If you’ve been working online for some time and still feel confused about Search Engine Optimization (there ya go, that’s what SEO is!) this is a must read for you.  This article will explore SEO,  how you can use it effectively, and what you need to do to ensure you don’t get penalized.

(Before I dive right in, Goole Conquest Authority is a training program that will go over SEO in full detail, but for now, you can start off here.)

As stated in the above paragraph, SEO stands for search engine optimization. The biggest question new internet marketers have is what is a search engine? I know this is extremely basic, but this is where you must start.  Once you learn the very basics, when you begin to explore more on the topic of SEO, you will have a comprehensive understanding of exactly what it is.

A search engine is a website you go to when you are searching for a particular subject on the internet. In example, Google, Yahoo, MSN, Ask, etc. These are all search engines. When you are trying to find an answer on the internet, you visit a search engine, enter in the information you are searching for, and presto! The search engine “searches” the internet for you and brings up a page of all the websites online that pertain to your search.

Now you know what a search engine is, and you know what SEO is, let me get into the meat of things and explain how SEO works.

The number one thing you must do before any optimization, is you must determine your desired targeted keywords for your site. What I mean by this is finding the search phrases you want your site to rank for with the search engines. An example of this would be:

You have a website loaded with fixing computers. People who are searching for information on fixing their computers might search for these terms: how to fix my computer, what does a blue screen on a computer mean, or my computer is broken. These phrases would all be considered long tail keywords, and these are what you would want to shoot for, because they are the terms that people search the search engines for.

Take care when picking your keywords or key phrases, they are actually phrases that get searched for, if not, you won’t get any traffic to your site. (Another tip is to make sure you pick keywords that don’t have a lot websites targeting them. You might not still get visitors if there is too much competition.) I highly recommend using a keyword research tool to help you find some excellent ones. You can use Google’s free keyword tool, or Wordtracker’s free tool if money is an issue. They are perfect starter tools, and they do the job fantastically. after you start making some money, I highly recommend you get a paid tool because they are so much more effective, and you can really find some good hidden keywords.

You can read more on keyword research and finding good keywords here.

Okay, so now that you have your keywords, the next step is to be sure your site is optimized for your keywords. So how do you do this? It’s pretty simple really.

The number one rule of thumb is always title your page or post with your keywords. This will be known as your title tag. Title tags have a very big influence on the search engines when they go to your site, so whatever you title your page, the search engines will assume it is a keyword and you are trying to rank for it. This goes for your domain name as well. Your page/post title and your website title (domain name) are incredibly important factors in the SEO world.

aAfter you have bought your domain (known as the URL), and you have chosen your targeted key phrases or words, the next phase is to add content to your website or blog. Write an article that is at least 400-500 words, and make sure you include your targeted keywords or phrases at least 2-3 times in the body. Be careful not to go overboard with this, or you may get penalized. Keepin in mind the keyword density is not over 7% (amount of keywords vs. actual words on page). Staying under 6-7% is much better. If you go over this recommended safety net, the search engines may see you as “keyword stuffing”. Keyword stuffing means using your keywords too many times in one page, and your website will pay for it if you do that, I promise.

The more content you have on your page, the better chance you have of being able to get all your keywords in and not make it look like you are keyword stuffing. In other words, keep your posts and pages long, and you can get all your keywords in. Search engines like long text articles and unique content.

Do not fret about getting every keyword phrase in your article multiple times, because the search engines are smart, and if you have a quality site, Google will rank you for keywords you never even thought to rank for. The highest goal is putting your main phrase in 2-3 times, and the others at least one time.

That’s SEO in a nutshell. Learn as much as you can about the subject, because it truly will benefit you in the end.  Learning SEO takes some patience, but you will be a pro in no time.