If a 2-year old should throw that question at you, what would your response be? A lot of us don’t even know what SEO mean.
Yes, we’ve seen it all, read about it on blogs but do you understand what optimizing a web page is.
Let’s assume all you know about SEO is right, but which position is your blog? Are you happy with your present search performance?
In this post, I want to show you the ultimate search engine optimization answer.
It’s going to blow your mind and you’ll definitely get results when you apply my tips. Yes, you can call me an SEO expert or a newbie, it doesn’t matter – what matters is results.
Why You Must Master SEO!
I think a great skill every blogger and internet entrepreneur should master is SEO. It would add meaning to your online business. In fact, you can make money by “accident” if you rank highly on search engine especially Google. Yes, even when the product is crappy, it’ll still convert provided the right eyeballs access it.
But you shouldn’t promote mediocre products; it’s only to your detriment. If you had clear goals for your business, SEO would help you actualize the basics and speed up the advanced.
On a long term basis, optimizing web pages for search engines can save your time. Instead of wasting time trying to drive traffic via other means, the efforts you put into your individual pages will start to pay off.
What Is SEO?
SEO is an acronym for search engine optimization.
In a simple definition, it’s your ability to create relevant contents which becomes individual web pages, which search engine spiders crawl, index and decides to rank based on the relevance and the quality of internal and off-page links.
S – Search:
The word “search” indicates that someone somewhere, is looking for you. If you’ve a blog or website, there are people who want to see what you’ve written. These people are web searchers (buyers and prospects).
You need to position yourself where these searchers are. In essence, web searchers use Google, bing, Yahoo, msn, mamma etc to look for your web page that has the right information. Will your page be found?
E – Engine:
An engine is a mechanical system with the ability to speed up work, multiply your efforts and produce better results than manual operations. When web searchers “search,” the “engine” will speed up the process and send results (web pages) back to them.
Manually, it’ll take forever to extract answers online, but an engine can deliver results within 3 seconds (depending on your internet speed).
O – Optimization:
To optimize simply means to “make something function at its best.” In this case, you want your blog pages to show up when web users “search.” If you do not optimize well, the “engine” will by-pass your page and capture other people’s own.
What Is Search Engine
Search + engine = search engine
It means there is a machine, you can call it a technology or a script carefully designed to help web users search for information online and get answers immediately because of an “engine.” (See definition above).
Google is a big company but their major specialty is offering search services to people. Everyone is using the internet to get information. Students, professionals, marketers, travelers, bloggers, kids etc.
Search engines like Google are designed to behave like human beings. It’s like they’ve intellect which enables them to determine the right web pages. But they’re for your own good. You can rank your site, even when it’s new by following the tips here.
Search Engine Result Pages
When someone search online using “keywords and key phrases,” a set of results appear. These are called search engine result pages (SERPs). It’s what Google and other search engines are after. They don’t care how beautiful your blog is, because this “engine” doesn’t have eyes to know what color your theme is.
So, when a search engine spider (script) gets a signal that you’ve a new post or article on your blog/site, it will immediately visit your web pages, and pick the new content and run with it.
Do ‘Spiders’ Throw Contents Away?
Off course not, when they crawl (hover or brood) over your new contents, they’ll index (register it on their database or list). Note: spiders will not copy the entire content; it will simply copy the web page link, title and description and add it to their storage tank.
This storage tank contains billions of web pages in segments. For instance, there is a segment for “blogging tips, another segment for Social Media.
I want you to take note here, when spiders visit a page in order to do their indexing, they’ll be looking for your blog’s topic. I mean, what exactly is your blog known for? If your blog is generic (every subject is discussed), it’ll be very difficult to determine which segment on the index database such links should be stored.
That is why you need to constantly write on your niche. Don’t write about blogging today, and tomorrow you’re talking about Valentine day except you creatively bind the word “valentine” to blogging. Can you do that…?
Copywriting Tip [Best SEO Binder]
How do you tie “valentine’s day” and “blogging” together without confusing search engine? You use copywriting. I know a lot of copywriters don’t understand what I’m trying to say, but get this clear: copywriting is the perfect antidote for failure on the internet.
If you know how to place the right words and sentences, you’ll drive web traffic and make money online. I’ve seen the importance of copywriting in my business.
Even as an SEO content writer and guest blogger, copywriting has helped me write better titles, enticing introductions (description) and credible author bio.
Search engine visitors are not dumb, even when you’ve the right answers to their problem; they want it in an entertaining way. Would you pay to watch movies in the dungeon?
What Is Quality Content?
It’s the content that meets your reader’s expectation. If I came to Google and search for “content writers, and when I checked the first and second results, I was able to hire a good writer for my new blog, it means the content I got was qualitative and helpful.
A lot of people mis-interprete quality content as one that’s never been published before.
But can I tell you something: every article you’ll ever write today has been published before. It might not be in its totality, but your idea isn’t heavenly. Some great writers have written about it, wrote a book about it, hosted a webinar on it and even gave it out for free.
We are all rewriters. If you don’t believe you’re an article rewriter, hit me a message and let’s talk about it (but I’m good at arguments, you won’t win!). Lol!
So, stop disturbing your precious head over quality. Let your focus be on relevant content. Write what your audience is craving for. Even if you’ve to cite other great resources for further reading, you’ll still be relevant and Google will reward you heavily with free organic traffic.
Qualify Your Web Pages [build links]
So, you’ve got great contents, relevant and helpful to your readers? Sorry, it doesn’t matter.
Search engine spiders are not human (but often they react like humans). What qualifies you to get indexed faster is your links. It begins with the links on your page. Every new post you create must link back to your previous posts.
If you’re writing about social media tips, hyperlink “social media” and connect it to your previous post on social networking or media publicity.
Consistently do this for new posts and articles, you’ll strengthen the foundation of your web pages and get a better standing on Google homepage. This is called on-page search engine optimization (it’s done inside your blog).
Energize Your Link (Get announced)
Once you’ve linked to your inner pages within your blog, it’s now time to get announced outside. Note that you don’t have to announce yourself right away. The foundation must be in place. We talked about relevant (quality) content above.
You’ve to know that all outside (external) links aren’t created equal. Some links are heavier and juicier than others. It’s better to get one strong link from a blog that has CR-70 (custom rank). The higher the CR, the better – if you want to check your CR, visit customrank.com
Although, it’s not always easy to get links from high CR blogs, but there is a better way. When you naturally get links from other blogs, you get mentioned within posts (contextual link), such backlink is powerful and influences search engine spiders to rank a web page higher.
Here is what I recommend: focus on writing detailed, helpful and relevant articles. This way, you’ll earn the trust to get natural share on social networks.
Your visitors and readers would willingly recommend your post (web page) to their friends, fans and clients. This kind of backlink is all you need to rank highly on Google top 10.
SEO Recap (Take It Home)
Keywords are still very important in SEO. Keywords and key phrases give search spiders direction (‘cos they’re blind). If you don’t direct them on what your web pages is focused on, they’ll follow another direction and you’ll complain.
Keep writing relevant content. Invest time into your articles, don’t be in hurry – you’ll definitely boost your ‘top 10 ranking’ if you continue in this path.
So, when next a 2-year old throws the question (what is SEO) at you, refer him to this page or Slap him. Lol!
Image Credit: crunchyb