Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of convincing the search engines that your website deserves better visibility, or page ranking, because it is an expert authority and highly relevant to people searching for information.

SEO 101 - The 5 Most Important things to Know about SEOGuest Post by Dixie Somers: When you consider that the majority of people never look past the first page of search results you can easily see the importance of improving your website page ranking.

The 5 Most Important Things to Know about SEO

1) Better Content Equals Better Search Engine Rankings

You need quality content and plenty of it. If your content isn't keeping visitors glued to each page, they will vanish and so will your search engine rankings.

Make sure your content is unique; the search engines can spot content that has been rehashed from another source and will penalize your site accordingly. Your goal should be to add fresh quality content to your site every week.

2) Select Keywords That People are Actually Using

Keywords are the phrases that people type into the search box when they’re looking for information. The better your chosen keywords match what people are typing, the better chance you have of the search engine displaying your website.

Choose keywords that match the way people think: don’t use “Denver Realtor” if people are typing “Denver homes for sale.” The Google Keyword Planner and SEOBook.com both offer free keyword selection tools and advice.

3) Pay Close Attention to the Individual Pages on Your Website

Each page on your site should be devoted to a single topic, and your keywords for that topic should be included in the page title and the content. Your articles should be between 500 and 1,000 words long. While the home page is important, don't neglect the others.

Even if the majority of activity happens on your home page, make sure you keep your other pages current, with the right amount and type of content on them.

4) Be Prepared to Overhaul Your Website

A successful SEO campaign may require extensive re-tooling of your website, especially in the areas of page structure and content. Your site menu and how pages link to one another and to the rest of your site may also need to be tweaked.

Remember that all keywords and content have to relate to the context of your business if SEO is going to work for you.

5) There’s no Such Thing as Coasting in the SEO World

You fought hard to get good page rankings and are finally seeing a steady flow of targeted traffic. Time to relax, right? Wrong…

There are only 10 spots on the first page of Google, and every competitor you kicked off the page is fighting to regain their position. That is why companies try to enlist the best SEO company to do this for them so that they never fall behind the competition.

Once you get to the top, you have to maintain your SEO campaign if you expect to stay there.

SEO is in a constant state of evolution; Google alone changes its search algorithm, or formula that dictates how pages rank, up to 500 times a year. This means that someone in your company has to be committed to staying on top of these changes if SEO is going to work for you.

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