The WordPress SEO world—does it really need an introduction? We are living in a world that is overly familiar and perhaps even oversaturated with online web marketing and the theories behind Search Engine Optimization. Even if people are unaware of it day by day, the truth is that keywords and WordPress SEO content permeate much of life as we know it in the 21st century.
Social networks read our favorite words and report back to us on company developments and targeted ads we’re sure to appreciate. Google has all but replaced the encyclopedia with its free and user-supported wiki of information. Mobile phones, tablet PCs and iPod’s are now connecting to the Internet and making the world an increasingly Internet-dependent place.
While we usually think of the “net” as an all-engrossing entity, or at least an entertainment medium far more insightful than television, we realize that it is nothing more than a series of interconnected computers, all of which respond to keyword matching and querying. It is an interactive information system and one of which we exercise full control over.
As a reader, a spectator, you only have to interact with it—toy with it—to find inspiration. As a merchant, a publisher and a seller, you have to understand so much more. Not merely the mechanics of it, but the very psychology of this market. Indeed, it is the most targeted form of advertising anywhere, and certainly the most cost effective. However, like a chess game, it is a market that requires intricate knowledge of strategy, preparation and adjustment. Without this knowledge, it can be a complete waste of time and money.
Before we head into the basics of SEO, here’s what we will be covering in this 12 chapters long tutorial:
Overview: How To Improve WordPress SEO
Chapter 1: Optimizing WordPress For SEO & Traffic
Chapter 2: On-Page Optimization: Conforming to Search Engine Protocols And Standards
Chapter 3: Developing New SEO Content As A Marketer And Publisher
Chapter 4: Optimizing WordPress SEO Content
Chapter 5: Keyword Targeting
Chapter 6: Common Pitfalls Of Overeager Content Developers
Chapter 7: Creating An SEO Content Strategy
Chapter 8: Creative Strategy To Increase Website Traffic
Chapter 9: Social Media Optimization: Social Media, Pay-per-click, Banners And Text Ads
Chapter 10: How To Use Google Analytic For Planning
Chapter 11: How To Build SEO Competitive Advantage
Chapter 12: The Future Of SEO & Web Traffic
Understanding the basics of WordPress SEO and related science will prevent you from being scammed by SEO merchants, whom promise the world, but deliver poor product and very little in the way of strategy. The basics of this market are simple:
There are thousands of search engine sites out there but only a select few that actually power the Internet. We’re talking Google, the most powerful search site online with the most frequent updates to their (algorithm, the complex set of rules that decides what websites are listed in what order following a user query), and Bing (which now powers Yahoo!). There are other sites and they have their own algorithm, but most of them are “powered” by either Google or Being, and manipulate the results to their satisfaction, with their own logo.
The search engine’s job is to “index” individual pages within websites, based on text information discovered from the “spider” or web crawler application that surfs the Internet constantly. The search engine site’s ultimate goal is to provide a five-star service to its users, meaning they make every attempt to meet users’ satisfaction and deliver the most accurate results available, based on what the user types—and more importantly, what the user is thinking.
Search engines are far more customizable than antiquated search directories, though directories have not totally lost their relevance. Regardless of what site you like best, rest assured Google dominates nearly 70% of all searches, and most search sites utilize Google’s massive brain power. If you’re not using Google, then you’re likely using Ask.com (the distant third place runner up) or you’re simply searching a website directly rather than Googling everything simultaneously, and looking for the best personal results. (Personal…interesting word, which we will review a bit later).
Now, granted, many Internet users do run searches from websites directly, whether that’s at YouTube, Craiglist, eBay, Amazon, Twitter, LinkedIn, Wikipedia, or Facebook, but narrowing your focus down to just one site rather than “Googling It” might be far more time consuming.
As a merchant, you would do well to get on Google’s good side and do everything within your power to cooperate with its guidelines and get your site listed on those enviable top 10 SERPs (Search Engine Result Pages).
Why? Because as you probably can attest yourself, you only look for the top 10 or maybe top 20 results for any given query. The top 30 through top 1,000,000 are simply irrelevant for most people unless they’re major league stalkers (which most are not!).
So in this game of “virtual real estate”, your goal is to create a WordPress website that is search friendly, and which you can use to direct your customers to your site.
The startup process requires: