SEO Basics - What is SEO?

A reader has asked, "What is SEO?" so I thought I would share my response.

Search engine optimisation, or SEO, is an integral part of Internet marketing. It is also the best, smartest and most affordable investment you can make in advertising your Internet presence. SEO is the process of making a site and its content highly relevant for both search engines and searchers. Search engine optimisation, sometimes called web site optimisation, search engine placement or search engine positioning, is the process of improving a website for higher search engine rankings.

So, what does search engine optimisation involve?

SEO involves the design, architecture and construction of a web site, identifying and using relevant keywords, including meta keyword and description tags, and making the site "Search Engine Friendly" in such a way that the website achieves good search engine rankings. It involves making sure your site is content rich and relevant to your target market. It is an intricate blend of technical coding and site design skills, copy writing, linking, search engine submissions, and dozens of other variables to ensure your website stands out from the crowd and can be found by its target audience.

Ok, so we understand that SEO involves optimising your site and its content for search engines, so your content will be easily found by your target visitor market.

SEO Analysis - What to do

Reaping the benefit of SEO involves analysis of your site, looking at its design, architecture and construction, the way the content is written, your use of document structure and headings, use of keywords, use of links, titles, and what optimisation strategies you may already have in place (and whether they are working for you).

Should You Employ a Professional

This very much depends on the type of site you have. If your site is a key part of your business marketing plan then you should seek professional advice from a company with an established clientbase and reputation for achieving good results. For any site this is a good move if your budget can stand it. Quality SEO services do not come cheap, nor are they a one-time, get-a-report-and-go relationship. The investment in time and money is worthwhile if your agreed outcomes are measurable and achieved.

There is, however, a lot that site owners can learn on their own and all improvements in search rankings are worth chasing. I recommend you read as much as you can find on the Net and take note of sources that are authoritative. Reading the posts here will give you a good starting point.

Tomorrow, I will post a list of free SEO tools you can use to help you analyse your site for possible improvements.

Do you have a recommendation for a good SEO site?
Note: I am looking for genuine recommendations to help my readers so spammy comments will be a waste of time (and will be deleted)

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