Practical SEO Principles
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According to some experts SEO or search engines optimization is simply a means to an end. Yes, SEO is a way to get your site visible in search engines in this online modern day warfare. But most people realize that SEO couple of years back is a world of difference from what SEO is now. I don’t mean just the fact that the web has changed and there are different requests from the search engines we need to take care of in order to get our site to rank high. One thing that has changed is that SEO experts have finally realized something of great importance. That is the fact that SEO is not only done to please search engines like Google, it is also done to please the reader, the visitor, the user. When a user is satisfied, so are the search engines. That is the first principle of Practical SEO.
In the online world as it is, competitive to the core, you have two options, hire a professional SEO expert, which will cost you a small fortune or give yourself a pep talk and boost your do-it-yourself mentality and get ready for some SEO learning and implementation. Focus only on the things that need to be done, like the SEO basics, the practical SEO stuff. While you are learning about the basics and implementing them along the way the advanced secret sauce will come along, giving you the edge you thought was impossible to get. Once you take a peak into the SEO world, things start to get interesting pretty fast.
The second principle of Practical SEO is quality over quantity. That goes for everything related to your website. Focus on creating high quality content rather than uploading hundreds of related pages to your website. One authoritative page can amount to hundreds of pages that are on the topic but are vague and don’t give a solution or an answer to the specific topic. The same goes for links, go for quality links from high PR sites, the basic concept is that one link from a PR6 site is worth thousand of links from a PR1 site.
You are thinking easier said than done, well it’s not so difficult to get a PR6 link as people think. In some cases all you have to do is ask for one! On the other hand article marketing if done right can be a great boost, especially for new websites. Practical SEO states that blogs and certain article directories can provide high PR links if you submit quality articles. The fact is that article directories and blog websites such as Ezine and HubPages are very popular and loved by search engines, so a quality article will be indexed fast and if it gets some traffic it will soon be linked to, which means the article will have a page rank of its own.
The third principle of Practical SEO states think small, do big. It’s related to the size of your website, size of your market and size of your competition. It is much easier to rank for a less competitive market, less competition means higher rankings faster. The size of the website is already explained, better a few quality pages than dozen of pages that amount to nothing. At the same time when you pick a smaller market you will be targeted by a certain group of people, which also amounts to quality traffic and that is what we all want.
Those are the three basic principles of Practical SEO, of course explaining SEO needs a lot of pages, and that is only the SEO basics. One of the last principles of Practical SEO states that SEO is not an overnight venture. Search engines optimization is a long term project, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Your site needs to be updated regularly, fresh content uploaded few times a week, and you need to acquire quality links without going down the black hat SEO road and spamming, which is unfortunately popular these days.
Practical SEO ensures steady but profitable results over time, black hat SEO may give you a boost in the short run, but search engines will notice and they will blacklist your site. At that moment all of your investment will be for nothing. Keep it going steady and always aim for the quality and before you know it you will have plenty of regular visitors and your site will be highly ranked in search engines.
- High Quality Content, the Most Important Thing in SEO
If you read or heard anything related to SEO you probably heard that content is king. There is a reason why that is so and we will get to it in a bit. From the practical SEO side there are multiple reasons...
- Google, Illuminati and the Cybersheep
We all know the story behind Google; well at least the ones who try to live of it know. The basic idea is we cant do anything without Googles approval or their knowledge. Mess with Google and your earnings will be close to zero. So we have to bow dow
- Professional SEO Service or Do It Yourself SEO?
If you have a website or if you are planning to start one, the question you should be asking yourself is whether to opt for do it yourself SEO or hiring a professional SEO service. There are benefits to both, each has its advantages and disadvantages
- ZarkoZivkovic on HubPages
I am a writer and a blogger like everyone here on HubPages. Mostly I do SEO related articles and blogs but every now and then I write for myself. That is when the time allows me to; I am a very busy man. Well I am a workaholic after all :)
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Thanks :) There isn't any catch, the site offers free information about practical seo and how to implement seo techniques. The site is made for people that have no clue about seo or where to start, so you can learn about basics and how to use all of that yourself to your benefit. I have to admit myself, the site is really to the point, but it's a fairly new site so we will see how it goes in the future!
We'll see... It's been three days since I started targeting long tail keywords like suggested on the site and I think it's working :)
Go over the basics of practical SEO, there is more than just long tail keywords if you want to really succeed. Targeting only one part of SEO is going to give you some results, but the whole package will deliver for sure, don't do just half of the job, if you are doing it, then do it as it was meant to be done and the results will come on their own :)
Nice, just what I have been looking for :) great hub and a great site really. Really makes you wonder what's the catch! Well, i guess once they become popular they will charge for something like everybody else... Like you said, we'll see, any way, free info is free info, but this one really explains it down to details. thanks
Nice and nformative!
Thanks, I think anyone can enhance their site by following advice given in this hub and on the website.
I like this word: The second principle of Practical SEO is quality over quantity. Of course when we have wrote many hubs but low traffic it's useless, right.
And this word: Focus on creating high quality content rather than uploading hundreds of related pages to your website.
You are absolutely right mu friend. Thanks for share with us. I rate this one!
Prasetio
Glad you liked it Prasetio :)
Try to use those principles, they will help you in your online venture for sure!
Another nice hub! I like your Principles. "Think small, do big" - well said!
Thanks, it is a great principle, check the rest of them on http://www.practicalseo.org/blog
Reall great information here, Good hub!
Thanks Create & Develop :)
Good post, thanks for the info, nothing new for me but nice to hear others talking sense about SEO as there is a lot of false claims out there.
You got that right Terence, I hear plenty of nonsense and claims that have no backing at all. How many people were burned by simply listening to gurus that no follow links aren't worth a thing! Traffic is traffic, a regular user doesn't know how to see if a link is do or no follow! Plus some seacrh engines index no follow, just an example...
Thanks for sharing this info. I'm always looking for ideas to improve my sites. I like the idea of the long term outlook. Keep up the good work.
I never set my goals to be quick and too high, so I always get surprised because I get better ranks than I expected much quicker when I actually take it slow.
one thing Google don't like is massive link building in a short period of time, so slow does it :)
One of the most important parts of SEO is to set your expectations, there isn't always the chance of getting number one rank, that is why I say to avoid any company that guarantees a no_1 rank!
You do know what you are talking about when you speak of SEO. It is hard to explain to website owners that good rankings take time. Thanks again for a wonderful SEO article.
yeah, i feel like I'm losing my mind sometimes when I try to explain to some web owner that it's going to take time, he can't see top ranking results after one month! they are too impatient and they think this is an easy and fast job, which makes is much harder for us to do it.
nice website you have there :)
Please tell me how to ask for a PR6 web site. I'd love to have one or three!
@nicomp, I guess you were thinking how to ask for a link from a PR6 website? The answer is simple, you have to choices.
1. pay for the link
2. ask for a link
it is as simple as that, find a relative site after analyzing your competition in SERP and their backlinks and ask for a link back to your site. Of course you have to write an interesting e-mail stating why they should post a link back, especially if your site doesn't have a good PR and is not considered as authority.
Oh. I thought you were saying that I could get a PR6 web site, not a link from one. Sorry.
Your question was "Please tell me how to ask for a PR6 web site", you didn't say create, this is not a give away so you can ask someone for a PR6 website. :)
You can create a website that will get PR6, but it will take you a few years, that is how things go, just do what is said here and avoid black hat techniques and you can eventually make it.
The alternative is to buy an already existing domain with good PR, try sedo.com or similar sites. I purchased a PR5 website for $250 there :)
I thought asking for a PR6 web site meant "Hey, can I have a PR6 web site?"
I understand now.
When you bought a PR5 for $250, did you get it to go to PR6? Did it stay at PR5 or did it go down?
Irony is not appreciated, a grown man cannot expect to get something for free, this is not a magic land of happy little blue guys giving things for free when asked!
It is currently still at PR5, I bought it 2 months ago, but it is going to go up, since the rankings have improved drastically for several keywords since I took over and this is what I do! Trust me when I tell you that it would be a disgrace for me to let the PR or my rankings go down!
Again, it is a long process, if it took you 3 months to get PR1, than it is going to take you another 5-6 months to go to PR2 in most cases, so yes the age is on my side in this case, but it can take me anywhere from another month to another year or so to get to PR6. But trust me, once you have a PR4 site things are going differently for you, in a positive way of course.
Thanks so much for the clear explanations. I really appreciate that, as there is a plethora of great information on HubPages, but sometimes the explanations are not nearly as clear as yours. Thanks!
Bookmarked! Thanks, could be very useful for this newbie ;-)
Irony it wasn't. I actually misunderstood your initial comments about 'asking for a PR6 web site.' My bad!
Send me the URL of your PR5 so I can follow it. I'm looking at purchasing a domain myself. How much should I expect to pay for a PR5?
Thanks RedElf, coming from you this is really a great compliment :)
Nicomp, I am glad we finally understand each other :) I sent you the URL of my PR5 website via mail, you will understand why. How much should you expect to pay? Well if you are incredibly lucky as I was you can get an expired PR5 domain for $250, but if you are purchasing a domain that is for sale you can pay up to tens of thousands of dollars. Depends on the niche, traffic and overall value of the site! Don't be surprised if you see a PR5 website being sold for $20,000
Good stuff! To the point is always best, in my opinion.
Good and useful information!
I will be coming back and learning this as I go along, there is a lot of information that is needed to succeed on the web! I agree it will take time, but if one likes learning, it is like solving a puzzle!
Quality is what everyone looks for in informative articles! The reader is the focus, I like that!
Thanks Scribenet, I appreciate your comment. And you are right, it is like solving a puzzle :)
Hey liked your hub so much. Great work and very very informative. Joining your fan club to stay connected and would like to invite you too.
Great article seo principle thanks for sharing
Another great hub my friend, I always leave one of your hubs learning something, cheers !
Thanks Tattoo Guy, always a pleasure reading your comments, as well as you hubs. Might contact you personally about a tattoo of mine I want redone...
Great Hub - it's all too easy to get bogged down in all the technicalities of SEO.
A great article and a fascinating run of comments. I have learned a lot. Thanks once again. Voted up.
Thank you Annica and thank you Peter, always a pleasure getting feedback from you :)
Excellent info! Great hub!
Yes, I totally agree SEO is an ongoing project. Some common mistakes I see online with my students and other marketers is they go hard making content, then never back it up with SEO, such as backlinking to their current project, such as there last articles. There for they are not positioned in the search engines
My Tip would be!
Slow down the content article writing until all or most of your blog posts and articles online are getting traffic.
Marty Ware
The SEO DAD & the creator of the Hubpages Tribe
PS: If you don't have time to learn, outsource the work to a pro!
Nice Article. Content is indeed king and the kingdom is a jungle out there !!
Great advice - I look forward to reading your blog
Thanks Guys, thanks Marty, a good pace in necessary. After all, the best content that is not seen equals no content at all. So yes, it doesn't matter how much you put on your website and what the quality of it is, if no one is reading it you are doing something wrong, and in most cases you are skipping SEO.
Hey there is a SEO and Social Media event in Mumbai, India. It's Asia's largest. I have just heard about it. Go to this link http://bit.ly/ceLKBC
Do you have any opinions on examiner? Also how would I know if my website was blacklisted and then how long does it take to get a website to get traffic weeks months? Thanks for a great hub
I'm not sure what you mean by examiner, if you are referring to examiner.com in the SEO aspect a link from that site is a great asset. Please, be more specific and I might give you my opinion.
Well you will notice immediately if your website is blacklisted, in most cases your site will start losing rank or even be removed from the index for certain keywords or removed entirely. But you would have to give a damn good reason for that to happen, mostly black hat seo.
As far as getting traffic to a new site goes it can take anywhere between 30 and 90 days with basic SEO, more or less depending on the site itself. If we are talking about a website that has been removed from the index and then back again, well, the same applies as you are starting like with a new website with one advantage, your domain has aged a bit.
thank-you yes my site is new so just wondering and yes examner.com I am the L.A. love and marriage examiner with link to hubpages and my website www.thehappyspouse.com thank-you so much for taking the time to answer me. I went to your blog and read your stuff and I need to keep reading it!!!!!!
Glad you found it useful Dawn. If I can get a link from Examiner to my blog I would appreciate it :) But I looked at your site and your backlinks, the page you are getting the link from is PR0, so from that side it doesn't have value, but it has value because examiner is a site with authority, and links from such sites if they come from a related article, like yours, are very handy :)
I've been doing this for years and I can tell you that one of the biggest things you will find wrong with most of the so-called seo gurus is that they give their followers the impression that all you have to do is learn a few techniques and you will rush right to the top of the game, that's a lie! It takes years to build a strong foundation that will stand. You have to build a reputation and my friends that does not come easily nor quickly. If you are in the seo industry you learn real quick that your competitors like Bruce Clay and sites like SEO.com are huge corporations manned by several employees, not only are they pros at this, they out number the small guy 100 to 1. What they can accomplish in one week will take the average webmaster a year. What I recommend is that seo's learn more about link bait and master it. SEO Services will have you working your self to death trying to get thousands of backlinks, but if you write quality content that other site owners and webmasters love, you may find that all these backlinks come naturally instead of having to force them. I started this in the mid 90s and I have never, and I will never, follow most of the seo rules out there. It took me years to build a reputation with the search engines, I remember when I would submit a site and it would take days for it to be listed, now they are listed within a few minutes. Most of my new sites in top level markets begin within the first five pages of the search engines and naturally work their way up from there. I only create a few backlinks to start off and I don't run all over the Internet posting links everywhere. I don't spend days writing and submitting articles, I don't spam Yahoo Answers with my links, etc. Sounds great doesn't it? It took years to get to this level, and when I say years I mean years of working 12 and 16 hours a day seven days a week. Everything I learned was from trial and error and I can tell you that 90% of what you read from seo gurus is absolute garbage.
@Born To Be Free, that is quite experience you have there :) I'm glad that someone with your knowledge can say clearly that SEO gurus are marketing spammers that just want to take someone's money. It's not listed here, but in my "professional or do it yourself SEO" hub I explained the benefits of working your own SEO and hiring a company to do it for you, it's like you said. It comes down to experience and man power. Thanks for this great comment :)
And about link bait, well we all aim for that, at least I do, and when you get it right it is the best way to get natural links. But it is easier said than done, as most of the times whatever you write someone else wrote it before you and maybe even better, so this is a thing you really have to give your best in order to make it work, but again, it is worth it 100 times over.
Great and informative hub . I've also put together a hub on the basics of seo. Let me know your thoughts.
Great blog! Put's things in a more simplistic light for those of us without a clue,lol. First I've found on here written in that manner. Thanks!
Thanks Trucking, appreciate your comment :)
great hub sir ! was really helpful.
just had a question, what are the absolute "don'ts" when it comes to SEO? stuff that could totally ruin all your hard work?
@rajan1311
- Massive link building, if Google sees your website acquiring thousands of links over night they will know it was automated and they will penalize you for that.
- Keyword stuffing, I know if you have a static webpage and not a blog a page can get overcrowded with keyword, so try to avoid that as it may get you penalized, never go over 7% keyword density on a static page, my recommendation, 2% to 5$ for your homepage, below 3% for other pages.
- Cloaking your pages is a no no
- Hidden text on your website
- Doorway Pages
Avoid these at all costs...
thanks a lot sir :)
following you now :D
No need to thank me, and I'm far from being a sir :)
This is free info for everyone, like it should be!
Nice post - and a great comment by born to be free
Nice Article. Content is indeed king and the kingdom is a jungle out there !!
Thanks for making this hub, its really useful and we found it very helpful. Thanks very much!
Thanks for taking the time to read it :)
Brick and mortar is therefore old school. If you intend to get ahead with your goods and services in todays market you need an online presence.
Very informative. Thanks for the tips,making a SEO stronger is not so easy, but hard work. Thank you for this post.
Greatly enjoy your expertise. Thank you so much for sharing. Fantastic writer for the technical items and tuning it down to our terms and our understanding.
Voted up and useful!
Thank you for giving me realistic expectations.
Nice hub. Right now, i am not making great progress with SEO for my sites especially with all the changes Google has been doing with its ranking algorithms. Your hub gave me a good perspective about SEO. Maybe, i need to re-look into my SEO strategies.
WeLoveMusic 23 months ago
A really educating post, right to the point and the site you recommend seems to be legit. Free SEO info and how to get things done, what's the catch?