1. Commit to the process. SEO is not a one-time event . Algorithms of the search engines change regularly , so the tactics that worked last year might not work this year. SEO requires a vision and long-term commitment .
2. Be patient . SEO is not about instant gratification. Results often take months to see , and this is especially true in the smaller you are, and the most recent to be doing business online.
3. Ask lots of questions when hiring an SEO company . It is your job to know what kind of tactics the company uses. Ask for details . Ask if there is any risk involved. Then get online yourself and do your own research about the company, about the tactics they discussed , and so on.
4. Become a student of SEO. If you are taking the do-it -yourself route , you must become a student of SEO and learn as much as possible. Luckily for you , there are plenty of great web resources (like Search Engine Land) and several terrific books you can read . ( Yes , the actual printed books !) See our What Is SEO for a variety of articles, books and resources.
5. Have web analytics in place at the start. You must have goals for your SEO efforts clearly defined , and you need a web analytics software in place so you can track what is working and what is not.
6. Build a great website . I'm sure you want to appear on the first page of results . Ask yourself , "Is my site really one of the top 10 places in the world on this issue? " Be honest. If not , do better.
7. Include a site map page . Spiders can not index pages that can not be traced . A site map will help spiders find all the important pages of your site , and help the spider understand your site 's hierarchy . This is especially useful if your site has a navigation menu tracking difficult . If your site is large, make several site map pages . Keep each one to less than 100 links . I tell clients 75 is the maximum to be safe .
8. Ask SEO friendly URLs . Use keywords in URLs and file names , such as yourdomain.com / red - widgets.html . However is not exceeded. A file with 3 + hyphens tends to look spam , and users may be reluctant to click on it . Tip of the related premium: Use hyphens in URLs and file names , not underscores. Hyphens are treated as a "space " while underscores are not .
9. Ask a keyword research at the start of the project. If you're on a tight budget , use the free versions of Keyword Discovery or WordTracker , which also have more powerful paid versions . Ignore the numbers these tools show , what matters is the relative volume of one keyword to another. Another good free tool is the keyword tool of Google AdWords , it does not show the exact numbers .
10. Open up a PPC account . Whether Google AdWords , Microsoft adCenter or something else, this is a great way to get the actual search volume for your keywords . Yes, it costs money, but if you have the budget it's worth the investment. Is also the solution if you did not like the suggestion " Be patient " above and seeks instant visibility .
11. Use a unique and relevant title and meta description on each page. The page title is the most important on page SEO individual factor. It is rare to rank highly for a primary term (2-3 words) without being part of the title of the page that term. The description meta tag is not going to help sort , but often appears as the text snippet below your listing, so you must include the keyword ( s ) concerned and be written in order to encourage users to click on your ad. Tip of the related bonus: You can ignore the keywords meta tag , as no search engine today supports it.
12. Write for first-time users . Google , Yahoo , etc., have pretty powerful bots crawling the web , but to my knowledge these bots have never bought anything online , signed up for a newsletter , or picked up the phone to call about your services . Humans do those things , so write your page copy with humans in mind. Yes, you need keywords in the text, but not stuff each page like a Thanksgiving turkey . Keep it readable.
13 . Creating quality content , unique . This is important for everyone, but is a particular challenge for online retailers . If you're selling the same widget that 50 other retailers are selling , and everyone is using the boilerplate descriptions from the manufacturer, this is a great opportunity . Write your own product descriptions , using the keyword research you did earlier (see # 9 above) to target actual words searchers use , and make product pages that blow the competition away . In addition , the retailer or not, great content is a great way to get inbound links .
14 . Use your keywords as anchor text when linking internally . Anchor text helps tells spiders what the linked page is about. Links that say "click here " do nothing for their visibility in search engines .
15 . Liaise intelligently. Begin with foundational links like trusted directories . ( Yahoo and DMOZ are often cited as examples, but do not waste time worrying about DMOZ . Submit presentation and forget about it. ) Look for links from authority sites in your industry. If local search matters to you (more on that next ), seek links from trusted sites in your geographic area - the Chamber of Commerce , local business directories , etc. Analyze the inbound links to your competitors to find links you can acquire , too. Creating quality content on a consistent basis and use social media to raise awareness , and links. ( A blog is ideal for this, see below. )
16 . Use press releases wisely. Developing a relationship with media covering your industry or your local region can be a great source of exposure , including getting links from websites means confidence. Distributing releases online can be an effective link building tactic , and opens the door for exposure in news search sites . Tip of the related premium: Only issue a release when you have something newsworthy to report. Do not waste time for journalists.
17 . Start a blog and participate with other related blogs. Search engines , Google especially , love blogs for the fresh content and highly structured data . Beyond that , there's no better way to join the conversations that are already taking place about your industry and / or company . Read and comment on other blogs can also increase your exposure and help you acquire new links . Tip of the related premium: Put your blog at yourdomain.com / blog so your main domain gets the benefit of links to your blog. If that is not possible, use blog.yourdomain.com .
18 . Use social media marketing wisely. If your business has a visual element , join the appropriate communities on Flickr and post high quality photos there. If you are a service oriented business, use Quora and / or Yahoo Answers to position yourself as an expert in your industry. Any business should also be looking to make use of Twitter and Facebook , as the social information signals and these are being used as part of the Google and Bing seekers . With any social networking site you use, the first rule is not spam! Being an active contributing member of this site. The idea is to interact with potential customers , not annoy them .
19 . Take opportunities to local search. Online research for online shopping is a growing trend. Optimize your website to capture local traffic by showing your address and telephone number of prominent local . Write a detailed page Directions / using neighborhoods and landmarks in the text of the page. Submit your site to free local listings services offered by search engines. Make sure your site is listed in the / social premises , such as CitySearch , Yelp , Local.com , etc. , and encourage customers to leave reviews of your business on these sites, too.
20 . Take advantage of the tools the search engines give you . Sign into Google Webmaster Central , Bing Webmaster Tools and Yahoo Site Explorer to learn more about how the search engines see your site , including the number of inbound links that are aware .
21 . Diversifying your traffic sources . Google can bring you 70% of your traffic today , but what if the next big algorithm update hits hard ? What if your Google visibility goes tomorrow? Newsletters and other subscriber -based content can help you hold on to traffic / customers no matter what the search engines do . In fact , many of the DOs on this list - creating great content, start a blog, using social media and local search, etc. - will help you grow an audience of loyal customers and potential customers that can help to survive the vagaries of search engines .
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