Search Engine Optimization for Dummies

Search engine optimization is not what it once was. And I mean that in a couple of different ways. Both the search engines and the techniques used to optimize for them have changed so drastically in the past 10 years there really isn’t a whole lot to SEO these days. Though your local “search engine optimization” company won’t want you to believe that. If you’re still talking about “meta tags” and “keywords” then your optimization strategies are out-dated. There are two major aspects to search engine optimization these days and they are: Valid Coding & Quality Content. That’s it. Search engines today (at least the ones that matter) are contextually based. So, to “optimize” for them you need to first make sure your site is coded properly (to W3C standards) and second make sure you have quality content. While those two items alone will not guarantee you 1st page rankings, they will guarantee that you’ll stand a chance at ranking. There are many other smaller factors that can affect your rankings, such as the age of your domain name, your location,  having quality links pointing to your site, a social media presence, etc. But overall, content is king. Produce quality content as often as possible on a website that is properly coded and you will have success in the search engines. Put up a poorly coded site with content you stole from your competitors website and you will find yourself … well… you won’t find yourself in the search engines. It’s really that simple.

Want to brush up on current SEO practices, have a look at Googles guide.