Unless a website is well ranked in the search engines, the site will never get enough traffic to really deliver on its intended purpose. Learning a few Google SEO basics can definitely help web publishers increase their chances of being successful with their online endeavors. There is another reason why it is critical to learn these Google SEO basics. Google is very quick to penalize those who do not follow its rules regarding acceptable SEO practices.

To get rid of low quality sites guilty of “over-optimization”, Google removed scores of pages as part of its two algorithm changes known as Panda and Penguin.

A Change in Focus in the SEO World

If there was one major shift over the past three or four years as far as search engine optimization is concerned, it would be the de-emphasis of traditional link building and a movement towards web content. In fact, putting too much emphasis on link building can actually hurt a SEO campaign. One reason Google became stricter with its search engine algorithms was due to so many low quality websites were outright purchasing tons of equally low quality links from vendors. The end result was a manipulation of the search engine rankings that had to stop.

The new world of Google SEO basics really is one rooted in quality. Understanding that there are no short cuts or quick paths to the top of the search engine rankings is the first thing a website publisher has to realize. The next thing the publisher has to do is examine the positive, acceptable strategies for Google SEO.

Improving Content on a Website

The first step of smart SEO work would be to overhaul the content of a website. Specifically, the content must be completely and totally original. Copied or rehashed content is going to be frowned upon. Content must be original, unique, and of high quality. As long as the content reflects these traits, then the website will be better positioned in the rankings. Sites with weak quality content end up falling behind.

Quantity is not the same as quality. There is no reason to write very long and verbose content for a website. 300 or 400 words can be more than enough. As long as the main points of the page are gotten across, then the content will be appealing to both the visitors to the site and also to the search engines. 1,000 words or more per page might just be too much for visitors even if the search engines are not displeased about the length.

Keywords are Critical to SEO Success

The content of the website also must integrate popular and commonly search for keyword terms. A very good title to the page is helpful and integrating the major keyword phrase should be weaved into the title as well. The keywords should also be used in the header tags throughout the content.

Of the many Google SEO basics, researching keywords may be among the most important. Making up keywords without performing any research is not going to be a very effective strategy. The reason is those who use the search engines to find a particular website are going to use a particular keyword term. Certain terms are going to be used far more than others. Using lesser used keyword terms invariably means less traffic is going to be directed towards the site.

Google has a completely free keyword research tool. Using the tool reveals the main search terms associated with the content of a particular site or subject. Integrating the more heavily used keyword terms is suggested. Just do no overuse the keywords because this is known as keyword stuffing. Google will likely penalize a site that employs keyword stuffing.

Enhancing Technical Aspects

Certain technical aspects have to be addressed as well. These technical improvements can include eliminating crawl errors from the site and URL address strings are kept short. The average person might not be too familiar with these steps, but a good web master would be able to perform the tasks.

Conclusion

Google SEO basics are basically rooted in helping move a quality website up the search engine rankings. Staying current with top SEO tactics is definitely advisable because doing so will likely lead to a successful outcome. Avoid looking for magical solutions and simply follow along with the current, logical steps for making a website stand out to the search engines and those who uses them.

Citations:

This post is written by Larry Smith, the Director of Internet Marketing at Neueseo, who is an expert in Web Development, Online Advertising, SEO and a specialist in the management of Google AdWords Advertising Campaigns.