Search Engine Optimization for Dummies Needs Brains

 There are “dummies” guides to everything these days and so there is no shortage of search engine optimization for dummies websites on the internet. While most of these sites do contain some amount of valuable information (Google’s advice is the best) the fact that everyone has different opinions on how to go about the process of optimization can lead to a lot of confusion in the mind of the “dummy.” Luckily there are some basic points on which there seems to be general agreement and these are what are given here, the beginning point of search engine optimization for dummies. There are two simple steps that need to be followed to get a beginner on the road to search engine optimization.

 Everyone wants to use as many keywords as possible to attract search engines – something that can blow up in your face if you are not careful because these engines have become smart and can detect when a web page has be stuffed with keywords only for the sake of attracting their attention. Before worrying about keywords, make sure that the content of your website is clear, concise and relevant because the final aim is not just to get people to your site but to get them to buy what you are selling and garbled content is not the way to do that. Once you have the content of your site in place, use Google’s free AdWords program to help you find the most effective keywords for your site and modify your content so they are integrated into the text without seeming to be forced. While keywords can be of any type, the safest thing for a rookie to do is use short and simple phrases and words.

 When adding keywords to your content be careful about “stuffing” – the forced use of keywords just to attract search engine attention because engines can now spot this and then the websites are blocked out of the search results so limit your keyword density to around 3%. In case the keywords are such that they are common phrases or words that fit into the text as part of normal usage, you can think of a higher density, but be careful of stuffing. Make sure that you use the keywords in your page title and in the headers and sub headers as most search engines place greater importance on keywords used in these places. Use keywords as links to other pages on your website as these too are given more importance by many advanced search engines.

 You now have the basics of search engine optimization for dummies in place but remember that things change overnight on the internet so you must be on your toes to keep up with the latest developments in how search engines function and modify your site accordingly.