Why is there all this hype about SEO? What does it even do?

SEO – Search engine optimisation – is an umbrella term for the various methods you can use to improve your website rank in search engines. There are several approaches to achieve this but you won’t need to decide on just one because they all complement each other. In this entry we are going to focus on giving you the top tips since it’s impossible to discuss the whole subject in one article and furthermore, SEO is ever-changing, so you need to make sure you keep up with all the latest developments. A driving force behind these constant changes is Google, the most important and influential search engine. The reason why Google changes the algorithm of its search engine is to prevent so-called black hat SEO, there are many people who try to “trick” search engines to improve their website ranking. For Google its comparable to the ongoing cycle of inventing a new copy protection and the guys cracking it. For example: Google invented the “nofollow” attribute, meaning an admin of a website can implement this attribute to make sure posted links won’t be acknowledged by Google to prevent link spamming of a website that someone wants to get ranked higher. To get to know more, click here.

Getting started with on page optimization

Everyone wants to rank highly in Google. We will present the basic elements to you without going in too unnecessary detail. There are many so we will give advice and hopefully inspire you on a regular basis. There are two main parts you can work on. The first one is called on page optimisation and the second one is off page optimisation. Before even launching your website you could start with on page optimisation, this includes HTML codes, the correct description on pictures, permalinks, the usage of certain keywords in a certain volume and other possibilities we will present you shortly.

About off page optimisation

After setting up a high quality website you can (and should) start with off page optimisation. All in all you want to get visitors, this is in general the purpose of most websites. To get visitors you need people to know about your website. This is hard work, you need to spread the word and there are several ways to do so. Some strategies to optimise your website are recommended by Google and others are not. As already mentioned Google is constantly working on improving their results in showing websites with good content on top. How irritating would it be to search for a certain keyword and only finding cheap, irrelevant websites just because someone used dubious methods. This doesn’t help Google popularity stakes so they are keen to deliver what a searcher hopes to find. Sooner or later Google will find any unjustly top ranked websites and punish them by removing them from their index or putting the website into the nirvana of search engine page results. So, if you want to be successful in the long run be smart and refrain from any black hat approaches or even worse, pay a “pro” a huge amount of money to push your website.

The Page Rank

An indicator of the relevance of your website is your Page Rank. The algorithm behind it was named after a guy named Larry Page, fact of the day! Simply put, the Page Rank is the result of incoming links to your website. These are external links referring from other website to yours but it is not the quantity that counts. 56 links from website more or less nobody visits are worth much less than one link from a very reputable, high ranking website. So back links from relevant websites are very important and one of the main aspects you want to concentrate on, since ultimately your Page Rank is connected to your ranking in Google. Rank 10 symbolizes the highest amount of relevance. To ascertain your Page Rank you could add the plug in “seoquake” into your Firefox browser, just click “page information” and you can get some decent information about every website you are on. Note: Make sure to activate seoquake when you are on the homepage, not a subpage.

So stay tuned and follow our blog to get basic as well as professional tips to boost your website. There is plenty to do and tell.

1. If it takes a long time for your page to load then your visitor will have more time to do other meaningful things like doing the dishes, watching a movie or even working out. This will result in a greater feeling of well being once your page finally loads.

2.  It is always very satisfying to gain a reward after putting in hard work so don’t just write black text on a white background. Give your readers a challenge so that they may earn the joy of deciphering your text. Yellow on white is a great choice.

3. Use background music on your website. Everybody loves to listen to music, so raise the mood of your visitors by presenting them music of your choice. But don’t allow them the option of turning the music off or your website will lose its sense of atmosphere.

4. Adobe has decided to not release any more updates for Flash, instead, the future belongs to HTML5. All these years it was Flash that made it possible to watch multimedia content in a web browser but now it shall perish. But why should it, simply because it puts a strain on resources? No way. Implement several videos using Flash to a) entertain your visitor, b) show commitment and c) …well…read number 1 again.

5. You have a favourite browser? Great! Show your devotion and don’t optimise your website for any browsers other than yours. “There can only be one!”

6. Advertising is the best way to show your visitors what they need in life to be happy. So make sure you offer as many banners and links as possible to ensure that everyone sees something they like.

7. Quality is everything. If you use pictures (and you should use a lot), make sure to offer the best quality and highest definition available. The pictures you want to share will certainly be worth the wait.

8. Use Pop-ups. Don’t be predictable, a sudden pop up is a welcome distraction for your visitor. He will be thrilled, especially when it contains interesting content like…advertising.

9. Create random and complex URLs. It’s important to be unique.