By Dennis A. Smith
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is the art of "getting your website higher on Google" and other Search Engines.It can be a complex business and is a constantly changing landscape as Search Engines change their algorythmns and formulas, but the essence of SEO is quite simple - do the right things and your website will be found and rank well.
Here are the basics for the busy business owner:
1. Natural and Ethical
The underlying principle of good SEO practice is to work hard to learn and understand how the Search Engines work; then deliberately caters to their needs, and NEVER attempts to fool, trick or "use" anything to manipulate them.2. Search Phrases
Every page should have a primary topic and contain one (or maybe two) clearly identifiable Search Phrase(s).3. Meta Tags
Every web page should have correct HTML formatting with META tags understood and used properly.4. Fresh Content
Websites with fresh, meaningful, original content are indexed more frequently- Fresh, as in new material on a weekly, even daily basis.
- Meaningful, as in rich content, with words that naturally link together heuristically.
- Original as in unique, uncopied text
5. Inbound Links
Quality inbound links are critical and ultimately determine the final ranking of a website. Quality, as in:- From "authority" websites
- As old as possible
- Obtained naturally
