Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Pre-101
Can you name one person that has never used a search engine? If so, well, you will need to find another way to market to them. But there is overwhelming evidence to suggest there are more than enough potential customers browsing the web. Connecting through search engines is the way to reach these prospects.
There are approximately 1.6 billion people connected to the internet. When using search engines, the top 30 search results get over 90% of search traffic and the top 10 results receive nearly 80% more traffic than those in positions 11-30 achieve. The need exists for SEO (Search Engine Optmization) to help drive these users to your site.
Getting started
First, it is important to learn terms:
- Keyword(s): words that prospects use to search for your goods or services through search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc)
- Meta description: a concise summary unique to each webpage and describes the content found on the page (145-155 characters including spaces)
Search engines utilize an algorithm (a set of rules a search engine uses to rank a site’s index) to best match a user’s desired result, as communicated by the entered keywords. A part of the algorithm relies on keywords in the coding of your website.
For instance, if you are searching for a Hershey’s product using a search engine, what terms would you enter? Hershey’s? Chocolate, maybe? Right-click at the very top of their site in the brown banner and click “View Page Source.” You can view (right at the top) what they have chosen for their meta description and keywords to best optimize their site.
Each search engine has a different algorithm, but it may be wise to focus on Google who possesses a significant market share in usage. Google provides a Keyword Tool for some basic statistics on advertiser competition and local search volume, which can help in three ways:
- Identify relevant keywords in order to reach more prospects
- Gain a better understanding of keyword trends in the marketplace
- Use as a starting block for a pay-per-click campaign to complement SEO efforts
You should also think about setting up a website analytics account (Google Analytics is free), which is a good tool to learn about where your website generates traffic and what keywords visitors have used in the search engine to find your website.
Remember: the tips and information in this post are just a small piece of the SEO pie, but are nonetheless good starting points for the SEO rookie. What SEO suggestions have worked for you? Let us know by leaving a comment! We will be posting a follow-up utilizing an article from our customer newsletter that provides a more in-depth look at SEO best practices.
Hello:
I was checking about SEO, but I don’t understand what I can to do with that tool, besides I need to know if I have to pay for that. It’s that tool from aplus.net control panel? or I have to contact me with another site?. Please I have interest about, but I need your help. Thanks.
While the tool is not a part of the aplus.net cpanel, it should help you realize a better return on your Google AdWords credit. The tool is free and can be found here. By entering a “descriptive word or phrase” you can view how many people search for that keyword and how steep your competition is for it. By entering your website’s URL after clicking “website content,” the tool provides keyword suggestions based on your current site configuration. Overall, it is a good tool to learn traffic patterns for keywords, which is beneficial for pay-per-click campaigns and back-end site optimization.