Simple, Smart, & Effective SEO: Part I
Blogged into search engine optimization & web_design on 08/11/2005 | comment
Not an advertisement
This post is not an advertisement. It’s actually a hook to get you to read what I have to say about search engine optimization, and why what I have to say makes good sense. If you do need a website or search engine optimization, head on over to my company site. Otherwise, keep reading.
First of all, if you have not already done so, be sure to read this article, which covers the basics of good SEO. For what I have to say is actually a clear reinforcement of the very basics of what Google cares about.
Only a couple months ago, I started up this blog. So it’s no surprise blog9’s current page rank is zero. I’m not worried though, since my livelihood does not depend on its success. What’s interesting is that for the keywords “musician websites” blog9 pops up in the top 5 in Google’s search results. To me, this is highly impressive, and I know many website owners that would pay good dollars to get such positive (and quick!) results for their own keywords.
If you’re wondering, I figured this out by looking at my referrer logs, where I discovered that people had actually landed on this blog searching with those keywords.
If you look at the source code for this site, there are no meta-tags. So if you were thinking I did some meta-tag tricks, you were wrong.
If you’re thinking that I must have had some highly ranked sites link to me for those keywords, and that I placed those keywords in the url, the Title Tag, a heading tag, and in some of the body text of that page, you would be correct. Indeed, that’s all I did.
Actually, only one website linked to this blog directly with those keywords. The other key factor was saying something useful about those keywords with a page full of relevant content. The reward for this simple combination of good web design practices: high ranking.
Simple eh? It is, and here’s why.
What Google really cares about
At the end of the day, all Google really wants to know is this:
- Is the page really what it says its about?
- Are there links out there from reputable sources (i.e. websites with PR 2 or above) that point to this page?
If the answer to these two questions is yes, you can be quite certain that Google is going to put you in the top 20 results.
I know there are a host of other factors that play in here, but at the simplest level, I think these two are the most important in terms of getting good search engine results.
Answering question #1 is easy. Include your desired keywords in the title tag, and if possible, in the URL. Also, use your keywords in a heading tag (preferrably H1 or H2) and then in the body text of the page. Finally, make sure you actually say something useful, using the keywords occasionally, in at least 2 to 3 paragraphs.
Answering #2 is the real challenge. However, if what you have to say is really worth reading, others will think so to and link accordingly. The other route, is just to go out there and request links from good sources – preferably sites with related keywords.
Choosing Keywords
The other thing this little story proves, is how to choose your keywords. If I were a web designer – oh wait, I am a web designer! I would not go out and try to come up in the search engines for the keyword “web designer”, there’s just too much competition for those keywords. Instead, I would choose a realistic keyword market segment.
You can segment your keyword market by geography, industry or both. The most important thing to consider is how broad or narrow you should go. An easy, and intelligent way to do this is by visiting Google to see what the competition is like.
If, for example, you search for musician websites and there are no web designers in the top 10, and there are few others in that top 10 who appear to have intentionally gotten there, those are the keywords for you.
Wondering how to narrow your geographic niche? Here’s an example – for the keywords “river music”, which demonstrates how your competition drops as you narrow your focus:
- A search for “river music” on google turns up: 18,300,000 results
- A search for “river music canada” on google turns up: 4,690,000 results
- A search for “river music british columbia” on google turns up: 1,590,000 results
- A search for “river music northern british columbia” on google turns up: 695,000 results
- A search for “river music terrace bc” on google turns up: 120,000 results
- A search for “river music smithers bc” on google turns up: 29,700 results
As time goes by, and you gather more incoming links, as well as add more content to your site, you can broaden your keywords and branch out into bigger market segments. Until then, take it easy and start simple, aim small and be smart!
Further Reading
Check out Pro Blogger for an article series covering in depth tips and advice on search engine optimization.