Understanding Search Engine Optimization - Relax, You Can Do It!

It may seem like understanding search engine optimization is something that only people with computer programming degrees can understand. However, it's not as dark and mysterious as it seems. In essence, SEO is really a popularity contest with very specific rules. OK, you are probably thinking, this guy is cracked, but bear with me. While that may be a bit of an oversimplification, it is not that far off the mark.

Unlike high school, Google and other search engines determine popularity by relevance. Relevance means that a particular site is relevant to the keywords that it is targeting. For example, if a site is about Porsche 911's, and the search terms it is targeting are "cars", or "sports cars", Google would not see this site as very relevant. The key is to be as specific as possible in your choice of keywords for your site. This will increase it's relevance in the eyes of search engines because you are giving users what they want, relevant search results for the key words that they are typing in. In this example, some search terms that would make more sense might be "1998 Porsche 911 Targa" or "Porsche 911 Whale Tail".

However, relevant keywords are not the only thing search engines are looking for. They also want to see that other members of the internet community also see your site as relevant. Because you can't exactly ask for a show of hands on the internet, Google does this by looking at the number, and the type, of sites that are linked to your site. Going back to our car example, a bunch of low traffic sites about transportation probably won't do your site much good. However, if you had a several of well-trafficked sites linked to your Porsche site, this would say to Google that your site is relevant for the search terms you are targeting. These links from other sites to your site are called "backlinks" and are crucial to getting your site to page 1 of the search results, and effectively work as "votes" for your site to be ranked higher in the rankings.

Understanding search engine optimization is fairly easy to understand and learn, but you need to know all the facts first. Looking to know more about exactly how to obtain the right keywords and backlinks to your site? Click the link below for more specifics on how to get started to down the road to getting your site ranked, and profitable, for 2011.