Looking at Learning about SEO

When I was first tasked with the job of ‘learning more about SEO’ in order to improve my content, it seemed like an impossibly daunting task. Although I’m a relatively fast learner, I had never before dared to delve into more technical elements of how Search Engines work and until recently I have been perfectly content with my ignorance.

However it is becoming more and more important to keep up with Google’s latest algorithms in order to make sure that your SEO remains on track and up to date. After all, if your site or business is penalised by Google, boom, there goes a sizeable chunk of your traffic and subsequently, your business. Fewer visitors mean less custom for your site, which is never good for a commercial business!

As Told by Google

So in order to ensure that your site remains green listed by Google, everything has to be running smoothly and in accordance with the mysterious guidelines set out by Google. This includes the site content, as this is what Google and all visitors to your site will see once they click that link. Actually even before they click that link, they’ll see a meta-description hopefully pointing them in the right direction, so content is very important in keeping your site at the top of Google’s Listings!

We need to make sure that our content appeals to both Google and our site visitors so it is important to know what is relevant and what isn’t when it comes to adding in the key terms for your website. On site content needs to be:

  • Rich in related keywords  but not over-saturated with keywords
  • Written with your audience in mind (informative if needs be, using key terms and phrases etc.)
  • Written so that it reads well and is is inclusive of those outside your potential intended audience
  • Broken up into clear paragraphs with good headings.
  • Relevant to your business!
  • Written with a call to action at the end (such as call now or contact us here)

There are more but those bullet points are just what I can think of off the top of my head. What is important is that you don’t just write what you want willy nilly and then post it online without checking it through. There are limits to what you can feasibly do with your content, and limits to what is acceptable by Google’s standards so it is important to keep these in mind.

Starting off – The Scary Part Broken Down

Starting off learning about any topic that is as random and constantly changing as SEO can be quite a challenge, particularly if you don’t quite know where to start. There are countless resources available to those who look for them, you just need to pick a starting point and try to springboard from there.

The trouble with learning about SEO is that it is always being updated as Google learns new things, but of course in order to learn from the past we must also look into its mistakes. In fact any book about SEO is often out of date by the time it comes into print, but that doesn’t stop it from being useful as an entry point into SEO.

I personally have started with the infamous Dummies series in using “Search Engine Optimization (SEO) For Dummies”, but there are a wide range of options available, including Google’s own Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide.

The worst part about learning a new thing is worrying about it, so get started today and stop your worrying! It is easier than you think!