-channels… Use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. because that is where the people are at.
  • 6) Be consistent with domain names…
  • 7) Optimizing for different types of results… Because today’s generation is on more than just the typical desktop computer, make sure to focus on optimizing for tablets and mobile devices as well.
  • 8) Focus on your meta data too… Meta keywords are mostly ignored by search engines but they still have the ability to intrigue your reader, so use them.

How to Write an SEO Article

I think a large misconception that people have is that search engine optimization is too complicated. This article does a great job of letting you know it’s much simpler than you think and really just a combination of good content and good key phrases/keywords.

Do You Need an SEO?

So I’d like to end my post with this article just in case you’re still asking yourself this question. Something that you should know about this article, is that it comes from Google itself – the search engine that drives 80% of traffic. This article does a great job of explaining that what a search engine can provide for you and how to use it to your advantage.

Hope you learned a lot today!

♥courtblogsmoe