SEO stands for Search Engine Optimization. It is a process used to increase ranking within the search engines. The goal is simple; to get your website on the first page of the Search Engine Results Page (SERP).
SEO is form of advertising. In the real world, simply owning a business will not result in business success. You must advertise. The same is true for the virtual world too. On the Internet, simply owning a website does not guarantee you success. You must promote your website. It does not matter what you sell, be it a product, service, philosophy, or idea. Failure on your part to promote your site will result in failure of your website to generate more income.
Getting visitors to your site is only half the battle. You can be an SEO expert and fetch millions of visitors to your site, but if you can't convert those visitors into cash then your marketing efforts might be wasted?
This may not relate to you directly, maybe you just run a fan site. But even an informational site has the potential to generate sales through referrals and Google Adsense. In SEO, think of the Search Engines as lead generators in a sales team, their goal is to generate hot leads for the closer. Your website becomes the closer. So to get a sale, you must convert leads into customers. The ratio of leads to customers is known as the Conversion Rate. This is an important factor to remember because for most of us, the ultimate goal is to earn more money. What does your website look like? Is it confusing, difficult to navigate, or an artistic nightmare? If so then you will have a low conversion rate.
The point of this introduction is to remind you of the ultimate goal of SEO. To gain and convert traffic. It's important to stay focused on this because the type of service or product you provide will greatly determine the importance of the conversion rate. If you sell airplanes then one sale per quarter may be all you need. On the other hand if you sell paper airplanes then you may need thousands of sales per month.
Part 1: Introduction to SEO
Part 2: On Site Optimization
Part 3: Off Site Optimization
Part 4: Keyword Research
Part 5: 4 Essential Steps to SEO
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