Search Engine Optimization - Part 1: The Basics

Photo: DeclanTM

When it comes to web design, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is a frequently undervalued skilled. Good SEO practices aren’t just for large corporations competing for the number one spot on Google; SEO is just as important to small Mom and Pop shops investing hard earned money into a website.

Without visibility on a search engine, the growth potential of any website is limited to word of mouth. If you’re a professional blogger, that’s not such a bad thing. But for Mom and Pop’s local bakery, it’s a disastrous plan. A couple hours spent on SEO can make the difference between a smart investment and wasteful spending.

And let’s be honest, spending time optimizing a client’s website isn’t all altruistic. After all, the more people that see your work, the more work you’ll have in the future. Using SEO to increase your own visibility is a no-brainer.

In Search Engine Optimization - Part 1, we’ll cover all the basic SEO knowledge. We’ll begin with what web crawlers can and cannot read, discuss how to expedite the indexing process, and finish with a list of easy to remember rules for moving a site up the search engine ranks. These will cover meta descriptions, meta keywords, headers, titles and all the basic rules that take only a few minutes to learn. Easy to implement, they’ll quickly become a must have on every site.

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