Introduction to SEO - lecture notes

on-site SEO process

1) determine the overall theme of the site and its content structure 2) then brainstorm descriptive keywords for all content elements of the site structure: from general to more specific 3)then research keywords: focus on the most relevant keywords with high enough traffic and low competition 4)then map selected keywords to the site pages 5)finally, place keywords in the right places on the page for best optimization.

What are the main criteria for getting ranked on SERP?

1) relevancy - match between the searcher's query and the keywords used to optimize your page 2) authority - the quality and quantity of inbound links 3) other factors - geographic location, historical performance, link quality, webpage content, back end code, link type)

Which 3 main factors search engines consider when ranking?

1) website architecture - how easy it is to find relevant pages 2) content - how fresh and relevant the webpage is 3) links - how many "authoritative" websites link up to the page

What is the theory of long-tail keywords?

searches with more unique queries produce more traffic, so long-tail keywords are good because they are more descriptive (they are less competitive and have a higher chance of bringing customers who will convert)

What is SEO and what is its purpose?

techniques that help websites rank higher in organic search results

What is Search Engine Marketing (SEM) and why is it important?

the ads and results that are paid to appear on Google's SERP when a user searches a certain keyword it is important because Google gets millions of searches and you are guaranteed visibility if you pay to be on the SERP

How does blogging help SEO?

this increases the number of indexed pages you have (fresh content) and so you have a better chance of gaining inbound links