15 minute SEO – Covering the basics

Those who know SEO understand that we can’t cover a whole lot in 15 minutes but there’s great value in at least understanding some of the basic concepts so that we can be more informed in our Web choices. The fabulous folks aver at Talance invited us to give a group presentation covering some of the basics and of course, we were more than happy to do so.

I broke it down to the 2 main elements; On-page factors and Off-page factors.

The on-page factors involves things that you should do to your website to make it more amenable to search engines. They include:
Code Structure – We always promote semantic markup. Keep the code as clean as possible and make it easy for the SE’s to locate the content.
Meta Data – Be as descriptive as possible for the title tags. Make sure to include some of your higher level keywords. While the meta description and meta keywords don’t have the value they once did, we tend to include these as often as possible.
URL structure – this is often overlooked. Dirty URL’s or query strings are viewed unfavorably by SE’s. It doesn’t mean that they won’t be included in the search results but you will rarely see on ranked high on the search results pages. Changing something like www.example.com/lkp.asp?id=W432&d=BGA to www.example.com/nice-page can do wonders. It’s called a URL rewrite.
Content – SE’s love good content. While recommendations vary between how many words need to appear on a page to be worthwhile, we like a 200 word minimum. Break it up as well by using bold and italics and bullet points to improve readability for users.

Off page factors are the elements that contribute to increased rankings of a website that don’t require manipulating your own website. For this, it’s all about the links (and the more relevant, the better). Getting other websites to link to yours can be a tough, time consuming prospect. We have a few suggestions to make it a little easier.
Distribute articles – there are a bunch of content hubs out there that allow you to submit an article to their website. Many of these include the option of placing your URL (sometimes an anchored link) back to your website.
Optimized Press Releases – if you’re submitting your press release through the regular distribution channels, make sure you don’t ignore the online ones. Sites like PR Leap can provide a good opportunity to submit your release and offers the ability to place anchored links throughout in addition to the footer/signature area.
Link exchanges – a most hated element to acquiring links and certainly not as valuable as they once were. We suggest tapping into your existing network first.
Forum/Blog participation – you’re probably already doing it. Many forums offer the ability to include a signature when you post so take advantage of that and offer some good advice to others along the way. You also probably have some favorite bloggers that you read. Feel free to comment on their stuff, most offer the chance to include your URL when you do.
Social Media – a whole new realm of marketing, herre are more great places to spread the word (and your link) online.

As I said, this is brushing the surface. There are a lot of other elements that you need to take into consideration. I probably didn’t even make a dent, particularly with keyword research and selection but this was indeed just an introduction so that you will go away slightly wiser than before (hopefully). As my father always said, “teach a wise man something and he will be yet wiser.”

PaulFleming is co-founder and VP of Interactive Services for Dinkum Interactive. A trained teacher, Paul has worked in a variety of forms of Internet Marketing but with a focus on SEO. Originally from Australia, he now resides in Philadelphia with his wife and 2 ankle-biters.