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The Ten Commandments of Search Engine Optimization
Most of the time, when we introduce a new client, they ask us for SEO guarantees. "Your competition has guaranteed the best results and submission to 100,000 search engines and directories." We do our best to educate clients that search engine optimization is about smart work and not just adding random keywords and submitting them to every possible directory. I am writing this article to reach out to SEO buyers and help them distinguish crooks from genuine SEO. I have compiled my search marketing experience over the years in this article. I hope this helps you select your search marketing initiative.
Commandment 1: There are no guarantees of rank. (Period)
Only search engines control their indexing and ranking algorithm. Don't try to fool the search engines. The only way to improve your search engine ranking is to follow the rules. And the rule is very simple: make it logical. Web content is primarily for the site visitor and not for crawlers.
If your Search Engine Optimizer sold you the "First rank in Google in 10 days" magic. Forget it. There are no short cuts. Ranking higher in natural search engine results will take time. Hard work is a must, especially for your website content and links to your site.
Commandment 2: Classification is not the end, it is the means.
Ask yourself what you will get from Top Search Engine Ranks. Most businesses are interested in increasing website sales or at least generating qualified traffic. Ranking for the right keywords (keywords used by your target audience) is important. There are SEOs who would try to show case results for keywords that appear only on their website. Beware of such tricks.
Commandment 3: Know your competition.
“Rank” is a relative position and even more so in the natural results of the search engine. How well you do in search engine results is a function of how much hard work you've put into the competition. Analyze keywords, links, keyword density, and competitor spread. But make sure you never copy your competition.
Commandment 4: Use a search engine friendly design.
A search and visitor friendly design is a must for any successful website. Your website must be attractive enough for repeat visits from search engines and potential customers. Make sure you have search engine friendly URLs and avoid those long URLs with query strings (http://mywebsite.com/index.php?PHPSESSID=5&a=z&f=g). You should also make sure your web designer follows global coding standards like w3c (http://www.w3.org).
Commandment 5: Select Keywords that are worthwhile.
You should research keywords before targeting them. There are tools that give you a good idea of keyword search potential, for example (http://www.wordtracker.com/, http://inventory.overture.com/d/searchinventory/suggestion/, https:/ /adwords.googlecom/select/KeywordSandbox). It is important to know the number of searches for a keyword in the last month, last 6 months and last year. You should also find out how many web pages are targeting the keyword. It is recommended to start a campaign with keywords with moderate competition and high number of searches.
Commandment 6: Write great content.
Even if your website site is technically perfect for search engine bots, it won't do you any good unless you fill it with great content as well. Great is contextual and has editorial value. Great content brings repeat visits and increases the chances of conversion. Great content is factual and appeals to the target audience. The web page must have the desired action embedded in the content.
You must ensure that the content is up to date. Keep adding and editing content regularly.
Commandment 7: Use a good hyperlinking strategy.
Hyperlinks make content accessible and contextual. You must hyperlink in the correct context within the website and to other websites. Good links are appreciated by search engines and visitors. No one likes to be taken to a mall that sells "Macintosh" when they buy "apples."
Commandment 8: Write relevant and original meta content.
Meta content is like business cards. Just as your business card tells who you are and what you do, meta content tells search engines the relevance and context of a page.competition there are two ways to learn. Learn from your own mistakes and learn from the experience of others. You could choose any. If you have time and can wait for the dollars to come online, do it yourself. If you want to get started now, it may help to consult the experts.
