Learning SEO
Posted by admin on February 10, 2009 under Coding, SEM, SEO, Web Design | 
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Designing a website is a great accomplishment. Whether or not you paid someone to do it, you simply can’t have a business unless you have some sort of online presence. Obviously, that’s not completely true, because in every city in every state there are thriving businesses that have never had a website. But you know better. Your audience is out there. No matter what your business is, there are probably hundreds of people online right now searching for you. But knowing where to find them is a royal pain in the neck and having them find you is even worse.
That’s where this guide comes in. I’m going to discuss what people are doing to get into those coveted top 10 slots. What works, what probably doesn’t and most importantly, what to expect. Because the truth of the matter is that there is no definitive answer. On top of being the Director of Horton Web Design (hortonwebdesign.com), I have also worked side by side with people who do nothing but search engine optimization (SEO) and online marketing. I’ve been a member of a lot of these places that claim to have all of the answers, when in truth, they’re just as clueless as the next person. The answers they have are typically always the same from SEO site to SEO site. Same answers just displayed differently. You shouldn’t have to spend thousands of dollars to get those answers because when things go wrong (and they will), these membership places always seem to have an excuse for everything.
If you were #1 on Google one day and then the next day you were nowhere to be found, you’re going to find a host of overpaid people who are going to tell you one of 3 things; 1) that you did something wrong, 2) someone did something better than you, or 3) the search engine changed something. So write down those 3 excuses on a piece of paper and put them in your pocket to save them for later. You’re going to be doing great one day and then poorly the next. When that happens, you can simply pull that piece of paper out of your pocket and read those 3 excuses. You’ll save yourself a lot of money by simply reading them off to yourself instead of paying someone to say them.
I strive to be as straightforward and non-geekspeak as I can in order to make this as plain and as simple as I can. Just know that nobody has the exact right answer for all of the search engines or for every case. The guys that created Google’s algorithm can’t tell you exactly what Yahoo or MSN is doing. They have an idea, but not the total picture. So don’t put your eggs all in one basket. Use this guide as one of many resources out there because even I don’t practice everything I preach.
Lastly, there will be some people who will ask the following questions and so I’ll answer them now. “I typed in website design and I can’t find you on the web, so why should I listen to you?” The answer is simple. I don’t want to be found for web design because that’s not my focus anymore, nor is my site optimized for that. I’d rather focus on terms like Georgia SEO professional, Georgia SEO Expert or even the broader Georgia SEO. Try some of those terms and you’ll find me in the top 3. My business is a home based business that I do on evenings and weekends. I like designing websites, but I don’t want to do it full time nor do I have the time to dedicate to it and once you implement the things I’m about to tell you, I probably won’t hold my position for long.
The other question would be, “What makes you the authority on search engine optimization (SEO) or search engine marketing (SEM)?” Let’s put it this way. For 2 solid years, I worked under the greatest minds in SEO and SEM. I was personally taught one on one by some of them and it was my job to take the tools they provided and keep their companies ranking high on the search engines and to make them look good. Yes, I was the man behind the curtain. I studied under all of them in some form or fashion. I’m also a member of multiple SEO organizations to keep up on the latest trends and changes. I gathered all of the information and drained them of what they knew. My job is to implement strategies by these individuals and put them to work. I implemented everything I learned and it worked. I’ve watched it work and use these strategies daily. The companies I work for are in the top ten across the board for their markets and most of which are #1 and are there because of my efforts.
One more question would probably be, “Why are you offering this information to me?” I know how difficult it is for small business owners to get up and running. Around every corner is another expense. So I wanted to write some basics that you can do for your website to get out there and be seen. It’ll be tough, but you can do it with good effort. If you only use a fraction of what I’m telling you, you’ll only get a fraction of the results. All of these things I’ll explain work together to get you the results you’re after, so don’t cut any corners. If you have to go back and fix something, go back and fix it. Don’t ignore any existing problems. That being said, let’s dive into it.
