The basics of SEO and getting higher search engine rankings.

In part 1 of this 17 part learn basic SEO series, I will introduce you to search engine optimization (SEO); what it is, why it’s important, the difference between you and a professional SEO, and why, with a little instruction, you can learn do a lot of basic SEO yourself – and see significant improvements in increasing organic website traffic.

If much of this seems pretty basic to you, then great. Because that’s exactly what I’m trying to do – give people who are new to search engine optimization a basic understanding – a foundation of information – they can build on as we dive deeper into the subject in further articles.

So let’s get started.

Learn Basic SEO: What is Search Engine Ranking?

Search Engine Ranking is the location in which Google’s Algorithm determines to place your web page within the Search Engine Results Pages (also known as SERPs).

Why Search Optimization is Important.

Having a website follows the same premise of, “If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?” Because the Internet works the same way. If you have a website but no one knows it exists, it simply doesn’t provide you or your business with any benefit.

That’s why just having a website isn’t enough.

Now, more than ever, it’s important to learn and understand the basics of search engine optimization (SEO) and the necessary and most beneficial steps you can take to turn your website into a powerful marketing tool.

And that’s where SEO comes into play.

SEO is based on the simple idea of including specific information into your website pages that provides search engines with relevant keywords and content to index your pages into targeted topics and categories, and to also list your pages higher within the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).¹

Bottom-line, it’s a matching game. The more focused and relevant your content is to a specific search query, the closer your pages will “match” and thus be listed higher within the SERPs.

And, of course, the higher your pages are listed = more customers will find your site = the more clicks you’ll receive = the more sales you can make.

Average Organic Clickthrough Rate Based on Google Search Results Position

Consider these facts released by eMarketer.com

Nearly seven out of 10 respondents said they clicked a search result within the first page of results, and 92% clicked a result within the first three pages of search results.

More search engine users surveyed clicked the first page in 2008 (68%) than did so in 2006 (62%).

At the same time, fewer search engine users surveyed were willing to click results past the third page in 2008 (8%) compared with 2002 (19%).

And as you can see in the above chart,

The number 10 [search engine] listing gets 18x less clicks than the number 1 listing.

To go one step further, 89% of the clicks that users make when searching, happen to be on page 1.

When it comes to content, whether it’s actual copy, page titles or keywords, it’s incredibly important to be precise! Don’t go overboard trying to lure traffic to your website by adding content that’s not relevant to the primary content of the page. You may see an initial bump in traffic, maybe – but in the long run, it will only diminish the work you did.

Stay focused on the content and keep all information related to the page topic.

Learn Basic SEO: The Difference Between You and SEO Professionals

The challenge for SEO professionals is that SEO is constantly evolving. As new technologies develop, so do SEO methods. So professionals are constantly testing, tweaking, and verifying new theories in order to gain insight into the algorithms used by Google and other search engines. It’s a never-ending process of learning by trial and error. I personally spend hours every day reading, researching, and testing SEO techniques.

And that’s where this series will give you an advantage. I’ll be sharing with you exactly what to do and how to do it — 100%, time-tested, non-theoretical techniques for optimizing your website.

Conclusion

Forget about spending countless hours trying to figure out SEO and just put these fast and easy techniques to use right now.

You’ll be surprised how easy it is for you to do-it-yourself and how fast it can increase the amount of potential customers visiting your website.

Although I make no guarantees the steps outlined in this Learn Basic SEO series will get your website listed within the top pages of Google, it will go a long way to helping you achieve those results because the information I’ll be giving you is the very same techniques I use on my websites — and with excellent results.

In part 2, I’ll be explaining what you need to know about SEO guarantees.

1. SERP. Search Engine Results Pages. The websites that are listed when a person searches for information on a particular topic.