Chapter 49
Search Engine Optimization Made Easy
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the art and science of publishing and marketing information that ranks well for valuable keywords in search engines like Google, Yahoo! Search, and Microsoft Live Search.
Search engines only show 10 results on the first page, and most searchers tend to click on the top few results. If you rank at the top business is good, but if you are on the second or third page you might only get 1 percent of the search traffic that the top ranked site gets.
The two most powerful aspects of search engine marketing are:
- Users type what they want to find into search boxes, making search engines the most precisely targeted marketing medium in the history of the world
- Once you gain traction in the search results the incremental costs of gaining additional exposure are negligible when compared with the potential rewards, allowing individuals and small businesses to compete with (and perhaps eventually become) large corporations
While many people consider SEO to be complicated, I believe that SEO is nothing but an extension of traditional marketing. Search engine optimization consists of nine main steps.
1. Market research
2. Keyword research
3. On page optimization
4. Site structure
5. Link building
6. Brand building
7. Viral marketing
8. Adjusting
9. Staying up to date
Market Research
Do you have what it takes to compete in a market?
The first step is to search the major search engines to see what ...
