SEO is not Rocket Science
Apr 23, 2007 Michael BritoAnd if someone tells you that it is, they are misleading you. In fact, SEO is quite easy to learn if you have the time. I have been engaged with SEO for almost 10 years now and have watched it evolve almost daily from a time when spamming the meta tags was considered good practice.
I was asked by a few marketing friends of mine if I could provide a brief overview of SEO; after all, marketers with this skill set are quickly becoming a hot commodity in the market. At first I thought about writing an eBook about this topic but I really don’t have the time and there are already tons of good eBooks out there. So here goes:
There are really two components of SEO; content optimization (aka on-page optimization) and link building (aka off-page optimization). Content optimization is something you have complete control over. It simply means optimizing the actual content on your web pages. When I say content I mean the HTML (i.e. web copy, meta tags, alt tags). The most challenging part of this, especially if you have a site with several hundred pages, is mapping the keywords to specific pages. It’s good practice to optimize one page for 3 - 4 keywords to get the best value from the search engines.
Basically, link building is just that; increasing (or building) the number of links to your site (aka: back links, inbound links, one way links) from external web sites. There are several variables and things to consider when link building (i.e. anchor text, relevance, link farms, link bait, Digg bait, white hat/black hat, etc.) that I will not get into. Think of it as a popularity contest; the more relevant, external sites that link to yours the better! The challenge of link building is that it takes time and patience; and you have no control whatsoever who links to your site. Garret French, who blogs over at Search Marketing Standard, sums it up quite well defining the research phase of link building. Research is key! The last thing you want to do is start a link building campaign without research, planning, setting metrics/goals etc.
So, what’s more important: links or content?
I guess this depends on who you ask. I would say that 90% of your ranking is from inbound links. In fact, I have achieved number one placement for very competitive keywords for a site built entirely in flash; so basically there was no content on the web page other than the meta tags. Lee Odden summarizes this argument quite well; basically stating that Links and content are both necessary for competitive search marketing efforts. Emphasizing one over the other depends on the situation. Excelling at both is the ideal.
The key takeaway is this: both content optimization and link building are important; and if you can, do your best to spend considerable time with each when building out your SEO plans. Oh, and here is an excellent resource on things you can do to gain links to your site.
Technorati Tags: search engine optimization, seo, online marketing, online marketing blog
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April 25th, 2007 at 9:51 am
Brito - great overview. Any tactical tips?
April 25th, 2007 at 11:45 am
of course, but that would cost you...you see, I have the hidden formula of SEO..jk.
Really though...just do a search for SEO tips or tutorials and I am sure you can find enough info.
- m
April 25th, 2007 at 3:29 pm
Banners, adwords, online marketing, iSEO, ts all cool, but what about on-line branding, tv-style, between pages?
http://www.inpageads.com
April 25th, 2007 at 4:09 pm
Thanks, Mike. Ruin it for the rest of us!
True, SEO isn't that difficult. However, it does take time something that a lot of people don't have. So, I go after those customers who need some help and do the dirty work for them.
Regards,
MattK
April 25th, 2007 at 10:23 pm
Mike - instead of spamming my blog with something completely off topic, why not send me an email and I might actually write something about it.
Michael
April 25th, 2007 at 10:25 pm
Matthew - hey, thanks for visiting. I do appreciate it....
I don't have very many readers (yet) so I think you can still get some SEO business. lol. And, you are right...it takes a lot of time to learn and then execute.
Michael
April 27th, 2007 at 2:37 pm
Great post. I just explained the basics of SEO to a friend yesterday. I, however, would state that SEO is *simple*, not easy.
It is simple to understand the underlying mechanics. Good HTML structure, good content composition, and strong incoming links. Actually implementing these things well, however, is a challenge.
April 27th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
Hi Amy...thank you for coming by. I found your blog a couple of days ago and "twittered" it (lol)....
I do stand corrected and I agree that SEO is simple, not necessarily easy.
- Michael
May 3rd, 2007 at 6:51 pm
Your article was a breath of fresh air. Even as a pro copywriter, I sometimes get swayed by all these guys coming out with some secret SEO system that promises instant first page results on Google. Keep telling it like it is - good work.
May 4th, 2007 at 12:25 am
Hey Mike. Thanks for the feedback; and for stopping by. Have a great week.
Michael
May 8th, 2007 at 12:00 pm
Hey Michael,
I just thought I'd throw in my two cents. For my blog, less a website, it's been the purity of time. Time has earned me relevance and has helped weed out the things that work and those that don't. The rest comes from relevant posts and being a good servant to others' works (blogs, sites, etc.). In time I've watched my pagerank, etc. increase.
Social tools haven't hurt me by any means either.
Brendon
May 8th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
Brendon - thanks for chiming in. And yes, "the rest comes from relevant posts and being a good servant to others' works" is a damn good point.
May 9th, 2007 at 6:45 pm
YES IT IS ROCKET SCIENCE!!! And I have the eBook that can change your life, web rankings and everything else in between!
It's only $49 and I have an affiliate program too!
May 9th, 2007 at 7:24 pm
In that case, I have an e-book, too. It's only six easy payments of $29.99 and it'll change your life. You, too, can make eight figures in two weeks! Make checks payable to... get real.
May 10th, 2007 at 11:35 am
Brendon - that's comedy! Yeah, I keep getting spammed by this idiot, Randy Swanston; and yes, he's selling another damn eBook.