SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. This is a way to make sure your website is found in search engine results when searching for words or phrases relevant to the content of your website.
No SEO means no visitors from search engines. How else would people find your site? Search engines won’t be able to categorize and rank your site for keywords relevant to your niche.
SEO isn’t a way to cheat or “game” search engines. The purpose of SEO is to communicate to search engines your intentions so they can recommend your site for relevant searches. It is also a way to create a great, and seamless user experience.
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What Search Engines Love
Search engines do their job as best as possible in referring users to websites and the content that is most relevant to what they are looking for. Relevancy is determined by the following factors:
• Content - Content is determined by the text on the page, the titles, descriptions, and the overall theme.
• Performance. Search engines determine if your site is fast enough and if it works properly.
• Authority - Search engines check if the site has enough content to link to or if other authoritative sites use your website as a reference.
• User Experience - Search engines nowadays also check for the user experience of your site. How is the overall look and feel of it? Is it easy to navigate around? Does it look safe?
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What Search Engines Hate
Shady tactics won’t get past search engines. If you think you can game the system, think again. If you are performing shady tactics, chances are it has already hurt your site. These are some of the items search engines hate:
• Purchased Links - Search engines know if you bought a link, so be warned.
• Poor User Experience. Unlike before, search engines today take a look at the user experience of your site. Is it easy for users to get around? Do you have too many ads? Do you have a high bounce rate?
• Keyword Stuffing - Since keywords are the only way for search engines to find your site, people assume that the more keyword they stuff in their content the more likely search engines will be interested in you. Well, its exactly the opposite.
To make SEO effective for your site, and for search engines to love them, here are some tips:
Know your business model - Stop and think for a while what your main goals are.
Optimize for multiple channels. Keyword strategy should be implemented on-site, but should also extend to other platforms. Think of Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites and how you can use that to your advantage. Be consistent with the keyword phrases within these platforms.
Focus on your meta data too - Meta keywords are usually ignored by search engines nowadays, but if you still use them, make sure it defines your page and it is formatted correctly.
Your meta description should be unique and should also speak to that specific page.
Always keep SEO in mind if you want to gain traffic and popularity, but always follow the best practices. Don’t skip the basics as these will be the foundation of your site and it will help you from maximizing revenue opportunities.
Vishal Khandelwal is the founder of an elite organization Webygeeks and loves to share his vast knowledge and experience in the field of SEO. You can connect with him on Facebook or Twitter.