Google Advertising Tools, 2nd Edition

Chapter 4. Nuts and Bolts of SEO

SEO—short for Search Engine Optimization—is the set of techniques used to drive web traffic to websites. These techniques include optimization of the code, content, and organization of a site. While some SEO strategies do involve paying for inbound links, generally SEO is considered to exclude advertising.

Note

Advertising on search engines is thought of as Search Engine Marketing (SEM). SEO campaigns should often be used in tandem with SEM as I explain in Chapter 2. Advertising programs, such as Google AdWords (see Part III), can very effectively generate traffic via ads placed on web pages as well as on search engine result pages.

Most web businesses need traffic to succeed. Some websites depend on broad, general traffic. These businesses need hundreds of thousands or millions of visitors per day to prosper and thrive.

Other web businesses are looking for high-quality, targeted traffic. This traffic is essentially like a prequalified sales prospect—they are already looking for and interested in your offering.

This chapter tells you what you need to know, and explains the tools you’ll use, to draw more traffic to your site. Google is by far the most important search engine, so most SEO targets Google (but what works for Google also works for the other search engines). You’ll learn how to effectively use PageRank and Google itself. Effective use of SEO means understanding how Google works, how to boost placement in Google search results, and how not to ...