What is SEO?

SEO or search engine optimization is the manipulation of your web pages and other off-site variables to achieve page 1 rankings in Google, MSN and Yahoo.

There are several things that need to be right before you hire and SEO Expert. For instance the age of your domain name, the speed and reliability of your network, and of course that no one is running a spam website on your class c.

What SEO is not is moving keywords around a web page. However there are many individuals out there who feel they can sell that as a service. I for one know its just plain silly. Bounce metrics and how people react to your website means the garbage websites that slid by in days of yore are dropping like flies. You have to make websites for people and Google is more than smart enough to pick up on that.

There Is No Point In Trying To Fool Google

Matt Cutt's is the best thing to happen to Google ever. He spends a good amount of time informing webmasters on how they make their websites better and how to avoid some of the many pitfalls most beginning webmasters make. Most of what Matt and the SEO experts say is good common sense. For example the use of superlative language in your site pages. Superlative language is "The best darn tire store in town" etc. The statement is superlative and a lie because it is subjective and cannot be proven. If you lie, do you expect Google to then print your lies on page 1 in the Google SERPS? I think the folks at Google do their very best to make sure their visitors have a positive experience, and aligning your self and your company with that idea is good political landscaping as well as wise.

Inbound Linking

We all know about Inbound Linking but more often that not I see SEO gurus doing it wrong. I have seen more poorly written content in blog lines than anyone could stomach in 10 lifetimes. You need to have great content to get allot of great inbound linking to improve your conversion ratio. And if you write great content people will link to it. If there is nothing there to begin with it will not catch on. Acquiring inbound links is as easy as being simply fantastic.

Becoming an SEO Expert

There are systems we run that are so far advanced a former JPL employee applied for a job and promptly crawled into the fetal position. I left him in front of a terminal for an hour and went and grabbed lunch and returned to find him starring at the screen. My point is not everyone can become an SEO expert with out a serious commitment and a lot of reading.

SEO Basics

• Great Document Identification
• Keyword Research
• Reliable Server (Do not host your site on an adult server)
• Images (do not forget the alts)
• Link with caution
• Internal linking structure
• Provide unique and informative content.
• Never make your whole site in flash.
• Do not junk up your nav bars